Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Victoria Lucero. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Victoria, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

I started working with refugees in August 2013. I knew that serving the migrant community was my heart’s passion and that inspired me to pursue a career in immigration law. I’m proud to say that my firm serves the migrant community. More specifically, undocumented people that are trying to obtain lawful status through applying for visas or by fighting their immigration case in the immigration courts. The undocumented community is highly underserved due ever changing administrative policies. Immigration law is administrative law, therefore, the rules enforced are not only statutory but also executive orders, policy memos, and case law created by several levels of appellate decisions. Removal defense, and practicing in the immigration court is emotionally draining, and many attorneys do not have the capacity to handle the overwhelming number of migrants in the court system. Moreover, it is difficult to handle removal defense cases on a pro-bono (free) or low-bono (low cost).
For several years now, but especially since the Trump administration, the increase in people seeking asylum has overwhelmed the courts and attorneys alike. I strive to use the ten+ years of experience I have working with refugees and asylum seekers to serve the undocumented community in the immigration courts. I represent them through a final decision at the immigration court level, and often times continue to represent them through the appeal process. Without representation it is nearly impossible to obtain status in the immigration court.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born and raised in Northern New Mexico, where community dynamics have stayed the same for several centuries. During my undergraduate studies at the University of New Mexico I became an advocate for recently resettled refugees, through the Refugee Well-Being Program. At that time, I started working alongside other immigration attorneys and organizations dedicated to helping the refugee population in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was then that I decided to pursue law school. Before I attended law school, I obtained a M.A. in Spanish with a concentration in Hispanic Southwest Studies. I was particularly interested in the annexation of the Southwest by the United States and how that impacted identities, and ultimately migration patterns in the Southwestern region of the United States. I graduated with my M.A. in 2016 and left New Mexico to broaden my experiences.

I attended Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California. There I had the opportunity to work for a nonprofit specializing in special education law, a private immigration law firm, as well as the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic. Under supervision, I represented clients across California and at the immigration court in El Paso, Texas. I defended my first asylum case in march 2018. I represented a Mexican asylum seeker and his family. It was a difficult case for an experienced practitioner, let alone a second year law student, but I did not step down from the challenge. My co-counsel and I worked tirelessly to build a case for asylum. Ultimately, we were not successful, but the client was beyond grateful for our efforts during his case. To this day, that case sticks in my memory and it fuels me to learn more, build better cases, and represent more asylum seekers. I returned to New Mexico in 2020 where I opened The Law Office of Victoria Lucero, LLC, in March 2020.

I started my firm at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and had no choice but to create my own path when it came to running my law firm. For much of the first year I ran my business completely virtually. I had to learn how to market, grow a business, and practice the law. My personal philosophy is that every person deserves to live their life with dignity and without fear; every undocumented person should be able to obtain lawful status; and no one is equal until we achieve equality in education. I stayed true to those values and I was able to quickly build a clientele. After just ten months, I hired my first employee.

Thankfully, since that time, the world has reopened, but my firm has maintained many of the practices I learned from lessons during the pandemic. I am able to work virtually. For that reason and also because immigration law is federal, I have built a national client base. Clients enjoy my social media presence and marketing, and my willingness to talk with and work directly with my clients. I like to run my business but I never forget that I am serving people and I want them to know I am directly involved even though I have employees who now help me.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I started my firm in March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic was running rampant throughout the world. The world just shut down. I was without a stable job, I had a four-month-old daughter, and even though I was having success getting interviews, firms were reluctant to hire because no one knew what COVID-19 was going to bring. I decided that I would open my own firm. Many business advisors advised me against it, it just wasn’t a good time they said. I had no start-up capital and was working with my law school laptop. Quickly, I signed a couple of clients and because of the power of word of mouth, it spread quickly that I was a hard worker and a trustworthy attorney. My firm grew, and I am proud to say I am in my fourth year of business. I am expanding into other states, and am proud to serve clients all over the country.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me is word of mouth! The migrant community is largely underground. Therefore, if you do good work for one client, they are likely to refer you to their friends. I also do quite a bit of social media marketing, especially on TikTok. I think during the pandemic TikTok became a source of comfort for many who were stuck at home. It also became a way for many attorneys to advertise or give bits and pieces of information to the masses. It has helped me gain a nationwide client base. Largely my referrals come from other attorneys, former clients, or current clients. It is a great source of pride for me that I am held in high regard within that community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.victorialucerolaw.com
• Instagram: @vlucerolaw
• Facebook: The Law Office of Victoria Lucero, LLC
• Other: TikTok: @victorialucerolaw

Image Credits

Melanie Knott