{"id":30,"date":"2015-11-03T13:48:58","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T19:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/?p=30"},"modified":"2015-12-09T13:20:20","modified_gmt":"2015-12-09T19:20:20","slug":"tamara-caban-ramirez-04-poetic-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/2015\/11\/03\/tamara-caban-ramirez-04-poetic-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Tamara Cab\u00e1n-Ramirez \u201904: Poetic Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"TamaraDespite graduating from Hamline’s part-time weekend JD program, Tamara\u00a0Cab\u00e1n-Ramirez is hardly a weekend warrior.<\/h2>\n

As a mother, poet, and the head of her own criminal defense and immigration law firm, to say she works eight days a week would be far more accurate. The key to this juggling act, she says, is “always being open to change and new things” — a mantra that’s helped her navigate her own challenges and those of her clients.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Clear Communication<\/h2>\n

Knowing the ins and outs of immigration law is no easy task.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s extremely intricate,\u201d says Cab\u00e1n-Ramirez. \u201cPeople have this\u00a0conception that it\u2019s black and white\u2014pay the money and get the\u00a0papers. But the process can be long and frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example the end goal for many of her clients is United States\u00a0legal status, which can lead to periods of separation for couples\u00a0or families in order to abide by the law and get through the\u00a0paperwork. \u201cSay someone marries a foreign national and wants\u00a0to gain legal status or permanent residency for his or her spouse,\u201d\u00a0she says. \u201cThe spouse may have to leave the country in order to\u00a0achieve residency in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being bilingual\u2014her first language is Spanish\u2014often gives her an\u00a0advantage with clients from Spanish-speaking countries.\u00a0\u201cSometimes it\u2019s harder to achieve a client\u2019s goals when dealing with\u00a0an interpreter,\u201d she says. \u201cThings get lost in translation.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Warm Welcome<\/h3>\n

Cab\u00e1n-Ramirez knows the immigrant experience firsthand.\u00a0Born and raised in Bayam\u00f3n, a municipality south of San Juan,\u00a0Puerto Rico, she arrived in Minnesota for the first time in 1993\u00a0at age 16 to pursue her undergraduate studies at the University of\u00a0Minnesota\u2013Twin Cities. After graduating with degrees in Spanish,\u00a0political science, and Latin American studies in 1998, she worked\u00a0her way up to become a paralegal for Julie Zimmer JD \u201993.<\/p>\n

It was Zimmer who steered Cab\u00e1n-Ramirez to Hamline\u2019s\u00a0weekend JD program. \u201cAs a young, single woman, I had to work,\u201d\u00a0says Cab\u00e1n-Ramirez. \u201cThe weekend program was the best of both\u00a0worlds. I could work yet still pursue the career that I wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upon graduation in December 2004, her focus on immigration\u00a0law led her to a small firm, but it was short-lived. \u201cI did some\u00a0soul searching,\u201d she says. \u201cHaving a solo practice was always in\u00a0the back of my mind, but it was a scary proposition to balance\u00a0both the business side and the legal counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Challenges<\/h3>\n

Five years later, Cab\u00e1n-Ramirez\u2019 Minneapolis practice is thriving,\u00a0in part because she taught herself to be tech-savvy. \u201cI was trying\u00a0to find ways to market my firm without spending a lot of money,\u00a0and technology is a great way to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She has website\u00a0written in both\u00a0English and Spanish, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account. In 2010, the Minnesota State Bar Association\u00a0named her blog, Bilingual MN Attorney\u2014also written in English and Spanish\u2014one of\u00a0the Top 25 Legal Blogs in the state.<\/p>\n

Related links<\/p>\n