Recent law grad Lorena Rivas Tiemann (’12) talks about life after graduation and being a new attorney at Sobel & Erwin.

It’s been a whirlwind five months since I graduated from The University of Tulsa College of Law this past May.  Almost literally after walking off the stage, bar prep began.  And as soon as I finished taking the bar exam, I began working at my current job. 

When I graduated from law school, I still had not secured a job.  But luckily, within the next few weeks I was offered a job at Sobel & Erwin, PLLC., without having to go through an intense application process.  I could not have wished for a better place to work!  During law school, I worked for attorney David Sobel as one of his law clerks and thoroughly enjoyed it.  When he asked me to join him as he expanded his immigration law firm and merged with another attorney, I was honored and thrilled.  Like all law students who had graduated, I feared being unemployed and having my juris doctorate degree just hang on my wall.  But thanks to the fact that I seized on the part-time law clerk opportunity with Mr. Sobel, I was in the position to be seen as a future competent associate attorney at Sobel & Erwin.

As an associate attorney there, I spend most of my days speaking with clients and preparing immigration petitions that range from labor petitions to cancellation of removal defenses to humanitarian visas for crime victims.   Wanting to meet all the legal needs of the immigrant community, I have also prepared paperwork and appeared in court for divorce proceedings, criminal matters, and civil matters.  Mr. David Sobel and Mr. Eddie Erwin have an immense amount of knowledge and experience in the complex field of immigration law.  I am grateful to have them as my mentors and employers who give me their full trust in pursuing my passion of representing immigrants.

Even though I have been an associate attorney for only a month, I have been a part of some pretty amazing moments, such as getting deferred action and protection for teenagers who arrived in the United States as children and being a part of an amicus curiae brief submitted by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) to the United States Supreme Court.   It is moments like these that remind me how luck and fate play a big part on where the road of life takes you.  While I do miss my days at John Rogers Hall, I look forward to this new phase of my life and where it will lead me.