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Founder and CEO
Walker Advertising, Inc.
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Hispanic business and community leader, Mary Ann Walker, has been a dominant force in attorney joint advertising since 1984. Ms. Walker was born in Manhattan Beach, California , but grew up in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico because her mother, a native of Mexico, wanted Ms. Walker and her siblings to learn Spanish and the Mexican culture. Ms. Walker returned to the United States in 1979 to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She graduated from UCLA specializing as an interpreter and translator.
Upon graduation, Ms. Walker spent a number of years working as a translator for the courthouses in Los Angeles. It was during this time that Ms. Walker identified the need for Spanish-speaking attorneys to represent Spanish-speaking clients. The language barrier was a major challenge for Spanish-speaking clients to receive equitable legal representation. At that time, lawyers would build a case based on police reports or information provided by insurance companies and not on what the client had to say.
To address this challenge, Ms. Walker approached the Spanish-speaking attorneys she met in court and asked them if they wanted to jointly advertise their services to the Hispanic community. Five of them said yes, and in 1984, “Los Defensores” was born.
Presently, “Los Defensores” is a network of 100 law firms throughout California, handling primarily civil cases. In 1985, “Los Defensores” teamed up with Jaime Jarrin, the Spanish voice for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the spokesperson for “Los Defensores”. Mr. Jarrin’s participation in the ad campaign for “Los Defensores” has added credibility to the spots which explain the legal rights the consumer has in thirty seconds.
In 1985, Ms. Walker created a second joint advertising group called “1800-THE-LAW2”, to help serve the needs of English-speaking legal consumers. Judge Mills Lane is the current spokesman for 1800-THE-LAW2, and his high-recognition factor coupled with his fair, no-nonsense reputation has allowed 1800-THE-LAW2 to gain significant traction within the English-speaking legal advertising market. Mr. Lane is well known for his career as a boxing referee, where he officiated several high-profile championship fights, as well as his constant television appearances. Past spokesmen for 1800-THE-LAW2 have included Kurt Rambis, former star and current Assistant Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 2002, “Alivio Legal” was created in an effort to provide our member attorneys with a vehicle to reach the young Hispanic market, which comprises a staggering 30% of the Los Angeles County residents. The “Alivio Legal” program concentrates exclusively on generating leads for Personal Injury and Workers Compensation practice areas. “Alivio Legal” has provided instant recognition and credibility with the growing young, hip Spanish-speaking market throughout the Southland.
In addition to her leadership responsibilities at Walker Advertising, Inc. Ms. Walker finds time to participate in political and community issues. In response to Proposition 187, Ms. Walker and her staff created a temporary product called “Ciudanania Ahora” which registered residents of California for U.S. citizenship.
Currently, Ms. Walker and her team are involved in a campaign called “Ganemos Fuerza”, whose goal is to register American Hispanics to vote. So far we have 4000 new voters.
Ms. Walker and her husband of 16 years reside in Southern California with their three children.
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