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Local woman lawyer joins Office of Public Defender
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Posted on Oct 27 2000
The Office of the Public Defender is pleased to have a new attorney on board. Their new Assistant Public Defender is Diane S. Cabrera.
Originally from Saipan, Ms. Cabrera is the first local woman attorney to serve as an assistant public defender in the CNMI. After earning her BA in Political Science from the University of Hawaii at Hilo in 1994, Cabrera went on to receive her Juris Doctorate from University of New Mexico School of Law in 1998. She also received clinical honors and an Indian Law Certificate as a specialized field of legal study.
Ms. Cabrera joined the Office of Public Defender two weeks ago.
“I’m here to represent my clients’ interest to the best of my ability. I believe in our Commonwealth Constitution and the rights of our citizens guaranteed by it,” Ms. Cabrera said following her swearing-in as a new assistant public defender.
“I hope to see positive changes on our judicial system-changes that resonate with cultural ideas of fairness and equality before the law,” she added.
Most recently, Ms. Cabrera served as managing attorney for the Clovis Regional Office of Southern New Mexico Legal Services, Inc. Prior to that, she served as a project director for the Navajo Landowners Rights Project, a nonprofit association dealing with the federal and tribal land rights of Navajo allotments owners.
Chief Public Defender Masood Karimipour expressed his happiness with his choice for a new assistant public defender.
“When I first called Diane in New Mexico to interview for the job, I was immediately impressed by her commitment to the rights of ordinary citizens,” the public defender said. “There are many lawyers out there, but there are few who are dedicated to helping people, especially poor people, and protecting their rights.
“She is an extremely bright, dedicated and ethical lawyer. And once I finished describing to her the professional challenges to being an assistant PD, and how much her people need her in this job, she was ready to join the team. We are lucky to have her,” Mr. Karimipour added.
Ms. Cabrera encourages other local individuals to pursue their dreams of serving their community in a professional capacity.
“If I could do it, anyone can, too,” she added.
