Mila Pacheco Elected New Head of Tenerife Bar Association
Mila Pacheco Pérez has been elected as the new leader of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Bar Association, representing lawyers in Tenerife, La Gomera, and El Hierro, after winning Friday's election with her "Drive the Change" platform.
There's a new leader at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Bar Association (Icatf). Mila Pacheco Pérez, a lawyer from Puerto de la Cruz, has been elected as the new head of the association, representing lawyers in Tenerife, La Gomera, and El Hierro. She won the election held on Friday, October 17th, to choose the new board. Her team secured the most votes, meaning all members of her list will be on the board.
Running under the slogan "Drive the Change," Mila Pacheco's team won in all three locations after a careful vote count that finished after 3 a.m. on Saturday, October 18th. Out of 3,841 eligible members (both practicing and non-practicing), 1,450 lawyers voted for the candidates to lead the association for the next five years. There were 144 votes in southern Tenerife, 171 in the north, and 1,135 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The "Drive the Change" group promised "a major overhaul" to make the association "more transparent and committed," acting with "strength and a forward-thinking approach" to the challenges facing lawyers. They defeated the campaigns of the other two candidates: José Manuel Niederleytner García-Lliberós (who was seeking a third term) and Víctor Martín Álvarez, a lawyer from La Laguna. Mila Pacheco received 1,166 votes, compared to José Manuel Niederleytner's 1,089 and Víctor Martín's 322. Voter turnout was 37.5%. The official announcement of the new board will happen soon.
Mila Pacheco's team includes a diverse group of dedicated individuals with strong professional backgrounds. The members are José Antonio Domínguez Hernández, Elena Casanova Rodríguez, Luis Navarro Romero, Carolina García Santos, Miguel Ángel González Hidalgo, Jonás Ríos Torres, Magdalena Gómez Pérez (Maida), Paula Belén Hernández Montoya, Orlando Medina Hernández, Tamara Domínguez Cruz, Raúl Alonso Fernández, and María Yurbis Gómez Borges.
Mila Pacheco, who was previously the vice-dean, says her project "won't just continue the past, but will truly transform the association to meet the needs of legal professionals." Two weeks ago, she received the Gold Medal of Merit in Justice of the Canary Islands for her pioneering work in promoting mediation through the Bar Association and for her work in immigration and international protection.
She wants "a Bar Association that is closer, more transparent, modern, and committed to improving the lives of its members" in a "complex and demanding" legal environment. During her campaign, Pacheco pointed out problems like "courts scheduling hearings three years in advance, logistical decisions made without consulting legal aid lawyers who aren't paid for their time and effort, legal aid fees that haven't been updated since 2008, and retired lawyers who can't afford to stop working because their pensions aren't enough to live on."
Mila Pacheco emphasized that lawyers deserve "recognition and respect" for their "essential" role in "society." She added that her team is committed to "improving the profession, making daily practice better, strengthening services, and defending everyone's interests." After the election results, she said, "This isn't a personal victory, but a shared responsibility. We're going to make the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Bar Association a useful, active, and open space for everyone."