I often get asked if I knew I wanted to be an attorney when I was a child.

My Answer is Yes!

When I was in Law School in Atlanta, Georgia I could have never imagined that my primary practice would become Immigration law. When I applied for law school , I remember that they had you write an essay on why you wanted to become an attorney. I recall wanting to be a civil rights attorney, just like Johnny Cochran! I was passionate about equal rights and standing up for injustice.

My focus shifted some during law school and I wasn’t sure what type of law I wanted to practice when I graduated. In 2009 while waiting on my bar exam results I found my first paying job in the legal world at a small law firm that handled some immigration cases. I believe the only reason I landed the job at the time was because I had taken an Immigration and an Asylum class during law school. My Professor, Joe Rosen, was an actual practicing Immigration Attorney who prepared us very well.

I still remember my first day in an Immigration detention center, I introduced myself to all of the guards and stated that I was waiting on my bar exam results and I just wanted to sit in and watch, if that was ok. I remember one guard smiled and said “yes” court is open to all. I just remember feeling so nervous and out of place. The acronyms they use in Immigration Court will make you question what you’re doing because you have no idea what everyone is talking about, but eventually you learn the language and can then advocate effectively for your client.

I still am passionate about equal rights but what I have found is that Immigration is our new civil rights movement and in some instances representing Immigrants is standing up for civil rights.