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boricua

Feb 19, 2003, 5:27 PM

Post #1 of 13 (2044 views)

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What Can I Do?

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Hello;

I recently found this site and I think it's great. I am currently living in Pennsylvania. I am an Immigration attorney and I currently represent the INS (no boos please). I have been to Mexico six times and I am thinking about moving there forever. I love the country and I especially love Guanajuato. My only problem is that I am 29 years-old and have debts that I must pay. Is there anything I can do in Mexico as an American attorney that will allow me to pay my debts (law school debt is about $100,000 or about $650 per month for the next thirty years)? It seems to me that most people going to live in Mexico retire after having a full career.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions,

Raphael

johanson

Feb 19, 2003, 7:07 PM

Post #2 of 13 (1705 views)

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Re: [boricua] What Can I Do?

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Damn after 2.5 margaritas I punched the wrong button and lost the first attempt to respond. An immigration attorney makes less money than most here in Ajijic. You will be lucky to make $24 per hour. That is if you have clients and are authorized to practice law in Jalisco. Do you speak Spanish, how are you at Napoleonic law?

My advise. You wouldn't be happy at 29 without a challenge. With Spanish and an understanding of Mexican Immigration law and permission to work you might make 250 pesos per hour, gross, if you had clients. Here in Ajijic most of your clients would be retired from Canada and the USA and would wish you to renew their annual Fm3s and FM2s. (tourist cards)

Make all kinds of money up North, take long vacations in Latin America, and when you have sufficient funds come on south to retire.

Have you ever heard of NW legal rights in Seattle? An organization that helps mostly Latinos (Immigration rights) ? It's located at 909-8th Ave. I used to have an office in the same building

arbon

Feb 19, 2003, 8:09 PM

Post #3 of 13 (1642 views)

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Re: [boricua] What Can I Do?

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Sniped

"I am an Immigration attorney and I currently represent the INS.

My only problem is that I am 29 years-old and have debts that I must pay. Is there anything I can do in Mexico as an American attorney that will allow me to pay my debts (law school debt is about $100,000 or about $650 per month for the next thirty years)?"

Can any MXC readers realize, the turmoil I am going through when I read this.....an Immigration attorney working for the INS.....¿Is there anything I can do in Mexico as an American INS attorney to make money?........NOooooooo

jennifer rose

Feb 19, 2003, 8:40 PM

Post #4 of 13 (1648 views)

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Re: [boricua] What Can I Do?

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You certainly have more opportunities available to you than practicing immigration law in Ajijic for peanuts.

That you work for the INS does give you some inroads in working for the federal government. Look at their opportunities for employment abroad. You may not be employed as a lawyer, but your legal background will always be valuable. Consider the Foreign Service.

Although it's a hot area, immigration law does tend to keep practitioners pretty tied close to the home territory. You may have to change your practice areas, pick up an LLM, or refocus if you're looking at employment by a law firm in Mexico which needs American lawyers. Consider the kinds of work that Goodrich, Riquelme, and Baker & McKenzie do. Do you have a fit in a firm like that?

Do you have other skills which would make you employable -- albeit not necessarily as a lawyer -- and generate enough income in other sectors in Mexico?

Your biggest problem isn't finding some kind of work in Mexico; it's finding the kind of work that will provide a comfortable living after servicing that law school debt. The opportunities are here in Mexico, but it's a matter of matching the right opportunity with your needs.

The American Bar Association International Law Section has a Mexican Law Committee, which you should consider exploring, as well as the Inter-American Bar Association. Both may lend some networking opportunities.

Keep looking, and don't get discouraged. Your talents are far more marketable than many who're looking for life in Mexico at your age.

boricua

Feb 20, 2003, 2:19 AM

Post #5 of 13 (1584 views)

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Re: [boricua] What Can I Do?

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Thanks for all the replies, especially the one from Jennifer Rose. I will try the ABA international law section. I can speak Spanish but my knowledge of Mexican Law is limited. I will also explore private law firm work. I have taken long vacations (three to five weeks) in Mexico, but they never seemed long enough. I am also exploring lobbying Congress for a new form of relief for the millions of undocumented Mexicans in the US on condition that the Mexican government pays me, however, this is a long shot. I am hopeful and will continue to pursue different avenues.

Thanks again for the thoughtful responses.

Raphael

Georgia

Feb 20, 2003, 3:17 PM

Post #6 of 13 (1496 views)

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Re: [boricua] What Can I Do?

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Uh.... don't the federal ethics rules prevent you from lobbying within a certain amount of time after leaving your employer? I know our state ethics rules bar my doing what you propose within my agency.

boricua

Feb 20, 2003, 6:58 PM

Post #7 of 13 (1465 views)

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Re: [Georgia] What Can I Do?

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Thanks for your reply. I really haven't given that much thought to any ethical considerations because I don't see any ethical issues. Once I leave the federal government, there is no waiting period under federal code of ethics or professional rules of responsibility. My duties to the government would end when my employment ends. I am free to lobby, write a book about my experience with the Service, or criticize it openly. Also, lobbying for a change in the law is quite a bit different than revealing government secrets, which I don't plan to do. If you could get me the state law you were referring to, I'll check if there is an equivalent, but I doubt it.

Thanks

tomgibbs

Feb 20, 2003, 8:13 PM

Post #8 of 13 (1453 views)

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Re: [boricua] What Can I Do?

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I have the name, phone and e-mail of a woman law professor at the Univ. of Guanajuato who I met at a brunch there. She guest taught in International Law at Penn. State a few years ago. If you e-mail me privately I could send you her address.

There is also a very nice retired American lawyer living there who was helping the state government by advising them on ways to help the many, many Guanajuato citizens who were living in the USA.

The truth of the matter is that if you don't follow your dreams, you will stop dreaming. And young people who don't dream are depressing to encounter, as common as they now are. Don't get old before your time; you can always get old when you are old, if you really want to. Most dreams take energy to follow, so follow them when you have it. Energy isn't a constant.

tomgibbs@mchsi.com

keith

Feb 21, 2003, 12:37 PM

Post #9 of 13 (1413 views)

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Re: [tomgibbs] What Can I Do?

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This isn't meant to be taken seriously, but it is a good story about someone in a situation somewhat parallel to yours. Many many years ago we had a guy staying at our place, he was a friend of a friend. After he had been there several months, he confessed to me that he was there laying low because he had been involved in a dope deal that went bad in Juarez, and because of that he owed a whole lot of money that he couldn´t figure out how to pay back (you were maybe wondering how this story was parallel). I advised him to go to the people he owed it to, be honest about it, and throw himself on their mercy and work something out. He thought about it for a couple of days and then told me he had figured out the only job he could get where he could make the kind of money he had to in order to pay them back would be as an aduanero (customs officer). He headed north with that in mind. I've never seen him since (either at our place or inspecting cars). I wonder how it worked out.

jennifer rose

Feb 21, 2003, 5:34 PM

Post #10 of 13 (1362 views)

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Re: [boricua] What Can I Do?

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See http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/einsinfo.html for other possibilities working for INS abroad. The INS Mexico City District Office at the American Embassy-Mexico City provides administrative direction to INS offices and exercises examinations and immigration law enforcement jurisdiction in 42 countries and dependencies in the Latin America and Caribbean Region.

David(MTY)

Feb 22, 2003, 11:28 AM

Post #11 of 13 (1337 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can I Do?

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Saludos.

The fact that you are an attorney seems to have gotten the regular crowd here to give you some replies different from the usual "I want to come down, who knows where I can get a job?" question. I would take Jennifer's and other's nice recommendations as homework, as very much to heart, like preparing for any job. But I would add, to place my focus on making a game plan of contacts and spend some more money on a long vacation to Mexico and do what we all should do who have this question. Check out a few places you would be comfortable working at and meet people there and see what you can do. By all means, keep up the internet research. But please, come see what you are getting yourself into as first priority, knowing you are not taking a vacation this time, but seriously trying to deal with and meet the people, attitudes, etc., answer what is it like to sell your wares, heck practice in some places first, that you will deal with. Whether you want to be an attorney here, or sell trinkets on the beach, you sound young enough that you need to see if you get burned when you touch the stove making tortillas. And I mean this with all due respect and seriousness. The last thing a systemmatic person with all that invested in a great education, like yourself, would be happy with is no job and nor ability to service debt. Best of luck...I followed the dream, been there and done that. I am in reality now, and it actually is quite enjoyable, too.

Marygwen

Apr 1, 2003, 12:49 PM

Post #12 of 13 (1225 views)

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Re: [boricua] What Can I Do? - An idea

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Here're a few ideas. I've worked in banking and on Wall Street and both multinational banks and brokerage firms send employees to Mexico, usually Mexico City. You might also look at Mexican banks or foreign banks with offices in the country (CA banks, in particular).

A law degree is highly respected in the financial world (however, you would not be working in anything related to immigration but it might get you into the country for a start).

gpk

Apr 1, 2003, 2:33 PM

Post #13 of 13 (1210 views)

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Re: [boricua] What Can I Do?

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I'm a retired lawyer living in Irapuato (in the state of Guanajuato). I work part time with a Mexican attorney--more for my own "enjoyment" than for money. Basically, you will have to pursue a US employer--I can guarantee you that a Mexican job will not pay you enough to pay your debts and live comfortably. There is a demand for knowledge of US law and practices, but the pay is very low. I know many Mexican lawyers, and US$2000 per month is considered very good pay. Also, living expenses in Mexico are no longer as low as they once were.

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