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ASHCROFT APPLAUDS WHITE HOUSE CHOICE FOR SPECIAL COUNSEL

WASHINGTON, D.C. Attorney General John Ashcroft today welcomed President George W. Bush's announcement of his intention to nominate Juan Carlos Benitez to be Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices.

"Juan Carlos Benitez will play a key role in making certain that no one feels outside the protection of the law," Ashcroft said. "His responsibilities will be of utmost importance, and I trust that he will fulfill them skillfully and honorably. I look forward to working with him."

Benitez is currently of counsel at Long, Aldridge & Norman in Washington, DC, where he manages the firm's government affairs strategies.

Previously, he served the governor of Puerto Rico as both Associate General Counsel and Legislative Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration. As Legislative Director, he supervised the governor's Intergovernmental Affairs Division and represented the governor of Puerto Rico before the U.S. Congress and various federal agencies.

Prior to that service, Benitez worked as an associate with the law firm of Fiddler, Gonzalez and Rodriquez in Puerto Rico, where he developed extensive experience in labor and employment law.

He is active in several professional organizations in the Hispanic community, acting as Regional President, Government Relations Director and White House Liaison for both the Hispanic National Bar Association and the National Puerto Rican Bar Association.

Benitez received his BA from Sacred Heart University and his law degree from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, where he was a member of the law review. During law school, he clerked for Federal District Judge Raymond Acosta in Puerto Rico.

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