Jamie Juster – Attorney

• Immigration
• Civil Litigation
• Foreclosure
• Debt Relief

• State of Florida

J.D., Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, 2012

In high school, I was convinced I was going to be in theatre. It was all I wanted to do. I started UCF as a technical theatre major. However, due to life circumstances, I realized I wanted something that would be more stable. I had no idea what that something was, I just knew I did not want to wait tables for the rest of my life.

I decided that I would take a semester of various classes from different fields to see what I was interested in. I took a literature class, an abnormal psychology class, a criminal justice class, and a basics in legal studies class. You can guess which one was my favorite.

I ended up majoring in legal studies and was convinced I was going to be a paralegal. I graduated from UCF in 2008 with my legal studies degree. Unfortunately, obtaining a job at that time was extremely difficult. I took a year off and worked at my restaurant job and decided I would try to go to law school. At this point, I was married and had a two-year-old daughter. Thankfully, I did well on my LSAT and I was offered a scholarship to attend Barry University School of Law.

I decided to practice Immigration Law due to my experiences with the immigration process in 2005/2006 for my then-husband. I petitioned for him to obtain his green card based on our marriage. We did not have a pleasant experience with the entire process. The first attorney we went to actually fell asleep during the consultation. The second attorney we saw was insistent that he did not do “fake marriages.” The attorney we ended up retaining only met with us one time. The rest of the experience was with paralegals.

I would always feel like they did not believe that we were truly married. There was an age difference between us and I guess that made some people feel like it was a sham marriage. The immigration officer who interviewed us most definitely did not believe we were actually married. The interview took place one week before my due date in 2006. I was VERY pregnant at this interview, but that did not matter. The interview process was horrible. She made us feel like we were committing a crime and did not want to see all of the evidence we had to prove our marriage was real. The saving grace was a sonogram picture that I had of my daughter.

I remember leaving that interview scared and stressed out because we did not know if the officer was going to approve his case. Of course, our attorney was not there. This experience was a driving force for why I chose this particular area of law to focus on. I understand what it is like to be on the other side of the table. People deserve to have someone on their side advocating for their rights.

I do not really have a favorite movie, but I am a fan of Harry Potter.

There are many different factors that go into whether someone can obtain an immigrant visa or permanent residency. Each case is different and what worked for your mother’s best friend’s uncle may not work for you. That is why you should consult with an immigration attorney before applying for any immigration benefit.

I don’t know if I could just choose one. Either Anne Frank, Alice Paul, Abraham Lincoln, Lucille Ball, or a combination thereof.

Not obtaining competent counsel to assist in the preparation of their case. I cannot tell you how many clients would have received their immigration benefit sooner and cheaper if they just retained a competent attorney to assist. Some end up completely ruining any chance they may have had to obtain legal status because they listened to bad advice. The process can be costly and take time when it is done correctly. When you have to go in and try to correct mistakes that were made, it just takes that much longer and sometimes there is not a way to fix the mistake.

I would probably still be working in the Office, but if I could not work, I would likely be spending time with my family.