Lourdes Santiago joins FLOC’s law firm

Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer Co., L.P.A. officially announced last week that Councilwoman Lourdes Santiago has joined its law firm, overseeing the law firm’s newly created Immigration Law Division.

In addition to practicing Immigration Law, she will also be working with the many labor unions that the firm represents, providing legal services to the unions and their members, including meeting with clients on Saturdays at the Farm Labor Organizing Committee’s headquarters in south Toledo.
 

Santiago comes to Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer from the City of Toledo’s Law Department, where she was a senior attorney in the civil division. As a member of the City of Toledo’s law Department, Santiago worked closely with city administrators and public officials to promote legislation and develop policy in the areas of collective bargaining, neighborhood nuisance, operational mergers, and economic development. 

Santiago also worked in the law department’s criminal division as a prosecuting attorney for seven years on cases involving domestic violence, underage alcohol consumption, and traffic violations.

Calling Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer Co., L.P.A. a progressive law firm, Santiago said her move to the firm was “a natural choice.” Santiago said she chose the Gallon, Takacs firm because “they have a reputation and history of representing working men and women and are committed to social justice issues.”

Santiago is currently an at-large member of Toledo City Council. She is running to retain the seat this November. Prior to her work in the City of Toledo’s Law Department, she was a staff attorney for Attorneys for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE).

Senior Managing Partner and President of Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer Co., L.P.A, William E. Takacs, said: “Lourdes Santiago is a welcome addition to our staff of attorneys. Her nearly three decades of legal experience, as well as her many and varied connections with our community, make her a good fit with our organization. Most importantly, she shares our commitment to representing the interests of working and disabled people and their families. We look forward to a long and fulfilling relationship with her.”

Santiago is a lifetime member of the University of Toledo Alumni Association, Toledo Sister Cities International and the NAACP. Additionally, she is a founding member of the Art Tatum African American Resource Center and a member of the Lucas County Hispanic/Latino Democratic Caucus.

In 2000, Santiago received a Diamante Service Award. The Diamante Awards recognize contributions to the Toledo area Hispanic community. Santiago earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras and a law degree from the University of Toledo.