| Tony Flores New York, New York Man For All Seasons |
Tony is aptly described by Filipinos in the Big Apple as the
undisputed Filipino mayor of Manhattan. He knows all the powers-
that-be in the Big Apple and they all know him as their Filipino
friend.
Tony Flores in the early 1971 led a crusade which seemed to be
an ambitious move then - - to allow Philippine lawyers to take the
BAR examinations without requiring U.S. citizenship. He was
then a Tax Accountant for International Telephone & Telegraph
Corporation (ITT) and later was a Senior Tax Analyst with Sealand
Services Inc. in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
“I was so frustrated those days with the stringent requirements in
qualifying to be a lawyer in the State of New York. In spite of
graduating from two of the top law schools abroad - the University
of the Philippines where I acquired both my AB and LL. B degrees
and the University of Madrid in Spain where I received a Doctor of
Laws degree , I was bluntly informed my education outside of
the United States was not sufficient to entitle me to take the BAR
examinations what more to practice law,” related Tony.
He went back to school and for more than three years studied at
undisputed Filipino mayor of Manhattan. He knows all the powers-
that-be in the Big Apple and they all know him as their Filipino
friend.
Tony Flores in the early 1971 led a crusade which seemed to be
an ambitious move then - - to allow Philippine lawyers to take the
BAR examinations without requiring U.S. citizenship. He was
then a Tax Accountant for International Telephone & Telegraph
Corporation (ITT) and later was a Senior Tax Analyst with Sealand
Services Inc. in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
“I was so frustrated those days with the stringent requirements in
qualifying to be a lawyer in the State of New York. In spite of
graduating from two of the top law schools abroad - the University
of the Philippines where I acquired both my AB and LL. B degrees
and the University of Madrid in Spain where I received a Doctor of
Laws degree , I was bluntly informed my education outside of
the United States was not sufficient to entitle me to take the BAR
examinations what more to practice law,” related Tony.
He went back to school and for more than three years studied at
Brooklyn Law School where he acquired his Juris Doctor (JD) in 1976. Immediately upon graduating, Tony
took the New York and Washington, D.C. bar examinations and passed both of them with flying colors.
Before taking the bar, he also took and passed the U.S. Civil Service tests, the New York State Legal Career
tests and the New York City Law Clerk tests.
As a full-pledged attorney, Tony doubled his efforts in his crusade to correct the stringent requirements of the
State of New York. And as a result of this crusade, law graduates from U. P. can now apply for license and
practice law anywhere in the State of New York without going back to school or taking the BAR exams.
“Tony Flores is responsible for the successes of several Filipino lawyers in the Tri-States,” explained another
Filipino practicing lawyer in nearby New Jersey during a dinner interview for this article. “Most of us - maybe
85% including at least two current Philippine senators- all trained under Tony. He has helped a lot of his
fellow countrymen, especially Filipino lawyers."
Tony was an honor student during his elementary and high school days at San Beda College in Manila.
During his college years, he received all kinds of accolades both in the Philippines and abroad. Tony also
attended New York University for his LL.M. in Taxation.
For the past twenty-five years, he has actively participated in the Filipino Community in both New York and
New Jersey where he founded and headed several organizations. He was the founder and charter president
of the now very-active Phil-Am Lions of New York - - Tony also held several important positions in the Lions
International encompassing not only New York but other states as well. He was instrumental in forming the
Filipino Jaycees in New York; the Philippine-American Bar Association; the Philippine Lawyers Association,
the Philippine Social Club, the Cavite Association, the Kahirup International, the FAPA New York Chapter and
several other organizations as well as being active with the Philippine Community Executive Council, the
umbrella organization in New York-New Jersey area.
“My dream, when I was still studying was to have my own law practice right here in New York. I really
prepared myself for this goal,” explained Tony. After his studies in Spain, he joined E.S.T. Ltd., a British-
American-Spanish corporation in Zaragoza. In 1958, he went back to the Philippines and purposely held
"several legal positions in order to gain experience." He was Assistant to the Chief Legal and Labor
Counsel for PTGWO, an affiliation of various labor unions, doing union-related functions. Next, he joined the
Law Offices of Senator Estanislao A. Fernandez as an Associate Attorney and later with Gonzalo Puyat &
Sons, one of the biggest conglomerate corporations in the Philippines as Business, Tax and Legal
Counsel. His last position in Manila was as Technical Assistant in the Philippine Senate. In addition to his
various jobs, from the time he passed the Philippine BAR, Tony has maintained a successful private law
practice in the Philippines.
An old timer Filipino leader in the Tri-State exclaimed, “I’m glad that FIL-AM IMAGE is coming out to honor Tony
Flores for his unselfish service to the Filipino Community. Out of more than 110 civic, social, political, cultural
and religious organizations in New York and New Jersey, Tony Flores has been a legal adviser to more than
65 organizations - all gratis! Through FIL-AM IMAGE Tony's efforts are finally recognized!"
took the New York and Washington, D.C. bar examinations and passed both of them with flying colors.
Before taking the bar, he also took and passed the U.S. Civil Service tests, the New York State Legal Career
tests and the New York City Law Clerk tests.
As a full-pledged attorney, Tony doubled his efforts in his crusade to correct the stringent requirements of the
State of New York. And as a result of this crusade, law graduates from U. P. can now apply for license and
practice law anywhere in the State of New York without going back to school or taking the BAR exams.
“Tony Flores is responsible for the successes of several Filipino lawyers in the Tri-States,” explained another
Filipino practicing lawyer in nearby New Jersey during a dinner interview for this article. “Most of us - maybe
85% including at least two current Philippine senators- all trained under Tony. He has helped a lot of his
fellow countrymen, especially Filipino lawyers."
Tony was an honor student during his elementary and high school days at San Beda College in Manila.
During his college years, he received all kinds of accolades both in the Philippines and abroad. Tony also
attended New York University for his LL.M. in Taxation.
For the past twenty-five years, he has actively participated in the Filipino Community in both New York and
New Jersey where he founded and headed several organizations. He was the founder and charter president
of the now very-active Phil-Am Lions of New York - - Tony also held several important positions in the Lions
International encompassing not only New York but other states as well. He was instrumental in forming the
Filipino Jaycees in New York; the Philippine-American Bar Association; the Philippine Lawyers Association,
the Philippine Social Club, the Cavite Association, the Kahirup International, the FAPA New York Chapter and
several other organizations as well as being active with the Philippine Community Executive Council, the
umbrella organization in New York-New Jersey area.
“My dream, when I was still studying was to have my own law practice right here in New York. I really
prepared myself for this goal,” explained Tony. After his studies in Spain, he joined E.S.T. Ltd., a British-
American-Spanish corporation in Zaragoza. In 1958, he went back to the Philippines and purposely held
"several legal positions in order to gain experience." He was Assistant to the Chief Legal and Labor
Counsel for PTGWO, an affiliation of various labor unions, doing union-related functions. Next, he joined the
Law Offices of Senator Estanislao A. Fernandez as an Associate Attorney and later with Gonzalo Puyat &
Sons, one of the biggest conglomerate corporations in the Philippines as Business, Tax and Legal
Counsel. His last position in Manila was as Technical Assistant in the Philippine Senate. In addition to his
various jobs, from the time he passed the Philippine BAR, Tony has maintained a successful private law
practice in the Philippines.
An old timer Filipino leader in the Tri-State exclaimed, “I’m glad that FIL-AM IMAGE is coming out to honor Tony
Flores for his unselfish service to the Filipino Community. Out of more than 110 civic, social, political, cultural
and religious organizations in New York and New Jersey, Tony Flores has been a legal adviser to more than
65 organizations - all gratis! Through FIL-AM IMAGE Tony's efforts are finally recognized!"
Washington D.C. Since 1987
Washington D.C. Since 1987
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