Points from a Backpacking Lawyer 

Who Lived on the Road for Eight Years

By Nadya Vilá, Esq.; NadyaVilaEsq@gmail.com

Immigration Attorney of Counsel, Nguyen Legal Group, P.C. 

Houston, TX 

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  1. Find a way to get paid to learn what you want to learn. If you have to get a job outside of law to work on a certain skill set, that’s fine. 


  1. I worked at a French restaurant in the evenings in order to learn French. I used the restaurant skills to get a job in the VIP section of the Cirque du Soleil Show Amaluna. That led to working in Houston, which led me to Immigration Law.

 

  1. I won three trials, two of which were expected to lose. I was able to assist three clients and their families, because I had worked at a French restaurant.


  1. Avoid trading work for office space. Exchange actual currency or checks, including if the amounts cancel each other out. 


  1. Document Review can be a bit of a vacation. It can give you time to catch up on Continuing Legal Education, CLE, credits, if you are good at multitasking, or if the case permits. 


  1. CLEs are available for free at www.FloridaBar.org. You can also find a reasonably priced unlimited library at www.Lawline.com, often available for $199 per year.


  1. Books for the Road:


  1. Rich Dad, Poor Dad https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/rich-dad-poor-dad-what-the-rich-teach-their-kids-about-money--that-the-poor-and-middle-class-do-not_robert-t-kiyosaki_sharon-l-lechter/247949/?resultid=42116507-ca5f-46a6-b04d-88fd9936a8f3#edition=13213526&idiq=25457542


  1. The Artist’s Way https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-artists-way-a-spiritual-path-to-higher-creativity-by-julia-cameron/248426/?resultid=f0fd39c6-cf27-4112-922b-92be2e30e064#edition=11154638&idiq=19783834


  1. Eat, Pray, Love

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/eat-pray-love-by-elizabeth-gilbert/248758/?resultid=4ca820c0-086d-43d7-88d3-fa5c1a372305#edition=3575825&idiq=4413920




  1. How to go to conferences with $100


  1. Volunteer at the conference in order to save the admission fee, and in order to meet more people.


  1. Stay in a hostel when possible, or room with a friend whose office covers the hotel costs.  www.Booking.com and www.Hostel.com can lead to good hostels. 


  1. For fun, you may want to consider the ATX Television Conference in Austin, Texas. Firehouse hostel is close by and wonderful. 


  1. If you are a lawyer, you are going to be expected to be sincerely involved in an organization. Either contribute a lot of time, or cut a good check. 


  1. If you are working mostly pro bono, and people don't get it, call me.


  1. If you need health insurance, Nick Milnov is an agent with whom you might enjoy speaking: Nick Milnov, (786) 295-6060. Please give him my name. 


  1. You can pay your bar dues in installments.


  1. It is a good idea to schedule your regular doctors’ appointments as much as a year in advance. Keep the date, stay healthy.


  1. If you need a dentist, I seriously recommend Fair Lakes Dentistry in Cypress, Texas, which is close to Houston, for the quality of care of the employees, and for the payment plans. https://fairlakesfamilydentistry.com/ Southwest can get you to Houston and back for a reasonable price, with two free (included) suitcases. 


  1. If you find that you are living on the road with a tight budget, or an invisible budget…


  1. Get good at taking care of pets, plants, and yards


  1. Know how to cook


  1. At the least, know how to chop


  1. Share streaming accounts with a relative or a friend. 


  1. Maybe watch Nomadland, or read the book.


  1. Insist on being happy; being broke AND miserable is boring.


  1. The rule of restaurants: If you can afford it, and you see that someone orders nothing, lean over, and say that you are buying them dinner. Buy a large appetizer for the table. Leave the dessert untouched if it is not to your liking.


  1. If you drive a car, try to keep a blanket that you can give away in the car trunk. 


  1. Keep a suit jacket in the car. 




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Specific to Immigration Law



  1. If a person is breathing, the person will have Immigration Law concerns at one point or another. 


  1. If you speak two or more languages, please study Immigration Law. 


  1. You can make a decent living covering Master Calendar Hearings for one or two law firms.


  1. Business visas are important, as are family petition cases. Courtroom cases often need to be appealed. There are many good ways to get involved with Immigration law. 


  1. If you enjoy writing, you can be part of the teams doing appellate work at the Federal Circuits.