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I decided to become a lawyer because I like working closely with clients, I want to be able to guide them through what’s a really difficult and important part of their life. And if I can relieve any kind of anxiety for them then that’s another rewarding part of my job.
I also became a lawyer because I know that there’s a shortage in Travis County, in Williamson County of Spanish speaking attorneys. And coming from parents of immigrants who they immigrated from Mexico to the United States, I understand the frustration that comes along with not knowing the language, right. My parents spoke only Spanish when they first moved and so, they had a lot of trouble communicating and that is especially frustrating when you’re going through the legal process that you have no idea about you don’t know what your rights are, you don’t know what the process is.
And so, that’s doubly frustrating, right, when you can’t communicate what you want or you feel like you’re not being listened to because of the language barrier. That’s another rewarding part of what I do is being able to provide competent services for Spanish speaking clients as well. The language that you speak should never affect the quality of representation that you get.
My background, I went to law school at the University of Texas School of Law and during my time there I interned at the Domestic Violence Clinic. I was a student attorney for a year and so, I got to work with survivors of domestic violence, on family cases, cases involving protective orders. I represented also, a couple of people that had parole cases, so that was a little bit of my background in family law. And also, I spent half a year interning as a student attorney at the Criminal Defense Clinic. Before I became an attorney, I also spent almost two years as a law clerk at Pennington Law so I became very aware of the family law process, right, how a case goes. And so, I got that kind of experience as well.
Austin, TX family law attorney Daniela Ibarra shares why she became a lawyer as well as her background that prepared her for her current practice. She explains that she decided to become a lawyer because she enjoys working closely with clients and guiding them through challenging and important moments in their lives. She finds it rewarding to help relieve the anxiety that often accompanies these situations.
She was also motivated by the shortage of Spanish-speaking attorneys in Travis and Williamson Counties. As the child of immigrants from Mexico, she personally understands the frustration of not being able to communicate effectively. Her parents spoke only Spanish when they first arrived in the United States, which made navigating legal processes especially difficult. She sees it as a vital part of her work to provide competent legal services to Spanish-speaking clients, ensuring that language barriers never compromise the quality of representation.
Her background includes attending the University of Texas School of Law, where she gained hands-on experience as a student attorney. She spent a year at the Domestic Violence Clinic, working with survivors on family law cases, including protective orders, and representing clients in parole matters. She also completed a six-month internship at the Criminal Defense Clinic. Before becoming an attorney, she spent nearly two years as a law clerk at Pennington Law, gaining practical knowledge of family law processes and case management.
