From the Philippines to New York: Practicing Immigration Law With Purpose With Licelle Cobrador

November 27, 2024 | Written by Gladiator Law Marketing

Licelle Cobrador is the Founding Attorney at Cobrador & Associates PLLC, a firm specializing in immigration, intellectual property, business, and real estate law. With a background in both US and Philippine law, she brings a unique perspective to her work, having initially practiced law in the Philippines before earning an LLM in intellectual property in New York. Licelle has guided clients from around the world through complex immigration processes, including asylum cases and self-petitions for extraordinary ability visas. She is also involved in community service, volunteering with the Migrant Center of New York and mentoring aspiring attorneys.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:55] How and when Licelle Cobrador knew she wanted to be an attorney
[03:25] Licelle’s journey from the Philippines to the US
[09:39] The founding story of Cobrador & Associates
[10:22] Licelle talks about a memorable case she handled
[12:41] What is an extraordinary ability visa?
[14:35] Balancing timeliness and cost-effectiveness in legal representation
[15:20] Staying updated and informed in ever-changing immigration law
[18:53] Other areas of expertise and the early days of Cobrador & Associates
[22:51] Licelle’s advice for anyone interested in getting involved in immigration law

In this episode…

For those moving across borders, finding the right legal guidance can mean the difference between uncertainty and life-changing opportunities. So what drives someone to dedicate a career to helping immigrants navigate this journey?

According to Licelle Cobrador, a seasoned attorney with extensive experience in both US and international law, the motivation comes from her own story. She explains how her journey from the Philippines to New York opened her eyes to the critical role immigration lawyers play in people’s lives. Licelle highlights the rewarding nature of assisting clients, whether they’re securing asylum, pursuing green cards, or gaining status based on extraordinary abilities. Her firsthand experience with the complex US immigration system enables her to connect deeply with her clients, understanding not only their legal challenges but also the emotional stake involved in their cases.

In this episode of 15 Minutes, host Chad Franzen speaks with Licelle Cobrador, Founding Attorney at Cobrador & Associates PLLC, to discuss the life-changing impact of practicing immigration law. Licelle shares the challenges and rewards of representing a diverse range of clients, her path to building a purpose-driven practice, and how she’s helping talented people achieve their dreams in the US. She also offers practical advice for aspiring immigration attorneys.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Chad Franzen on LinkedIn
Gladiator Law Marketing
Licelle Cobrador on LinkedIn
Cobrador & Associates PLLC: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook

Special Mentions

Quotable Moments

“I was brainwashed by parents who wanted to be lawyers but didn’t really become lawyers.”
“At the end of it, everybody got granted asylum. So that was super memorable.”
“You really need to speak to an immigration attorney before you even start preparing anything.”
“Our needs would be best suited being in Manhattan with our own dedicated suite.”
“Weekends are for me where I get to de-stress, do the activities that bring me joy, and reconnect with family.”

Action Steps

Leverage technology in legal marketing: Utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to enhance your firm’s online presence and content marketing strategies.
Build a diverse legal skill set: Explore various legal specializations, such as intellectual property or immigration law, to broaden your expertise and adaptability.
Develop a client-centric approach: Prioritize understanding and address individual client needs, ensuring personalized and efficient legal representation.
Engage in professional networking: Actively participate in bar associations and connect with other legal professionals to stay updated on industry developments and trends.
Balance professional and personal life: This balance prevents burnout and ensures you can approach your work with renewed energy and focus, essential for managing the emotional demands of practicing law, especially in fields like immigration.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Gladiator Law Marketing, where we deliver tailor-made services to help you accomplish your objectives and maximize your growth potential.

To have a successful marketing campaign and make sure you’re getting the best ROI, your firm needs to have a better website and better content. At Gladiator Law Marketing, we use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and decades of experience to outperform the competition.

To learn more, go to gladiatorlawmarketing.com or schedule a free marketing consultation. You can also send an email to ad**@gl*******************.com .

Episode Transcript

Intro 00:01

You’re listening to 15 Minutes, where we feature community leaders sharing what the rest of us should know, but likely don’t.

Chad Franzen 00:10

Hi, Chad Franzen here, one of the hosts of Share Your Voice, where we talk with top notch law firms and lawyers about what it takes to grow a successful law practice. This episode is brought to you by Gladiator Law Marketing, delivering tailor made services to help you accomplish your objectives and maximize your growth potential. To have a successful marketing campaign and make sure you’re getting the best ROI, your firm needs to have a better website and better content. Gladiator Law Marketing uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and decades of experience to outperform the competition. To learn more, go to GladiatorLawMarketing.Com where you can schedule a free marketing consultation. Licelle Cobrador is the Founding Attorney at Cobrador & Associates PLLC specializing in immigration, business, real estate, and intellectual property law and litigation. As a prominent figure in immigration law, Ms. Cobrador provides legal counsel to clients worldwide, addressing diverse issues from executive immigration to extraordinary ability talent self petitioning. With a keen understanding of the importance of efficient legal representation, she prioritizes strategic immigration planning tailored to individual needs. Prior to founding her firm, Licelle gained experience in Manila’s legal landscape, working with esteemed firms, the Philippine Congress, and the Department of Justice. Her commitment to the legal community is evident through her roles as Vice President and Executive Director of the Filipino American Legal Defense Fund, and as a volunteer attorney at the Migrant Center of New York. Hey, Licelle, thanks so much for joining me today. How are you?

Licelle Cobrador 01:43

Thank you for having me. I’m well. How are you?

Chad Franzen 01:46

I’m doing great. Thank you so much. Tell me, as we get started here, how did you or how and when did you know that you wanted to become an attorney?

Licelle Cobrador 01:55

It started maybe at a very, very early age. Around 5 or 6. I was brainwashed by parents who wanted to be lawyers, but didn’t and didn’t really become lawyers.

Chad Franzen 02:11

So 5 or 6. What was it about that attracted you to being an attorney at that age?

Licelle Cobrador 02:18

So they would keep telling me about attorneys, advocate for justice, and fight for those who don’t have a strong voice and help defend people’s rights. So that was attractive to me as a young child. And they would give examples of like how lawyers have made difference, a difference in people’s lives. And my mom actually went to law school, but she did not take the Philippine bar. She finished, she graduated from the same law school where I, I graduated, but just didn’t take the bar exam. So I’ve seen her. She was already a mom when she was attending law school, so I’ve seen her attend classes and every time she leaves, I would cry.

Chad Franzen 03:11

Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah, I could see that. Hey, tell me how. Then tell me a little bit about your journey, maybe from the Philippines to the US. Kind of your back, how you got into the legal industry and things like that.

Licelle Cobrador 03:25

Sure. I was a practicing attorney in the Philippines. I’m also admitted to the practice in the Philippines. I was at a Makati firm comparable to New York City. So I was working there doing in the Philippines, you don’t really specialize in anything. So we were handling all types of cases. And after about two years of doing that, I wanted to focus on intellectual property. At that time, there was not a very strong intellectual property practice in the Philippines yet, and my firm was really interested in having someone focus on IP. I saw master’s programs in the US were really attractive. LLM so I applied to some schools and got accepted into different schools here. But ultimately I selected the school that offered me the highest scholarship.

Chad Franzen 04:28

Nice. Well, hey, can’t blame you for that. So. So then what happened from there?

Licelle Cobrador 04:33

Then I finished my LLM. I graduated with an LLM in Intellectual Property and fell in love with New York City. Although I was intending to be back home, rejoin my firm, I just didn’t want to leave New York City anymore. So I wasn’t even intending to take the New York bar. To be candid, I was really just ready to leave and like return, rejoin my firm. But throughout the LLM journey, it was just one year, and that one year had such a big impact for me at the end of it. My father was telling me, this is the culmination of your life. Why don’t you just take the New York bar? It will be, you know, it’s going to be a what if for you if you if you don’t do it. And so I did. And here we are. I’m one of my classmates started his own firm, and he wanted to have somebody who was also keen on building a practice. And immigration law was not at all in my radar to practice because I wanted to do intellectual property. However, as a Filipino, every Filipino asks you about immigration law if you’re in the states, and if you don’t have an answer, they just look at you like, why don’t you have an answer? You’re a lawyer, right? So I have to explain that in America, there are specific areas that lawyers focus on. And it just happens that immigration is just not my field yet. But I got interested. I wanted to know more about immigration because of those questions. So in my LLM journey, I chose immigration as an elective. And I started getting more and more interested in immigration. And because that classmate of mine wanted to put up his own firm, he keeps telling me about it, but I was not really. I’m not too sure. You know, I want to be home or. But at the end he convinced me. And of course, because I fell in love with New York City, I didn’t want to ever leave. That’s what happened.

Chad Franzen 06:50

So With regard to immigration law compared to intellectual property law, what is fulfilling about each one? What is most fulfilling about each one?

Licelle Cobrador 07:00

Well, for intellectual property law, I’ve, I’ve really handled just some trademark applications and entertainment contracts for artists. So what’s fulfilling about that is you’re helping a small business who want their mark registered. And that’s like a huge, like proprietary asset for them. Right. And for an artist to have their entertainment contract reviewed and to be sure that their rights are being protected, that’s rewarding for me. But for immigration, it’s really your status. It’s it’s your status in a country. So particularly in the US, a person who who, for example, did not even have any status yet and is applying for asylum after a three hour individual Trial, and that person will have an opportunity to have a permanent resident status here. So that’s a huge difference from someone who is fleeing from persecution and someone who is finally having their immigration status. But for our other clients who are artists, entrepreneurs, and they’re the at the top of their field, it’s really interesting to me because I need to intimately know the person’s field, and it’s a very diverse clientele. So delving deep into each person’s field of interest, their passion, their talent, and having them finally get their self petition green card is also super rewarding for me. Most of the people have their own children, their spouses they want to bring to the US and have an opportunity to be here, and we can make that happen.

Chad Franzen 08:48

Are you, would you say part of your the reason you’re passionate about immigration law is because, you know you came to the US from a different country.

Licelle Cobrador 08:56

Correct. I mean, it’s very relatable to me. It’s really life changing. I’ve been through the process myself with the alphabet of visas from student F-1 to a tourist visa b1, B2. Then I was petitioned by the firm that I was telling you about, a classmate who started his own firm, and they petitioned me to have a work visa, and eventually the firm petitioned me to have an employment sponsored green card. And finally, here we are.

Chad Franzen 09:30

Okay, great. So speaking of your own firm, you you established Cobrador & Associates. Tell me kind of how that came about.

Licelle Cobrador 09:39

I was with that firm that petitioned me for seven years. And towards the end of that, like go. Maybe year six, year seven. I wanted to have like autonomy and decision making ability in terms of who my clientele will be, how I handle my cases. So it’s freedom. That’s what really motivated me to start my own practice. But of course it has a lot of challenges, but I would say it’s the best decision I’ve made.

Chad Franzen 10:12

Can you share a memorable case for you, whether it’s an immigration law or some other, you know, one of one of the other fields that you have expertise in?

Licelle Cobrador 10:22

Sure. Can I, can I share, like two of them or. Yeah, of course one. Thank you Chad. Okay. So there was one asylum trial that’s super impactful because it involved interlocking cases of four siblings. So I had to prepare all four of them. And the trial lasted about seven hours.

Chad Franzen 10:49

Oh, wow.

Licelle Cobrador 10:51

At the end of it, everybody got granted asylum. So that was super memorable. Nice. The immigration court in New York. I didn’t know that they could go up to 8 p.m., and that’s what happened that day. But it was a happy it was a happy conclusion for the extraordinary ability petition. Some really strange categories, for example. I mean, you’re I’m sure you’re familiar for filmmakers, for actresses, models, directors, entrepreneurs, even geneticists could be petitioned under the eb1 a self petition. But there was one time that we I’m not sure that I was ever the first person to come up with that. Probably not. But the category we called it extreme Entertainment. Can you guess what that is?

Chad Franzen 11:50

Extreme entertainment. I can’t. I can’t guess. You know, there’s a multitude of roads I could go down. What? What would that be?

Licelle Cobrador 11:58

The person actually keeps breaking Guinness Book of Records. Wow. That’s all he does.

Chad Franzen 12:08

Wow.

Licelle Cobrador 12:09

So it’s not exactly athletics.

Chad Franzen 12:13

Right?

Licelle Cobrador 12:14

And it’s not exactly art. So, yeah, that person actually got his eb1 a green card through our firm at that time.

Chad Franzen 12:24

Wow. That is. That’s very cool as well. Can you tell me you’re the first person I’ve talked to about the extraordinary ability talent? It’s the first time I’ve heard of it. I was reading your intro and I was like, am I reading this right? Can you tell me a little bit more what that is?

Licelle Cobrador 12:41

So extraordinary ability visas are. It’s called the Einstein Visa, and one of the more famous grantees is the former first lady. She was an extraordinary ability model. So you can actually self petition. Normally you need an employer to sponsor your green card if you’re going to go that employment based visa petition. But because you’re at the top of your field, you’re the most desired immigrant of America. So you do not need to go through Department of Labor. You do not have to have an employer. Proving certain criteria that you meet will enable you to get that granted. For example, you need some international or national awards, you need some press features about you and your work or you. You must have judged other individuals. You must have been selected to be part of a judging panel. You know, things like that.

Chad Franzen 13:42

What’s given, given your experience with this, what advice would you give to individuals seeking to self petition for permanent residence based on extraordinary ability?

Licelle Cobrador 13:53

This is a little biased, but you really need to speak to an immigration attorney before you even start preparing anything. Anything, because the immigration attorney will lead you to the right path. You will have a roadmap, and the roadmap will be a reliable one, not just searching in the internet. There are so many forums, there are so many, but you’re not even sure whether or not those information that you find are credible.

Chad Franzen 14:29

How do you balance timeliness and cost effectiveness in legal representation?

Licelle Cobrador 14:35

So we are an immigration firm. It’s not a time billing. We have a flat fee. So to be more efficient We really need to streamline our processes, and we inform our clients from the onset that this is how we work. Please be organized. Your files, your folders, we will all be on a thread and our legal team will be here to support you. Not every instance the attorney will be able to handle each and every question, but if you’re organized and you’ve streamlined the process in the way that we’ve advised you to, it will be smooth sailing.

Chad Franzen 15:13

Is immigration law something that’s always kind of changing or evolving? And if so, how do you how do you stay updated on all of that?

Licelle Cobrador 15:20

You’re right. It’s always changing. And it’s a hot topic in every election. Right. So I keep abreast with the immigration developments. Of course, I’m subscribed to all the USCIS information, email alerts, and I’m also networking with other immigration attorneys all the time. I’m active with bar associations. Negotiations, and in that sense I’m able to update myself.

Chad Franzen 15:46

Depending on the results of the upcoming election. Would that make your job tremendously different one way or the other, or would it, would it just be kind of a slow process?

Licelle Cobrador 15:54

I think it would be a slow process. We’ve experienced some turbulence in the past administrations where there’s different regulations. And even today, this April, Chad, they increased the fees and the filing fees just increasing, you know, some of the packets could be returned if you don’t pay the correct fee. And you didn’t do proper research. I know a lot of people think they can do it on their own, but I think it’s worthwhile to still think about hiring an immigration firm.

Chad Franzen 16:25

So you’ve also been a teacher at the University of the Philippines in Manila. Can you talk about that? What drew you to that and what do you enjoy about that?

Licelle Cobrador 16:34

A lifetime ago. It was a long time ago. I was part of University of the Philippines, and you call students there the People scholars, because that’s a state university and it’s a way for me to pay it forward. That’s why I was attracted to teaching in college, because my own university. Do you know what our tuition fee was? At that time? We only paid $150.

Chad Franzen 17:03

Oh, really?

Licelle Cobrador 17:05

Per semester.

Chad Franzen 17:06

Wow. Amazing.

Licelle Cobrador 17:10

Yes.

Chad Franzen 17:11

So you’ve also you’ve done that. You’ve also you’ve done a bunch of other things besides just, you know, working your firm. You’ve been a volunteer at the Migrant Center of New York. What inspired you to do that?

Licelle Cobrador 17:24

So Migrant Center of New York. The one who runs it, the executive director is Father Julian Agudelo. He’s part of Saint Francis of Assisi. So I used to be a volunteer for that church with the hospitality group. We would serve folks who went to mass right after the mass. And that’s how I found out about the migrant center, that they had that migrant center. At that time, I was just a student serving folks after mass, and I really aimed to be more of service. Once I graduated from my LLM, I wanted to be part of Migrant Center. And in the end, you know, I took up all those seminars they had and how to do an intake, etc. but how to best serve them was to be a volunteer attorney. And we serve, you know, people who cannot afford an attorney. If you look at the tax returns and the person is really not earning enough income and cannot afford an attorney, so that’s how we would assist people from the community.

Chad Franzen 18:25

You’ve also been the chairman of the master’s alumni community at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. What was that experience like?

Licelle Cobrador 18:34

It was great. We would organize socials for incumbent students and for alumni. So that’s a way for current students to connect with alumni and find jobs and find mentors. It was a really great experience to do that.

Chad Franzen 18:53

Your firm, besides intellectual property and immigration has another has a bunch of other or a couple of other kind of areas of expertise. Is there anything memorable with with regard to your, you know, association with that?

Licelle Cobrador 19:10

So we also do real estate closings, but to be candid, not as many. It really forced select clients who we’ve already done work for them in the past, and they just happen to buy new apartment, a new home. And I can just count in my ten fingers the times that I’ve done closings. It’s rewarding for me because after securing the immigration status of that client, now they’re buying an apartment or a house. And that’s really amazing.

Chad Franzen 19:42

How did your kind of when you when you first started your own firm. How did that go. Like what were the early days like?

Licelle Cobrador 19:51

So we started at a coworking space. I’m sure you’re familiar. You share a whole floor with the common areas with so many other offices. And our office at that time, 2018 was too small desks. And we were at that co-work space in Long Island City.

We wanted to keep our overheads super, super small, but later on we found that our needs would be best suited being in Manhattan with our own dedicated suite. And that’s why we really aim to grow our revenue and be able to move to the city. And it’s paid off so far.

Chad Franzen 20:36

How were you able to grow your revenue? You know, starting from, you know, that kind of environment.

Licelle Cobrador 20:41

It’s really the word of mouth from our previous clients. They have their own network, and they’ve been so generous in raving about our services and recommending friends and family. And they even write on like, Google reviews or Avvo for us.

Chad Franzen 21:04

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Licelle Cobrador 21:07

Outside of work, I love to meet friends for brunch, catch up with them. Sometimes I read, I do yoga, those things.

Chad Franzen 21:18

How do you balance? I’m sure especially with some immigration law, some of that can be kind of emotional. How do you kind of balance the emotional aspects of doing that job with, you know, getting the job done and then also not taking it home with you?

Licelle Cobrador 21:34

Right. I mean, you have empathy and compassion, of course, for clients. But as what they always say you have you have to have gas. Don’t don’t be empty. Right. I really do my best to not work on weekends, and weekends are for me where I get to de-stress. I get to do the activities that bring me joy and reconnect with family. And it’s really key for me, keeping in touch with family members and having a spiritual life.

Chad Franzen 22:13

Very nice. I have one more question for you, but first tell me how people can find out more about your your firm.

Licelle Cobrador 22:20

Sure. We have a website cobradorlaw.com just you can find us in the internet. We’re also on Instagram Cobrador Law. We’re also in LinkedIn and on Facebook.

Chad Franzen 22:32

Sounds good. I know, I know, you’ve worked with aspiring law students. And maybe you’re a mentor with younger lawyers and things like that. What advice would you give maybe somebody who is interested in getting into immigration law that they wouldn’t learn in law school, and they could only learn from kind of walking in your shoes?

Licelle Cobrador 22:51

Sure. I think there’s a lot of volunteer opportunities that they can sign up for and see how they like it. There’s so many nonprofit organizations that they could reach out to to see how they like interacting with immigrants and changing lives.

Chad Franzen 23:10

Awesome. Hey, Licelle, it’s been great to talk to you today. Thank you so much for your time and all of your insights. Really appreciate it.

Licelle Cobrador 23:16

Thank you so much, Chad. This has been super fun.

Chad Franzen 23:20

So long everybody.

Outro 23:21

Thanks for listening to 15 Minutes. Be sure to subscribe and we’ll see you next time.