Howrey Vice-Chair Dead at 53
By Andrew Longstreth
May 04, 2009
We have some sad news to report. Cecilia Gonzalez, who served as vice-chair of Howrey and cochair of its intellectual property practice, died Monday at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. According to the firm, the cause was breast cancer. She was 53.Gonzalez, who became a Howrey partner in 1986, was best known for her work at the International Trade Commission, where she was lead counsel in more than 50 actions. In 2007, The National Law Journal named her as one of the 50 most influential minority lawyers in America. According to Howrey, Gonzalez was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1955. She graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1979.
Funeral arrangements are pending, according to the firm.
In an email to the firm on Monday morning, Howrey's managing partner Robert Ruyak wrote, "Cecilia was so generous and so committed; truly exceptional as both a lawyer and a leader. As a long time member of the executive committee, and then as vice-chair of the firm, her extraordinary judgment, talents, and perspectives were vital to our success. We simply would not be who we are today, had we not been blessed with her presence, her brilliance, and her caring friendship."
Last summer, Howrey lost another of its high-profile lawyers, Mark Wegener, to cancer. Wegener served as the firm's vice-chair and cochair of the firm's global litigation practice.
