At just 12 years old, Alexis Paredez knew her future was in law. She drew a picture of herself as a lawyer and wrote a letter to her mother, calling it a “contract” that her dream would come true. Fourteen years later, Alexis was standing in a courtroom, surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues, as she was sworn in as a lawyer. Her mother, who had kept the drawing and letter since 2010, brought it to Alexis’ swear-in ceremony to show her that the “contract” did come true like Alexis promised it would. What started as a simple drawing and promise is now framed and hangs in Alexis’ office, a reminder of how far she has come. She thanks her parents for reminding her that anything is possible as long as you don’t give up.
Not only did Alexis dedicate years of hard work to reach this goal, but she was one of the few attorneys to pass the California Bar exam on her first try. Only 54% of test takers passed the July 2024 CA Bar Exam.
Hard work is a character trait Alexis is proud of, and it defines every attorney hired by Daniel Rodriguez, the firm’s president and founding partner. He seeks attorneys like Alexis who are passionate about helping others, willing to learn, and firmly believe in fighting for what is just.
“Alexis brings to our team a proven track record of hard work and dedication. There’s nothing she can’t do, once she sets her mind to it.”
-Daniel Rodriguez, founding partner, Rodriguez & Associates
Born and raised in Kern County, Alexis attended Mira Monte High School in southeast Bakersfield. She was a four-year varsity softball player. On the field, she played second base and pitcher and was the lead off batter her entire career.
One of the games she will always remember took place during her senior year, when they faced off against Rosamond High School. The Rosamond batter laid down a bunt, and Mira Monte’s first baseman charged in to field the ball. As Alexis covered first base, the batter, tried to outrun the play and cleated Alexis in the ankle, bringing her down to the ground.
In the final inning, Mira Monte was down by one run, with one last chance up to bat. Despite limping off the field, Alexis was now stepping up to bat. She hit a single and made it to first base. Her teammate followed with a grounder to right field. Alexis sprinted as fast as she could to second base, noticing the right fielder bobble the ball, she knew this might be their only shot to tie the game. So she rounded second with her eyes locked on third base. Coach Alderete raised both his arms, shouting at her to stay at second, but she couldn’t stop now. She charged towards third, racing against both the throw from the right fielder and the pain in her ankle. As she dove into third, the third baseman missed the ball. All Alexis could hear was Coach Alderete shouting for her to get up and steal home. Alexis scored the tying run, and from there, Mira Monte rallied, and ultimately won.
And she’ll never forget the ice bath she had to take after that game to help her ankle recover.
It was her passion and love for academics and softball that earned her the honor of being named the co-recipient of the Best Female Athlete at the Kern High School District’s PEAAK awards in 2016. The PEEAK Awards honors top athletes, artists, performers, and others across the Kern High School District. An event that Alexis had to miss because Mira Monte Varsity Softball was in a playoff game that same day.
Additionally, Alexis was selected for the First Team All-League in both 2015 and 2016, and in 2016 she earned an All-Area Honorable mention for softball.
Off the field, she was involved in local Kern County organizations like Leaders in Life where she served as an executive board member, coordinating a leadership conference for teens by teens in Kern County.
After high school, Alexis graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in writing. Degrees that she feels will help her connect with clients and juries.
“It’s really important for me to be open and connect with my clients. This means being able to relate to how they feel and think. This builds trust, and when they trust me, they trust my work. This helps me do my job as their attorney.”
– Alexis Paredez, Rodriguez & Associates, Attorney
The summer before her senior year at UCLA, Alexis was hired as a summer intern at Rodriguez & Associates. For the next four summers, Alexis worked at the firm, assisting in casework and client meetings, building friendships with coworkers, and seeing first hand the difference the firm made in the lives of its clients.
“At first, I wasn’t sure what type of law I wanted to practice. But, I fell in love with personal injury law during my summers at Rodriguez & Associates because it involves real people facing real challenges and that’s who I want to help.”
– Alexis Paredez
During her time as a summer intern and later as a law clerk at Rodriguez & Associates, as she completed her law degree at Santa Clara School of Law, Alexis became deeply interested in the cases she worked on.
Before returning for her second year at Santa Clara Law, she spent her summer at Rodriguez & Associates helping on significant cases that involved horrific incidents, including a case involving a massive natural gas line explosion that occurred in 2015, which resulted in members of a family suffering burns and other significant injuries, as well as the loss of their home. At the case’s conclusion in 2022, the firm received recognition from Daily Journal’s Top Verdicts List for being one of the top verdicts in the state as well as the largest personal injury verdict in Kern County history.
“Every attorney at Rodriguez & Associates is great at what they do. Every team member has the work ethic, the heart, and the passion to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.”
– Alexis Paredez
Alexis is motivated when a case feels personal, like when a client is injured somewhere she drives or visits often and she can picture what happened. Her familiarity with Bakersfield is what helps her step into the shoes of her clients and represent them.
Rodriguez & Associates is proud to welcome Alexis to the firm, and we are excited to see her growth as an attorney.