A PROFILE IN BALANCE By James G. McGiffin, Jr., Esquire
Everything is better with Salsa: Tabatha Castro
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f I aspire to be the best lawyer I can be, I must first try to be the best person I can be. I am fortunate to know many lawyers who have succeeded in their work, in part, because they are excellent people. This column in The Journal will feature an article on one such lawyer. Each featured lawyer will exemplify the art of balance in life. I have learned much from these people. Perhaps readers will also benefit. • •
- Jim McGiffin •
Tabatha Castro is a busy woman. She is a trail blazing lawyer. She is a business owner. She is a community leader. She is a role model. She is a mother. And, she is grateful for the opportunities she has to be all of these things. Born in Brooklyn and raised by her Puerto Rican parents, Tabatha is a proud New Yorker. She placed a premium on education as a young adult, and secured two undergraduate degrees from the University of Buffalo (in Legal Studies and Latin American Studies) and a Master of Science degree from Buffalo State College (Criminal Justice). She then trained her sights on law school. As life would have it, Tabatha was blessed with the birth of her son during the last semester of her master’s degree program. The event inspired Tabatha to choose Widener Law School so that she could be close to her sister, who had relocated to Delaware. While in law school and parenting her child, Tabatha also worked for the law library and for 30
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Doroshow Pasquale Krawitz Siegel & Bhaya. She founded the Latin American Law Student Association and joined the Moot Court Honor Society Executive Board. Clearly, she likes to keep busy. Doroshow, et al., took on Tabatha as an associate when she graduated in 2002. She moved to Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, and thought she might stay there, but she was approached by Vivian Rapposelli with the idea of forming a completely bi-lingual law firm. The appeal was irresistible, and Rapposelli Castro & Gonzales was created. She was grateful for this experience and,
subsequently, Tabatha started her own firm, The Castro Firm, in 2006. Located in the Trolley Square area of Wilmington, she and her associates handle all family law matters, personal injury, worker’s compensation, corporations, DUI cases, and immigration work. Tabatha has held the dependency and neglect contract with Kent County Family Court since January 2007. The firm has a diverse client base, but Tabatha advertises herself as Tu Abrogada Latina (your Latina lawyer) and her staff is Spanish-speaking. Tabatha candidly admits that she feels the pressure of owning a business. She must set an example for her employees. She has substantive legal and administrative work to juggle at all times. But, she enjoys the feeling of walking into an office that is really her office, and she is proud of her success.
At movie premiere of “To Be King.” Courtesy of Falling Leaves Films, LLC
Balancing family and work is always a challenging problem, and Tabatha tackles it head on. She added a daughter to her family six years ago, and she often brings her children to the office, where they will read or watch movies while she works. She encourages her 14year-old son to do her filing and he reluctantly complies. They also take advantage of a nearby park for recreation. Tabatha enjoys cooking for the family, which now includes her fiancé, and they are all film fans. She even set up a small theater in her home.