We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Isadora Velazquez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Isadora, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

Due to the narrative in media, immigration is often associated with a looming border crisis. The reality is immigration is a powerful and strong building block of the economy in the US. As an immigration attorney I regularly work with many foreign investors who are looking to come to the US and help it grow economically. Similarly I often represent people facing potential removal from the country even after they have spent years working and paying taxes on a regular basis. These individuals are essential in the economic growth and stability of our country overall. While Corporate America focuses on a “border crisis” which was existed for years, they often disregard the immense benefits that immigrants bring to our country which go way beyond cultural diversity. Lastly, the borders are not “open,” whatever that means. They haven’t been open for a long time as immigration laws have not changed in the books in over 25 years. Changing policies at the border does not open them, it simply gives directives on how to manage the large amount of people who show up at our border out of necessity, often risking their lives in order to survive.

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?

I decided to become an immigration attorney when I started working at a restaurants while finishing my BA at the University of Miami. Throughout my life in Puerto Rico and Venezuela I had never noticed how immigrants lived in the US until I actually became part of their community. I was blown away by the outdated immigration laws and the lack of creative lawyering. Similarly I originally failed to understand how people could leave their country without a detailed plan or fully understanding the laws of the country they had chosen to live in. I decided then to go to law school in an effort to educate both in the US and abroad. Since graduating law school I have focused on litigation, particularly representing individuals in Immigration Court. Inevitably this has merged into representing people before they come to the US by having them explore and consider visa options. It is my goal to help people come and stay in the US legally. While I am most proud of my success in Court I would like all potential clients to know that there are options available to help you come to the US without having to deal with Court proceedings. Similarly I want them to be aware that the system is broken, it is often slow and disorganized. Attorneys face the same problems, we just fight more.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Law firms are not allowed to have paralegals or any other staff as business partners when they are being incorporated in the state of Florida. However, if anyone were to ask me who is our firm Isa Law’s cofounder it would undoubtably be our office administrator and my former paralegal Alina Del Castillo. I had the privilege of meeting Alina when we worked together sharing office space at a former firm I co-owned with a friend. As an immigration law paralegal her work ethic was impressive but what amazed me the most was the empathy and understanding she provided to every single client regardless of who they were and the magnitude of their case. From detained immigrants facing deportation to high end business owners looking to invest millions in the US. Alina always treated everyone the same and worked on all cases equally hard. We opened Isa Law together in 2019 but had started officially working together in another firm since 2016. Looking back, she will always be our firm’s cofounder and still remains the best business partner I’ve had to date, despite what Florida laws might say about our partnership. Best. Partner. EVER.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Winning! As cheesy and cliché as it may sound, the best way to grow clientele is to win for the clients you already represent. Depending on what you are looking to do, it also helps to find out where it might be best to win. Although our firm works closely with many clients abroad looking for visas to open and operate businesses and investments in the US, I personally love representing clients before the Immigration Court. When I began to notice this passion I started volunteering at Immigration Detention Centers. Once I was able to get my first client out of jail, business representing immigrants in removal proceedings skyrocketed. All it took was one win for free to grow our business into many more winnings at a substantial price. Even if expensive, each win has been justified and they have kept bringing more. Similarly once we started winning simple visas for business owners we then evolved to work on big projects with substantial investors who came to us motivated by the stories of our prior wins. Lastly, we understand that winning doesn’t come easy and takes a lot of work. I worked hard to pass the Immigration and Naturalization Board exam to collect another win in our book which also substantially increased our clientele. Winning will always bring more clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://isalawyers.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isalawfirm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsaLawPA/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isadoravelazquez/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IsaLawPA1
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNw0YeDG87NrSNdHCmPCEvw/videos
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/isa-law-miami

Image Credits
M Suarez Photography Fredi Marti – Creation Group