Alicia Villarreal, 48

Litigation

At the annual Constitutional Rights Foundation dinner in Los Angeles, Tom Mars, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., singled out Alicia Villarreal for praise to a crowd that included many prominent lawyers. At a time when there are still too few powerful minority lawyers in law firms, Villarreal is exactly what many corporations are demanding. A 14-year veteran of the U.S. attorney’s office, Villarreal spends much of her time quietly steering in-house counsel, directors and audit committees through the shoals of compliance. In July, she agreed to be the pro bono general counsel to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, a nonprofit formed to help increase opportunities for Hispanics to participate in and contribute to the American policymaking process.