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Born in Habana, Cuba, “Romi”, as he is familiarly known, came to the United States in the year 1961. González graduated from the University of The South in Sewanee, Tennessee in 1970 (B.A. English), attended The University of Madrid, and then received a Juris Doctor from Tulane University. Since being admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1973, he has practiced law in the city of New Orleans with a general civil practice, including civil litigation and immigration matters, serving both local and international clientele.
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Biography & Profile
Born in Habana, Cuba, “Romi”, as he is familiarly known, came to the United States in the year 1961. His parents stayed in Habana, as his father was the Bishop of the Anglican (Episcopal) Church in Cuba and wished to continue his ministry there and hold the church together in the evolving adversity faced.
González graduated from the University of The South in Sewanee, Tennessee in 1970 (B.A. English), attended The University of Madrid, and then received a Juris Doctor from Tulane University. Since being admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1973, he has practiced law in the city of New Orleans with a general civil practice, including civil litigation and immigration matters, serving both local and international clientele. His varied practice has included highly publicized cases, such as the Pan American Airlines crash in Kenner, the TAN-SAHSA Airline crash in Honduras, and many others. In the Dupont Hotel Fire in San Juan Puerto Rico, González negotiated the single largest recovery of the hundreds of injury and death cases, securing a $3.8 million dollar award for his injured client.
González has served as an advisor to numerous civic, political and educational persons and organizations on international matters, chairing the Mayor’s International Council for eight years. He founded and presided over the first local Latin American Chamber of Commerce, which was part of the Greater New Orleans Chamber of Commerce for a number of years. He later launched the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, under which he conceived and carried out “Carnaval Latino”, a 3-day international music festival. Romi also conceived, founded, and named “The Azucar Ball”, a fundraising gala for Carnaval Latino. He also initiated the Jupiter Hispanic Leadership Conferences. Most recently, Romi was able to coalesce factions of the New Orleans Hispanic community into first, the Hispanis Heritage Foundation, and later, into a single Chamber of Commerce (Jupiter II). He founded the International Cuba Society, which endeavors to reach out to new Cuba as it emerges from its closed past. He is also an active member of many local international initiatives. For some 25 years, González has hosted a weekly show on local Hispanic radio, providing legal and political commentary.
Nationally, he has served on several Hispanic and religious boards. During the early 1980’s he served on the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief of the Episcopal Church, which allowed him to be of much help in securing assistance for the new arrivees in the aftermath of the Mariel boatlift as well as in other refugee and migration matters.
Some 28 years ago, Romi was part of the group which succeeded in assisting over 400 Cubans with New Orleans Families to leave through the port of Mariel on the ship “The God’s Mercy”. Its captains, now Bishops Leo Frade (South Florida) and Joe Doss (New Jersey, retired), were prosecuted by the Federal Government for “trading with the enemy”. González’ law firm successfully represented the priests.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu has also pointed Mr. González to the City’s Tricentennial Committee which is charged with the planning of the 300th Anniversary Celebration of the City’s founding.
Romi resides in the New Orleans area with Sara, a sales counselor at Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery and has two sons: Romi Jr., an investment counselor with the local office of Smith, Barney, and Pablo, an attorney with the New Orleans branch of Phelps, Dunbar. His sister, Ruth-González-Mullen is a prominent local artist and educator, married to a much loved veterinarian, the late, Harold Mullen, D.V.M.