The following is an in-depth interview with Spar & Bernstein immigration attorney Shannon LaGuerre:
Q: Where did you go to college and what did you major in?
A: Syracuse University, Political Science
Q: Where did you go to law school and what year did you graduate?
A: Hofstra University School of Law, 2003
Q: And where were you born and raised?
A: Born and raised in Brooklyn, then moved to Jamaica, Queens when I was 12, then to Rockland County at 15.
Q: Did you ever live anywhere outside of New York?
A: I moved to South Florida two days after I graduated from law school and lived there for five years. It was an interesting time for me. I worked for a non-profit organization called the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. The boats would come in with Haitians and Cubans, and our organization would represent these people for free. I was often the first one going over to the boats and detention centers, helping immigrants understand their rights & immigration laws, and aiding them with their cases. The fact that I spoke Creole was very helpful.
Q: Who were your heroes growing up?
A: My parents and my maternal grandmother.
Q: What posters did you have on your bedroom wall as a kid?
A: Johnny Depp, the New Edition. I also had such a crush on Michael Jackson that I slept with a picture of him under my pillow.
Q: What could you tell us about your childhood that would surprise us?
A: That I was a tomboy & loved playing with my brothers’ toys or climbing trees or playing football & basketball in the backyard.
Q: When did you first want to be a lawyer?
A: At 12, I actually said the words, I am going to be a lawyer. I just wanted to contribute to society, to represent those that are under-represented. I also had a desire to go into either teaching or politics. And for a time, I did teach Health Education at a group home for children in the Bronx. These were children who were emotionally disturbed, sexually abused, or thrown out of regular school for behavior problems. I also worked in the political field for years.
Q: What did your parents do for a living?
A: My mom is a registered nurse at Harlem Hospital. My dad is a retired United States Army officer.
Q: Any lawyers in the family?
A: My stepfather.
Q: What’s the biggest myth about immigration law?
A: That anybody can practice it. That it’s easy to do. Fact is, it’s so complicated that it’s the second most difficult area of law to practice behind tax law.
Q: What are your interests outside of law?
A: I love to travel, shop (I’ll go ANYWHERE where there are nice clothes and sales), read, and go to plays. I do like the arts and culture.
Q: What’s the last great play you saw?
A: Most of the plays that I see are phenomenal. David Mamet’s Race is amazing. I enjoyed Phantom of the Opera and FELA. I saw Thurgood, with Lawrance Fisburne. Excellent, excellent, excellent. It’s a one-man show based on the life of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. It was so phenomenal I saw it twice.
Q: What do you read?
A: I enjoy biographies, real-life stories.
Q: What’s the last great book you read?
A: Somaly Mam, The Road of Lost Innocence. It’s about a Cambodian woman named Somaly Mam, who was sold into sexual slavery by her grandfather when she was 12 and ended up suffering through the brutality and horrors of human trafficking—rape, torture, deprivation—until she managed to escape with the help of a French aid worker. I contribute to her organization.
Q: Do you listen to music much?
A: Yes.
Q: What kind?
A: Haitian kompa and zouk.
Q: What’s the greatest advice you’ve ever been given?
A: To live life to the fullest. Being happy with yourself and the decisions you make.
