Foley Hispanic Heritage Month Program: Camille Vasquez Shares Her Insights on Personal Brand

In the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month, Foley & Lardner hosted a firmwide virtual program on October 1 featuring a conversation with NBC News legal analyst Camille Vasquez, the Hollywood lawyer blazing a trail for Latinas. Partner Roland Potts, chair of Fuerza Foley — the firm’s Latino Attorneys Affinity Group — introduced Vasquez and moderated the discussion.

Vasquez is a first-generation American born in San Francisco and is the daughter of Latino immigrants — her mother is from Cuba and her father is from Colombia. She studied communications and political science at the University of Southern California, received her J.D. from Southwestern Law School, and has gone on to become a sought-after attorney for her critical insights and perspective on today’s most high-profile legal cases.

Through her professional journey and advocacy for high-profile clients, Vasquez has learned the importance of crafting and protecting your personal brand. “When you meet someone for the first time, ask them what they love about what they do,” she said. “It helps you zero in on who they are and what they value, and on the story that defines their brand.”

Vasquez describes personal brand as the narrative that defines you, shaped by your actions, values, and how others perceive you.

“If you don’t actively cultivate this brand, it may be shaped by others, potentially leading to misunderstandings and misrepresentations that don’t reflect your true self.”

She saw this play out in her representation of Johnny Depp in his high-profile defamation case against Amber Heard in which he faced significant harm to his reputation as a beloved actor and well-known philanthropist. According to Vasquez, managing personal brand by speaking authentically before, during, and after a crisis is key to taking back the narrative. And for Depp, it was key to protecting his reputation and winning his case.

Vasquez offers a valuable framework that we all can use to build and maintain a strong personal brand:

• Embrace Your Whole Self: Assess what makes you unique and accept your vulnerabilities alongside your strengths to craft a personal brand that is authentic and relatable.
• Create Value: Whether you write, blog, or present, have a reason to speak to your network and do it with intention to create value for others.
• Grow Your Relationships: Build your professional network with purpose. Strive to engage 50% of the time with aspirational figures, 30% with peers, and 20% with those you mentor.

Vasquez’s transformation from a daughter of immigrants to a celebrated trial lawyer and news analyst embodies this Embrace-Create-Grow model of personal brand. Her story is shaped by her parents’ sacrifices, instilling in her a belief that grit can be both learned and earned.

“I didn’t just want to be successful,” she said, “I also wanted to inspire others.” This has been especially true for Vasquez as a role model for other aspiring lawyers in the Hispanic community.

Click here to learn more about Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Foley, and to explore how discussions like these contribute to a more inclusive workplace and society.