I would like to share with you what drove me to become a lawyer and what led me to focus in bankruptcy law.During my childhood, I watched my parents suffer through financial issues with no direction or guidance. Our family struggled through economic downturns and corporate downsizing.In the summer of 1992, my parents were finally able to purchase their first home. Three months after we moved into the house, Hurricane Andrew made landfall and we lost everything. Our home was destroyed and all of our personal belongings were ruined or damaged for the exception of a couch and two mattresses.I know what it is like to have to start over with only the clothes on your back. I know what financial hardship does to a family and the toll it takes on a person because I lived it.These events motivated me to become a certified public accountant and to study law in order to help people in similar circumstances. I attended Florida International University where I earned a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Accounting and went on to become a CPA. Thereafter, I earned a Law degree from the University of Miami.My first job in the field of law was at Legal Services of Greater Miami Inc., a non-profit organization which provides legal assistance to elderly and indigent individuals. I assisted clients facing foreclosure and eviction to remain in their homes. I also helped clients in economic hardship to file for bankruptcy and represented clients before the Internal Revenue Service.I learned a lot in those years at the front lines. Most of all, I learned that the law can help a person to heal and move forward with life. Bankruptcy Law affords an individual the opportunity to start over and regain financial stability.After my time at Legal Services, I decided to open a law practice with a primary focus in Bankruptcy. Ever since then I have devoted my efforts to assist people and businesses find relief under the Bankruptcy Code.