Meet Gracielle “Grace” Willberg | Immigration attorney “

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gracielle “Grace” Willberg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gracielle “Grace”, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. I immigrated to the United States as a baby, but as I grew up I witnessed the difficulty of navigating American culture from the viewpoint of my hardworking parents. Over time, my parents overcame the difficulties of legalizing our status in the US, which later inspired me to do the same for other recent arrivals to the US. I graduated from the University of Florida in 2012, when immigration was becoming a hot-button topic. I enrolled in the University of Miami School of law that same year. By the time I graduated, in 2015, immigration law was what I would describe as “reasonable.” In my opinion, our immigration laws do not offer enough options to immigrants, but at that time, the options that were available were at least feasible. However, in 2017, just a year after I started practicing immigration law, Donald Trump was sworn in as president and began a rampant destruction of immigration laws and inspired a divide among Americans. Immigration became a heavily debated topic on tv and at our kitchen tables.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I run a small immigration firm in Miami, Florida. I keep my practice small so I can dedicate professional and emotional support to my clients. Immigration law is different from most other areas of law because there is a huge emotional burden. My wins don’t involve contracts or mergers or money disputes.

I got to where I am today because I had a fabulous mentor at a high-volume firm, Alanna McCoy, Esq. At times, women in the legal field complain that their harshest critics are other, more senior female attorneys. I had the great fortune of being mentored by someone who wanted to see me succeed, and I hope to pass that along to other female attorneys as I become more successful. I like to say, “when you get to where you need to go, help the next girl, because she used to be you.” The most important lesson I have learned in this business is the value of being personable. If you are willing to help others, others will be willing to help you.

I want the world to know that our immigration laws need to change so that they can become more accessible to the immigrants that are already here. These people are just like you and I, they have families, they pay taxes, and just want a safe place to be.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Miami can be anything you make it. It can be a lively party-oriented place, a high end destination for big spenders, or you can find local spots that are driven by our huge hispanic community. If I had friends come visit, I would probably offer to take them to the small, mom and pop places on 8th street (“Calle Ocho”) where you can have a real cafecito from a ventanita and explore what Miami is really about – our community.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To all the parents who crossed borders to give their children a better life.

Website: www.willberglaw.com

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