Atty. Castañeda: Visionary, Leader and Pioneer
As the student body president at her high school in Long Beach, California, Atty. Castañeda was eager to pursue leadership roles on a bigger scale. At University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), she was active in university politics and various organizations such as the UCLA Samahang Pilipino and a national sorority. She graduated with honors in both History and Philosophy.
While still at UCLA, she worked with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Training Division. She learned invaluable skills by observing trial lawyers conduct jury trials, preliminary hearings and argue motions.
She participated in training new prosecutors and became aware of the laws that impacted the criminal arena. Working for what is still the biggest law firm in the world, she gained a broad overview of the different type of crimes; such as major narcotics, fraud (automobile insurance, healthcare, real estate), major crimes, environmental crimes, assets & forfeiture, hardcore gang and organized crime.
Her dedication to public service motivated her to attend the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. She was selected to represent her law school in its exchange program at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. She studied European Community laws with focus on criminal and business law.
After law school, Atty. Castañeda worked for Judge Dickran Tevrizian at the United States Ninth District in Los Angeles. She researched and drafted judicial orders on behalf of the court. She gained insight and experience in federal civil and criminal practice.
She then worked for the City of Los Angeles, Mayor’s Office, as an Appeals Analyst for the Office of the Economic Development. She evaluated, drafted and presented to the Board of Public Works and City Council her decision in whether a company should be granted or denied the coveted Minority / Women / Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification for city contracts.
Thereafter, Atty. Castañeda became a Deputy District Attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office prosecuting felony and misdemeanor cases from arraignment to trial. She handled serious and violent crimes: murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, gang cases and assaults, involving firearms and third strike defendants. As a prosecutor, she worked with local, state and federal agencies.
Atty. Castañeda’s first case as a criminal defense attorney was a multi-defendant federal drug conspiracy to sell and import/export MDMA (“ecstasy”) in Miami. She partnered with a local practitioner and resolved her client’s case with an excellent result. All defendants had pled guilty except her client who wanted to proceed to trial. But after extensive negotiations with the federal prosecutor, the end result was a misdemeanor simple possession with no prison time.
Atty. Castañeda’s efficient and effective representation of clients continues. Her client was charged with fraud and forgery with losses of nearly two million dollars. Unlike the other two co-defendants who faces up to fifteen years, her client will not be incarcerated.
Passion for Her Family and Community
Atty. Castañeda’s passion for life, her family and her community are apparent. Notwithstanding her commitment to her profession she always makes time to travel and explore the world. Having been born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States at a young age, those close to her can attest to her love of traveling and deep appreciation of foreign cultures.
Her work for the community continues to expand as she explores the issues of the Asian community as a whole and Filipinos specifically. She is a member of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Hawaii.
She is dedicated to the issues that confront women professionals and as such has been a dedicated member of the Women’s Lawyer of Los Angeles. She is a Board Member of the Philippine American Bar Association, an organization that was formed in response to addressing the legal issues confronting the Filipino community and the professional concerns of Filipino lawyers.
Atty. Castañeda’s continue to be deeply concerned about children’s issues. As a prosecutor, she had the opportunity to prosecute cases of nonpayment of child support court orders. Her grassroots involvement with children advocacy groups spans locally and to international organizations.
From her early years as a young leader in her high school to her current role as an attorney/entrepreneur with her own law firm, she remains passionate in nurturing her skills and commitment to her clients and community.