NBC Legal Analyst to Speak at College

As part of a lecture series on minorities in American culture, NBC legal analyst Manuel Medrano will discuss “Latinos in the Law and Media” Tuesday at Mission College.

“Mr. Medrano is not only a positive role model but a newsmaker as well, and it’s important to give our students access to people like that,” said Carlos Nava, dean of students at Mission.

The talk is the third in a lecture series entitled “Minorities in American Culture: Personal and Professional Success Stories.”

The series will continue at Mission throughout the year, Nava said. Previous speakers have included Los Angeles Police Chief Willie L. Williams.

Medrano, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, worked for the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles from 1983 to 1993, where he successfully prosecuted those responsible for the 1985 kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena.

More recently, Medrano has worked as a law school instructor and legal analyst for the local NBC television station. He has become a familiar figure on the evening news, commenting on the O.J. Simpson and Menendez brothers murder trials.

“[Medrano] speaks with knowledge, but he also speaks in a way that everyone can understand,” Nava said. “He takes complex subject matters and explains them in a down-to-Earth way.”

In addition to his lecture, Medrano will participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience, Nava said.

“Come early, because we are expecting a full house,” said Nava.

The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Mission’s Campus Center, 13356 Eldridge Ave. Admission is free.