Claudia Galan:
As a matter of fact, I have been detained by ICE and putin a cell. That experience helps me with my advocacy for them and it feels sorewarding knowing that I was able to keep a family together, because I was inthe same situation. Social media was the great equalizer and I think AI isstarting to become that. I'm here as an immigrant to help other immigrants andthat has been my passion for a very long time.
Sonya Palmer:
For the eighth consecutive year, women outnumber men inlaw schools across the nation. Yet this wave of change has not reached theshores of power. Women hold a mere 25% of seats at the table as board membersand managing partners, but the tides are turning. Women in law are no longermeekly waiting for an invitation. They are boldly striking out, creating afuture where success is defined on their own terms, and law firms fit intotheir lives, not the other way around. As this new generation of trailblazersrises, we stand with them, ready to amplify their voices and fuel thetransformation. This is LawHer.
I am Sonya Palmer, your host and VP of operations atRankings, the SEO agency supporting you in claiming your rightful place at thetop. This season we're thrilled to present our new miniseries, Launching HerFirm, where we follow the journeys of women attorneys in the early days ofopening their own practices. Be inspired by their stories as they navigate thechallenges of securing clients, managing finances, hiring staff, and achievingwork-life balance as founders. Claudia Galan isn't just an attorney, she's asocial media phenomenon and a tech-savvy entrepreneur, and a beacon of hope forimmigrants navigating the complex U.S. legal system. From her thriving SanAntonio law firm to her 45,000 TikTok followers, Claudia's success is rooted ina profound mission, to serve those who walk the path she once tread.
From experiencing life as an undocumented immigrant tobecoming a U.S. citizen, and now a powerhouse attorney, Claudia brings a uniqueperspective to every case she handles. In today's episode, we'll explore howClaudia leverages her personal experiences to build deeper clientrelationships, harnesses the power of social media to reach undeservedcommunities, and utilizes cutting edge AI to streamline her practice. Let'sdive in.
Claudia Galan:
It's hard to say what really inspired me or made me decideto go into the legal field, but since I was little, even in middle school, mynickname was la abogada, the lawyer. So back in Mexico, in middle school, Iwill always stand up for my classmates if they were getting in trouble with theteachers, professors, and I thought it was unjust or I just had to step in andadvocate for them. I had that feeling of helping other people that were inneed.
Sonya Palmer:
Did you feel like you were sort of being forced on a pathor it was a direction you really wanted to go, because you identified with itwhen you were so young?
Claudia Galan:
It was not enforced at all. I come from a family in themedical field. My dad is a doctor in Mexico. Both of my grandparents, hisparents, are doctors in Mexico, and I think my dad expected me to go to medicalschool. And when I was kid, he will take me to his surgery, so I observed someof his surgeries as a child. But that was never what interested me. In fact, whenhe found out that I was going to go to law school, he was a littledisappointed, but now he's super proud of me. I'm the first lawyer in thefamily. My mom actually wanted to be a lawyer, she shared that with me. Becauseof her resources in Mexico, she was only able to go to university for teacher.Actually back then, they didn't even have to go to university. They just sortof go to a high school, technical high school/school for teachers, and that'swhat she did. And once we moved to the U.S., I got involved a lot with thedreamers and immigrants in South Texas and I knew that for sure that I wantedto be a lawyer.
Sonya Palmer:
So then how did your family's migration to the UnitedStates and your experience as an undocumented immigrant impact your perspectiveon the legal system, and then your decision to become an attorney?
Claudia Galan:
I think it's really an asset that I can use because I canrelate to my clients a lot. At first, when I came in, I was 18 years old. I wasundocumented for about three years, and up until my 21st birthday, I couldn'treally go to college because I didn't have a Social Security, I didn't have awork permit. So I was just learning English actually and working under thetable, kind of selling things here and there. And finally when I started theprocess, I was able to enroll to college. That experience alone has helped meto understand my clients and just see really what they're going through. As amatter of fact, I have been detained by ICE and put in a cell, which isterrible, terrible. I wasn't there for long, but the few hours that I wasthere, I was going crazy, pulling my hair, eating my nails, and I can justimagine my clients that have been detained for years.
I have clients that've been detained for more than a year.So that experience helps me with my advocacy for them, gives me a lot ofpassion for what I do, and it feels so rewarding knowing that I was able tokeep a family together, because I was in the same situation.
Sonya Palmer:
You had that passion for justice when you were younger,and then to have experienced that, I imagine that makes you very powerful foryour clients, to sort of have both that innate but then also that livedexperience as well. Your dad's a doctor and your mom wanted to be a lawyer, alot of ambition there. So what other values did your parents instill in youthat have helped guide your career path and your commitment to serving theHispanic community?
Claudia Galan:
Perseverance, sacrifice, and hard work. I saw it in myparents when they left their careers. My dad left his doctor career to comeover here. Doctors cannot really from Mexico practice here in the U.S. so hehad to take a job, cut his salary. My mom, at times, he had to stay behind inMexico, because she had to keep working and be a teacher and retire. So I saw alot of their sacrifice that they made for us and all of that was passed down tome. I learned it from them. Hard work and perseverance is one of my core valuestoo, and that's what helps me, and that helped me through law school, throughtaking the bar exam and now through practicing that even on the most difficultcases, cases where I think, "This is not going to be approved," orcases where we get denied. But we appeal, and we keep appealing until we get agrant. So I think that's really what helped me, and now in my career my clientscan benefit from it.
Sonya Palmer:
Before launching your firm, you worked with asylum seekersat the border. How did this work impact your understanding of the immigrationsystem and your commitment to advocating for immigrants' rights?
Claudia Galan:
Wow, it opened my eyes. I didn't really know much of theimmigration system. I went through it. I became a resident, and then I became aU.S. citizen, my sister as well, my mom as well. We're actually in the processof our citizenship right now, barely. And being and living it, growing up... ornot growing up, but when I came over here, just going to school in South Texasright by the border, I learned that there is a need for advocacy and for realattorneys that want to help others. There's a lot of trafficking in SouthTexas. The asylum process is not fair. What it was before is not what it isnow, unfortunately, and for some of the people that want to come in and ask forasylum now, there is an imaginary wall because they cannot get through theprocess.
Back then there was a process. They will go into adetention center and then they will have an interview and then they can qualifyfor a release or a bond or some sort of humanitarian release from detention sothey can continue their asylum process over here. The beginning when we had allthose influx and caravans of people, waves of people from Central Americawaiting at the border, I had to go and really help them and hear from them whythey were really coming over here, the fear and everything that they wentthrough to leave their homeland and risk their lives or children's lives justto be safe in this country.
Sonya Palmer:
I can't imagine that anyone really frivolously decides toleave their home like that. There has to be something incredible thatmotivates. What then motivated you to start your own firm right out of lawschool, and what were some of the most significant challenges you faced inthose early stages?
Claudia Galan:
I was always an entrepreneur, selling things, or ago-getter, and I knew I wanted to have my own law firm and be my own boss. Ihad worked with other lawyers in the past. I had interim with Homeland Securityat USCIS, as well, during law school, and I had great mentors. Having greatmentors made me feel safe and secure that opening my own law firm, as soon as Igot licensed, I was going to be okay and my clients were going to be okay. Ithink the biggest challenge at the beginning was getting myself out there,getting clients. I was very lucky early on and blessed to have had a case thatmade national news two months after I got licensed and that gained a lot ofexposure, gave me a lot of exposure around the country. I represented a U.S.citizen, kid, he was 18 years old, and he was detained with ICE for almost amonth.
Finally, we got the community to advocate for him. Withthe help of them, he was released the following day, and after that, trust me,I'm still helping U.S. citizens getting detained to be released. And as amatter of fact, I currently have a case where my client was deported, a U.S.citizen was deported. There is just so many injustices in the system. It's notfair. ICE is really not looking into this possible U.S. citizenship claims.
Sonya Palmer:
How did you, right out of law school, having just openedyour firm, how did you navigate that media attention?
Claudia Galan:
It was so overwhelming, because I still had work to do andmy phone was ringing from 6:00 a.m. in the morning until like 1:00 or 2:00a.m., people calling from other countries, even from overseas, Europe, Spain.It was amazing, but I had to put a stop to it. I'm like, "Okay, we need tocontinue with my work." And after that, thank god it kind of just dieddown. I'm still invited to Univision, Telemundo, and interviews, but it's a lotless, but it was very, very overwhelming at first.
Sonya Palmer:
I can imagine. Would you do anything differently or wouldyou do what you did the same?
Claudia Galan:
I wouldn't change anything. Going through law school,going through taking the bar multiple times, of course I wish things had beendifferent, but I believe that even those experiences and those small failuresin my life just help me just be more resilient and persevere. Whenever thingsweren't going well, I just kept going. I had one main goal, which was to get mylicense and be a lawyer. There was no other career that I even considered atthe time, so I don't think I would've changed anything.
Sonya Palmer:
And then what advice would you give to new attorneysconsidering launching their own firms, particularly in managing things likefinances and marketing and then building a client base?
Claudia Galan:
Have a business plan. I didn't have a business plan at thebeginning. I just dived into it right away, just went through the motions,getting some clients here and there, and I thought, "Okay, well, I'lllearn with the process." I did learn with the process, but looking back, Iwish I had a business plan. I had even a marketing plan as well. Social mediaback in 2019 was really growing as far as for lawyers. It wasn't a commontheme, but using TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, all those social mediaplatforms, I was going live every single day at the beginning so I could getexposure out there and get more clients and expand my law firm. Definitelycommercials were out of reach for me, they were so expensive. Radio commercialswere also so expensive. Newspaper ads wasn't really something that people aregoing through to find a lawyer. Word of mouth helped me a lot, just giving agood service, good customer service, good representation was helping me a lotto get clients and growing my firm.
Sonya Palmer:
Building trust with clients is taking on new forms, andClaudia's success on TikTok is a prime example of this shift. With animpressive 45,000 followers, Claudia has tapped into a powerful way to connectwith her target audience. What's particularly noteworthy is her decision tocreate content primarily in Spanish. This choice speaks volumes aboutunderstanding and valuing your audience. Claudia's potential clients, many ofwhom are Spanish-speaking immigrants, seeing a lawyer who not only speaks theirlanguage, but chooses to communicate in it, instantly creates a sense ofaccessibility and understanding.
But it's not just about language, it's about presence andconsistency. By showing up regularly on a platform her clients use, Claudia ismaking herself available in a way that traditional law firms often don't. She'snot waiting for clients to come to her. She's meeting them where they are, offeringvaluable information freely and consistently. This approach helps to demystifythe legal process, making Claudia appear more approachable and trustworthy. Forimmigrants navigating a complex legal system in a foreign country, this kind oftransparent, accessible presence can be incredibly reassuring. Trust iscurrency, and sometimes building that trust starts long before a client eversteps into your office. It begins with showing up, speaking their language,both literally and figuratively, and providing value without expectation.
Claudia Galan:
I've heard from my clients that my Spanish is really goodand they don't even know that I grew up in Mexico and I was born there. Butwhen they find out, they can relate a lot and immediately there's a connection,there's a trust, and they've told me. So I decided to do my social media inSpanish specifically because I was in South Texas. Most of the people there,immigrants, speak Spanish only. And those were my audience. Those were mypeople. Ever since I started TikTok, my numbers are not as big as otherfollowing base for other lawyers, but it's big enough to get me where I am, andI'm so blessed and so thankful about that. And I think that being able to speaktheir language and knowing their experiences definitely has helped me gaintheir trust.
Sonya Palmer:
I think, for your niche, 45,000 is impressive.
Claudia Galan:
Thank you.
Sonya Palmer:
So yeah, you should be very proud of that.
Claudia Galan:
Thank you.
Sonya Palmer:
What kinds of content are you providing to them that hasinherent value? Can you give an example?
Claudia Galan:
Well, I do lives three times a week, and I answer livequestions from people. They can call on the radio and they can ask theirquestion and I answer their question right there and then, without going into alot of the details, because of confidentiality issues, but at least they get anunderstanding of whether they can move forward with the case or where theystand at the moment. I also respond to comments and questions on the commentsduring the live. Those videos are cut into Q&A sections or little episodesor little clips, and then they're re-posted. At the same time, immediately,whenever there's anything new within the immigration field, and it's sort ofpolicy change, like almost every day, I post a video that I record myself, ormy marketing guy helps me record it, and we post it.
At the same time, I started doing some motivational posts,so just to change it a little bit. Also, funny videos where people can to knowme, really, not as in like very formal, very serious professionally, but alsomore casual and laid back.
Sonya Palmer:
A theme this year that, as we've been talking to peoplefor season 2, has been access to legal advice, legal help, and how it's not aseasy for different demographics, different classes, as some people might thinkthat it is. And so social, which is a free platform for people, I think that'sa very creative, inventive way to provide service for people who may not beable to afford it otherwise. Have you gotten clients from TikTok? Is this a wayto acquire clients?
Claudia Galan:
Yes, definitely. We do keep metrics and statistics. So Iwant to say that roughly half percent of my clients come from social media. Theother half are from past clients and word of mouth. Now, going into my fifthyear as a practicing lawyer, sixth year, I've helped a lot of people that canrefer me other people across the country, not just here in South Texas. But I'mstill doing consultations where nobody has referred them to me and they tell methat they heard me on TikTok, they follow me on YouTube, and some of them haveeven followed me for a long time and finally decided to make that step and giveme a call.
Sonya Palmer:
Amazing. And kudos for you. We work in marketing forlawyers, so that you are tracking and can connect where your leads are comingfrom. That's very hard to do, so kudos to you for adopting that so early on. Asyour TikTok following continues to grow, how do you plan to leverage thisplatform to further support and empower the Hispanic community?
Claudia Galan:
By sharing information, bringing real content and realvaluable information to them. I'm here as an immigrant to help otherimmigrants, and that has been my passion for a very long time. So I think thatwhat's really important is to bring honest information to them and not thingsthat are misleading. There's so many information out there, wrong informationshared by even other lawyers. It's not true. It's not the law. So I think thatwhen whoever is following me and looking at my videos, they know that what I'msaying has been already checked. And I do check all of that. And later on Inotice that there is some wrong piece of information on my video or maybesomething where I didn't say correctly, I delete it and make a new video.
Sonya Palmer:
For many, the idea of incorporating AI into our practicescan seem daunting, but as the tech landscape rapidly evolves, tech is not justa fun toy, it is a necessity. AI is a tool that's reshaping how law firmsoperate. Claudia's experience offers us a glimpse into this exciting frontier.Claudia's firm has embraced AI as a virtual assistant, enhancing efficiency andproductivity in ways that were once unimaginable, allowing her to help morepeople than ever before. But Claudia's approach also reminds us of an importantpoint. AI is a tool, not a replacement for legal expertise. It's aboutaugmenting our capabilities, not diminishing our role. For women in law, manyof whom are juggling multiple responsibilities or building their own practices,AI could be the key to unlocking greater efficiency and work-life balance. It'sabout working smarter, not just harder. By incorporating AI into her officemanagement, she has seen an increase of productivity by 30%.
Claudia Galan:
This year we started implementing and using ChatGPT towrite letters for clients, or even for office management, for an employeehandbook as well. And we've also used AI to create or to transcribe phone callsor recordings with our clients just to help us make it easier to write theirstories. I do a lot of humanitarian cases, where those cases require to have adeclaration from my client, and that can take a lot of time on the process. Sowe've also used it for translations as well, automate other processes as well,with CRMs and all this new technical stuff and technological stuff that I don'treally know. I'm so thankful that I'm practicing in this time and age becauseit just makes it easier to reduce time of work that we're investing in a case,and we're able to help more people. There's only 11 million of immigrants herein the U.S. so there's definitely a lot of people to help, and AI, softwares,and the computers have helped us a lot.
Sonya Palmer:
Our first guest, Sarah Williams, talked about how she feltlike social media was the great equalizer, and I think AI is starting to becomethat, because everyone has access to it and everyone can use it in it, and it'sso much easier than having to hire all these positions and all of the fundsrequired to start things. So I'm really excited to see what people use it for.You mentioned ChatGPT. Are there any other tools that you're usingspecifically?
Claudia Galan:
With AI, other than ChatGPT, not at the moment. WithinChatGPT, there's other GPTs that you can create. I've used it to create imagesfor marketing as well. I've used it even to edit my logo, actually. So besidesthat, there's an audio transcribers that we used, and so far those are the onlyones.
Sonya Palmer:
Are there any pitfalls or misconceptions about using AI ina law practice that you would caution other attorneys against?
Claudia Galan:
Well, we have to remember that as attorneys, we haveethical rules to keep client confidentiality. And some of the versions ofChatGPT are not confidential and that information is used to improve theprocesses of ChatGPT. So we try to make sure that we're not... whatever we'reinputting into ChatGPT, whether it's to maybe edit a little bit a letter orsomething, that it doesn't include client's name, and it doesn't have toinclude a client name or address or a confidential information. So that's theonly thing. Another thing that I will warn lawyers doing, and I created aChatGPT called Immigration Navigator, where it's the research tool for me, kindof like my first point or my started point to any sort of issue that I havewith a client or in a case, and I can just type it in there instead of googlingit, and it'll compile a lot of information and sources. It will also citesources.
We have to make sure as lawyers that we double check thosesources or citations. There was actually a lawyer that was reprimanded,sanctioned, yes, for submitting a brief with fake citations. And so that justtells you that he just went in there, wrote a brief, didn't even read it,double-checked it, and that's a big no-no.
Sonya Palmer:
Yep. I think another scene that we've seen this year, ifyou're going to try to use AI to cut corners, stuff like that's going tohappen, but if your motivation is to improve efficiency or to provide a betterproduct, a better service, you're going to get better results.
Claudia Galan:
Yeah.
Sonya Palmer:
So I want to look to the future. How do you envision thefuture growth of your firm, and what steps are you taking to achieve your goalof building an empire to help more people gain legal status?
Claudia Galan:
Well, at the moment, I'm still hiring for new lawyersbecause we have a lot of people. We do have a lot of demand. Sometimes I evenhave to cut on the marketing because it's too much. And we want to make surethat we're are doing quality work, also, at the same time as we're taking onnew clients. We are expanding in other things. I have some new projects in mindwhere I would like to be more involved in the community and highlightentrepreneurs and highlight immigrants stories. Not just talking aboutimmigration, but also talking about people and who we are and why we came overhere and what we've done and we've accomplished, really, what's the Americandream? And so that's one of my projects that I'll be starting in a couple ofweeks. Also, I want to start doing more social media lives. I've been very busylately, but I've noticed that going live more often, and almost daily, willhelp me increase my social media follower.
Sonya Palmer:
What gives you the greatest hope and optimism for thefuture of women in the legal industry?
Claudia Galan:
I think that setting an example, and having other women tolook up gives me a lot of hope. I definitely have mentors that are females andI see them and everything that they were able to accomplish, and I know thatthere is room for me, and there's a place at the top for me as an immigrantminority, Hispanic woman. And just like I've been able to get help from allthis women and mentorship, I want to give back to those that are coming behindme, and for the future generations. And I think that starting myself, workingon that, will definitely open up those opportunities for those coming after me.
Sonya Palmer:
As women, we often face unique challenges and perspectivesthat have historically been undervalued in the legal field. Claudia's storyshows us these experiences can become our strength, whether it's empathy frompersonal struggles or insights from juggling multiple roles, our diversebackgrounds can help us connect with clients and approach cases in innovative ways.Embracing technology isn't just about efficiency, it's about leveling theplaying field. In a profession where women are still underrepresented inleadership roles, tech-savviness can expand our reach, streamline our workload,and carve out our own niches, helping us get further and faster with lessfriction.
But remember, as you begin to scale, temper your growth.We often face pressure to prove ourselves by taking on more work. But Claudiareminds us of the importance of sustainable growth. By prioritizing qualityover quantity, we can build strong reputations and loyal client bases essentialfor long-term success and leadership in the field. Remember, as women in law,we're not just building careers, we're reshaping the profession and how it'sdone. By harnessing our unique experiences, embracing technology and growingstrategically, we can create a more diverse, inclusive, and innovative legallandscape.
If you found this content insightful, inspiring, or itjust made you smile, please share this episode with a trailblazer in your life.For more about Claudia, check out our show notes. And while you're there,please leave us a review or a five star rating. It really helps others discoverthe show. And I will see you next week on LawHer, where we'll shed light on howanother of the brightest and boldest women in the legal industry climbed to thetop of her field. Until next time, stay inspired, stay empowered, and keepmaking waves in the legal industry. You've got this.
