attorney in colombia

utopiacowboy says on Apr 7, 2005, 16:13:

Why don't you make things easy and just get him a K-1? That would allow him to visit for 90 days and you can decide if you want to marry him. I'm an attorney and there are several attorneys in my wife's family but I would not want to go down there and practice law. The only thing I might imagine doing is practicing immigration law, helping old rich gringos get their young Colombianas visas from the US embassy. You'd have to do that in Bogota and I am not sure how much work there would be - maybe enough to earn a living. Gary Bala is an American lawyer who does a lot of visa work and spends a fair amount of time in Colombia.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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kernow62 says on Apr 7, 2005, 16:37:

I agree with UTC, my wife is an attorney from Bogotá and the wages in Colombia are not very good for the amount of education needed. Also I wonder whether your credentials would be recognized in Colombia, my wife's aren't recognized in the USA. Think long and hard before making such a move.

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viewpoint says on Apr 7, 2005, 16:51:

I depends upon the area of your legal experience. There are Bogota lawfirms that would hire you in a heartbeat if you had extensive USA bankruptcy and/or business contract law experience. Otherwise you will get into an area of Colombian law for which you have no experience, licensure or probably bilingual abilities. You would need to build your practice or client base around clients that have USA legal work needs otherwise you are dead in the water. If you are not bilingual and a well seasoned attorney your earnings ability in Colombia is probably about US$1,000 per month per month if you are lucky (still interested).

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boomer says on Apr 8, 2005, 13:56:

not to mention.........! About 1 of every 4 University Grads in Colombia are Law Grads!!! I have 5 in my wifes family and 2 more soon to graduate!! Ask how many are working????

orgullo_de_colombia

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ReidEnter says on Apr 8, 2005, 14:50:

attorney jobs in colombia i have immigration practice in cali that i started in december 2004. while my practice is profitable it took me more than a year to overcome the obstacles that are in place for foreigers who want to do business in this country.

finding a legal job with an company here will be difficult. most have relationships with local attorneys or with firms in the united states for the usa part of their business. furthermore, being a stranger does not help. colombians are distrustful of strangers. there have been so many scams in this country that it impedes the formation of new business relationshbips.

i would agree that bogota is a good place to start. i would visit and try to make in-roads with the large laws firms here and see what you can come up with. i agree that depending on the type of your experience and language ability you may or not be successful.

to practice law in colombia you have to be licensed or practice under the license of a lawyer in colombia. you will also need an employment or business visa depending in the nature of your work. i would get the visa at the consulate for your area of the country. avoid going to bogota (ministry of extranjeria) at all costs.

the people here are warm and friendly. most enjoy having americans here. but the political and institutional infrastructures are not accomodating to the foreigner who wants to do business.

working for a colombian entity would be a financially distressing experience. they do not pay well. i would consider starting my own business and develop an expertise, perhaps with respect to the new trade agreement between colombia and the united states.

good luck.

gary reid,esq.
immigration services internaitonal, e.u.
cali,colombia
tel. # 011 57 2 667-1340

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Tinto (Moderator) says on Apr 8, 2005, 14:55:

Do you have an inside track on the FTAA? ;-) Do you think it will pass?

I wanted access to health care, housing and education, but, no, I get potholes, trash and silicone tits instead. -Desi.

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Gary Bala says on Apr 10, 2005, 10:04:

Law Practice in Colombia My immigration practice is based exclusively in the U.S., with visas for clients in Latin America and Colombia, where I travel frequently. I have been an attorney for 23+ years, but with a concentration in immigration for about the last 7 years. I employ contacts in Colombia, mostly in Bogota for Embassy assistance on a a case-by-case basis. Nearly all of our cases are family-based visas, mostly fiancee and spousal visas. However, since most people choose to tackle these types of visas on their own (mostly for cost-saving reasons), our clients tend to be people with "problem cases" or people who are well-off financially and don't have the time and passion for immigration and prefer having the assistance.

I do think however that over time we have developed a real expertise in making things go a lot smoother for people, avoiding problems in the first place and helping people to be a lot less nervous about their cases, by answers to questions, resolving problems, etc.

I do a lot of advertising with romance agencies and tours in the U.S. who service Latin America, as well as advertising on the Internet and in print. When I can spare time, I also post (mostly on recent immigration news and developments) on a couple of public "chat boards", though unfortunately due to time limits, not as often as I would like on this one.

Although for us here, it has been a challenge (and nothing really is easy), the practice here is profitable. And I thoroughly enjoy helping the couples, meeting them when I can, and being able to travel to Latin America and Colombia often.

I agree that for most attorneys who desire to start a legal practice in Colombia, the practical and legal obstacles mentioned above by others would be discouraging, at best. Probably it would not be too profitable either for some time. FTAA (Free Trade for the Americas) may indeed help but is probably too far off into the future, unless someone has some inside information.

Unless you are truly committed to re-locating to Colombia on a permanent basis to live and work, the better way might be to investigate legal employers and companies here in the U.S. who might want to have legal work and "legal-like" work done in Colombia, and secure a more long-term visa, such as work visa.

Also, any attorney considering trying immigration practice should probably sign on with AILA, the American Immigration Lawyers Assn., to stay well-informed.

Regards to all, and good luck.
Gary Bala
Web: www.VISA-Attorney.com

A free visa starter kit for do-it-yourselfers,
Web: www.VISA-Kit.com

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