A boutique, bilingual law firm specializing in immigration and personal injury has relocated to Ponte Vedra Beach.
Located at 2112 Sawgrass Village Drive across from Publix, Ruiz Law (http://www.ruizlaw.net/) opened its doors in early September after spending eight years in the Baymeadows area of Jacksonville. The firm is led by Elisabeth "Lisa" and Marco Antonio Ruiz, a couple who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach with their three young children.
“We just thought we like it so much out this way,” Lisa Ruiz said. “It would be even better if we had our office here.”
Lisa said she and Marco had been looking for a new office for the past year and were unable to find the right size and price point. Working with Katie Kirchner of Strategic Sites, however, they found the office space in Sawgrass Village and fell in love with its convenient location and proximity to other small businesses.
At first, Lisa admitted, there was some apprehension because the firm wasn’t sure if their clients would be happy about the move. Yet so far, she said it has worked out, since many of them work in the area and are able to stop by during lunch or after work.
“It was somewhat of a scary transition just because we weren’t sure, but it’s going well and smoothly,” Lisa said, adding, “You just can’t beat the 10-minute commute.”
Everyone on staff at Ruiz Law is bilingual because many of the firm’s clients are Spanish speaking. Lisa noted that her team must be fully bilingual because the court system and agencies they work with expect high-level English.
“We pride ourselves in that,” Lisa said. “We do like to assist the immigrant community.”
Most of the employees at Ruiz Law, Lisa said, are second-generation immigrants themselves. Lisa’s father is from Peru, and Marco’s parents are from Colombia.
“We take that role very seriously in that we feel like we help bridge the gap between the native-born Americans and the people who have come here from other countries,” Lisa said. “I think that’s something that I especially have been passionate about pretty much my entire life.”
Lisa was raised in South Florida and Marco was born in Manhattan. They eventually met in Atlanta, where they went to high school. Lisa’s father was a pastor of a Baptist church who regularly worked with immigrants.
Lisa graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in international affairs. She then attended Florida Coastal School of Law where she received a Juris Doctorate. Marco graduated with a Bachelor of Science in communications from the University of North Florida. He also went on to attend Florida Coastal School of Law where he ultimately received a Juris Doctorate.
Lisa has been practicing immigration law for over 10 years, while Marco has recently begun practicing personal injury, an area in which the firm is aiming to grow. They have been living in Ponte Vedra Beach with their family for about three years and worship at Beach Church in Jacksonville Beach.
Overall, Lisa said their firm focuses on being family-centered, down-to-earth and honest, providing good customer service to all clients regardless of their status or income level. She added that the firm can provide local assistance to families and is empathetic to their daily struggles, doing everything in its power to make families whole again and keep them together.
“I think we’ve realized that what our job is is to help people with their problems,” Lisa said. “For that, you need to be able to connect with them. …
“I don’t know how huge of a law firm we’ll ever become but I feel that we try to keep a clean conscience,” she added. “It’s something that’s important to us.”
