Today we’d like to introduce you to Naomi Cruz.
Naomi, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am an immigration lawyer and law school professor. I was born in Los Angeles, California to two Oaxacan immigrants. My mother is from Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, Mexico and my dad is from Xochixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. Whenever I introduce myself, I make sure to let people know that I am Oaxacan because I am proud of where my parents came from and feel a sense of responsibility in representing that aspect of my identity.
I am the oldest of two daughters. My sister Xochitl, is five years younger and currently lives in Chicago, Illinois. I grew up in South Central Los Angeles in the 90s. As seven years old, I remember looking outside our window and seeing our neighborhood up in flames due to the 1992 uprisings. When I was 10, my parents decided that my sister and I would attend El Rodeo School in Beverly Hills, California. Although both South Central and Beverly Hills are part of Los Angeles County, they are absolutely different worlds socioeconomically. I graduated from Beverly Hills High School and attended California State University, Long Beach. I received my Bachelor of Arts in both History and Chicanx Latinx Studies. I went on to law school in San Diego at California Western School of Law. I passed the California Bar in 2013. I was sworn into the California Bar on February of 2014. I worked for an immigration firm until November 2015 when my law partner, Fernando Villatoro and I opened our own firm. Our law firm, Cruz & Villatoro Law, Inc. is now five years old and has helped hundreds of people with the immigration matters. I also recently got married on November 21, 2019 to my college sweetheart of 13 years.
Has it been a smooth road?
Many people who meet me now are inspired and in awe when I tell them I am an attorney. While I encourage everyone to follow their career goals, I warn them that the road is never smooth. My first encounter with blatant racism was in the 5th grade when a schoolmate called me a “Dirty Mexican” when I first started school in the Beverly Hills Unified School District. My mother was a housekeeper in Beverly Hills which is how my sister and I were able to attend school at BHUSD. I had a difficult time feeling like I fit in amongst my rich classmates, so I had a difficult time being engaged in school during my teen years. After I started at California State University Long Beach, I realized I found a safe space to be myself. I became very involved at CSULB and I was a part of the Associated Student Government, La Raza Student Association, Latino Student Union, Hermanas Unidas, and the Chicanx Latinx Studies Student Association. I was proudly Oaxaqueña.
One of the greatest struggles for me was actually law school. My first year was so difficult and I wanted to quit. It was a complete change from what I was used to in undergrad. I relied on friends and family to help me through the difficulties of law school. While studying for the bar, my sister moved in with my then boyfriend and I so that she could cook and clean for me while I studied 12 hours a day for three months. Studying for the bar was one of the most difficult educational experiences I had. I thankfully was able to pass the bar on the first try, but it was only because of the help and support my family provided.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Cruz & Villatoro Law story. Tell us more about the business.
My law firm, Cruz & Villatoro Law, Inc. is an immigration law firm. We focus on family-based immigration and we are well known for our “Cafecito con los Abogados” Facebook program. Our focus as a law firm is to provide support for our undocumented community. We specifically focus on VAWA, the Violence Against Women Act, because we believe it is an underutilized tool in our community. We are most proud of the fact that we have been able to win so many VAWA cases and have changed the lives of so many people. Many of our clients are usually undocumented people who are or were married to U.S. Citizens and Legal Permanent Residents, but they were abused (mentally, physically, or verbally). It gives us so much happiness to provide some hope for our clients who thought they had to stay with their abusers in order to gain residency.
Since VAWA is not just for women like the name suggests, we have also been able to help men received their residency. I believe that our demeanor, our story, and why we do what we do sets us apart. We are both children of immigrants and we make sure that we treat all of our clients like family. We make every client feel special and communicate constantly with them in order to provide the best possible experience for them as they navigate their immigration process. Our “Cafecito Con Los Abogados” allows us to communicate with our community and give immigration information in an approachable manner. We hope to continue to do the work we do.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I definitely see the legal industry becoming much more digital, not only because of the pandemic but because it’s necessary to be more accessible to clients. Our office is almost fully virtual and hopes to continue to provide excellent customer service while changing with the times. I believe that in the next 5 to 10 years, law firms as we know them will be completely different. They’ll have to shift from stuffy offices to a more relaxed and accessible space where clients can feel like they are being listened to and genuinely cared for.
Pricing:
- Consults (phone or virtual) are now $63
Contact Info:
- Address: 121 West Lexington Drive, Suite 826, Glendale, California
- Phone: 818-539-7061
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @cruzvillatorolaw
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cruzvillatorolaw
- Twitter: @cv_immilaw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cruz-and-villatoro-law-glendale
Image Credit:
Cruz & Villatoro Law, Inc.
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