We were lucky to catch up with Ananis Makar recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ananis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

As a little girl I have always dreamed of a career that was powerful, a career where I would be able to leave an impact, a legacy. A legacy not defined by income but a legacy where I was able to help as many people as I could. As a young female I realized I had a passion, a passion for litigation. I was outspoken, I was as my friends called me “the public defender” of the community. I would be the first to stand up to defend others and the last to leave until I felt everyone was safe. On this journey I found my calling as a litigator, my passion to fight and to give a voice to those who lacked the ability or courage to stand up for themselves because of the language barrier, education, or even basic knowledge of their legal rights. Being an Immigration attorney has been such a rewarding career.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Born in Brooklyn New York to an Egyptian father and Puerto Rican mother, I had the privilege of being raised in Egypt, Puerto Rico, New York, and Florida. Upon my journey in choosing my career as an immigration attorney, I noticed I had a passion to help my community. I saw the difficulty individuals from different countries had in obtaining benefits they were legally entitled to, or even reporting a crime they were victims of in fear of being arrested. Fear due to a lack of information, or even a language barrier. Just the thought that I could potentially help a community persevere, a family defend themselves, or an elderly individual obtain benefits they have earned after years of employment and paying taxes is what ignites my passion to serve my community.

As an Immigration Attorney I have the privilege of representing my clients through their immigration process, such as family petitions, fiancé visas, bringing their loved ones to the United States with a visa and assisting Legal Permanent Residents with their process of becoming United States citizens. At times, I am hired to fight complex asylum cases and assist the client in telling their story in court or before Immigration officers.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe that it is important to love what you do for a living. I feel that my clients and my community know that my passion is fighting for justice in any capacity and giving a voice to those who feel unheard. I believe my honesty and no-nonsense attitude is what has helped build my personal reputation within my market.

What sets my firm apart from others is that upon taking a case, it becomes personal. I am not just your attorney, I am the person who will help you, by giving you the courage to tell your story. I have brought victims to the police station to report crimes because they just needed to know someone would be on their side. I am the one at times who will spend hours at night helping a victim of domestic violence or of human trafficking file their report or fill out a declaration. I will help my clients by giving them the courage to fight and defend themselves and that is what sets me apart from other attorneys and law firms. My pride is watching the smile on a client’s face who did not believe in themselves, walking out of an immigration office as a new United States citizen, or Legal Permanent Resident.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As a young female attorney and business owner, I once believed that failure was a sign of weakness, and that I could not show anyone that owning a business, being a mother, managing a team, and juggling a personal life at the same time seemed almost impossible. I was wrong, and this is why I love the fact that I can share this opportunity with anyone willing to listen. It is okay to feel like you are failing and sometimes even drowning when you have the world on your shoulders. Failure is part of the journey, the struggle of knowing what to do next in expanding a business or even making decisions is difficult, but simply part of the process. These temporary moments do not define you or your business. Reaching out to colleagues and friends for ideas and help during those moments was monumental. I never realized the feeling was normal. Anything is possible when you surround yourself with the right people and stay in a positive state of mind.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.THEMAKARLAWFIRM.COM
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakarLawFirm/