Today we’d like to introduce you to Fernando Ramos.
Hi Fernando, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Although I graduated from law school in 1997, I did not feel I was ready to practice law upon graduation. Instead, I became a federal law enforcement officer and served our country for 23 years. Additionally, I served in the Coast Guard’s Investigative Service for six years as a reservist.
In 2017, I could see a clear path to retirement from my law enforcement job and sat for the Florida bar as I finally felt “ready” to start a career in law. Although I was still working full time, and with a family of 6, I set my goals to have the Florida Bar License and be ready to go as soon as I was eligible to retire which was February of 2022.
For me at least, this was the correct path to a law practice. With my law partner (who is also a retired federal law enforcement officer) we can focus on the areas of law we are most passionate about without any of the traditional bureaucracy associated with law firms and government service.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I guess if it was smooth, everyone could do it…I have had plenty of obstacles. put in front of me, however, I was taught at an early age that hard work and perseverance will overcome most if not all obstacles. I grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts, which was one of the poorest inner-city neighborhoods in the greater Boston area.
The first obstacle was to ensure that I stayed focused on school back then. I knew that there was more to life than the inner-city grind, I just had to work hard for it. My childhood was also riddled with an abusive father who, with his alcoholism, drug use, and violent temper certainly did not make it easy for me growing up. My approach to handling the conditions I lived in was to focus on a goal at an early age and maintain discipline in getting there. I concentrated on academics and sports in general.
More specifically, I used my love for baseball and martial arts to keep me disciplined and I used my academics as my passport to better opportunities in the future. Through school and sports, I was able to not fall into the traps all around me, drugs, gangs, etc.
We’ve been impressed with North-South Law Group, PLLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
North South Law Group was formed by myself and my law partner after both having served a collective 50 years in federal government service as law enforcement officers. We have offices in Land O Lakes, FL, ( where my office is located) Weston, FL (where my partner Jose R. Laureano sits), and San Juan Puerto, Rico (where Jose Laureano is also licensed). Our main focus has been to treat our clients as individuals with specific needs rather than another client paying “billable hours”.
In 2017, my partner and I began formulating how we would be different if we had ever started our practice. After five years of planning, in 2022, we launched the firm. Since then, we have narrowed our scope of services to the following: Estate Planning, small business creation and support, and real estate transactions. We also conduct internal compliance reviews/investigations for public housing authorities and other quasi-governmental agencies where we look to identify vulnerabilities and make recommendations for corrective action.
Lastly, we provide legal assistance to Latino-owned businesses in the Tampa and Orlando area at drastically reduced rates through our relationship with a local nonprofit organization that identifies clients in need and pairs them up with our firm. This has been some of the most satisfying work we have done as we get to embark on so many initial voyages with the Latino entrepreneurs within our community.
Our focus is to ensure the client truly has an advocate on their side with the utmost confidence that we will always put our client’s interest first. Having said that, we believe that with our unique backgrounds, we can add value to our relationships with our clients at a level that most other firms cannot.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting.
I believe that hard work and discipline are necessary traits for success, however, I have also learned that patience and perseverance are just as important. The best example I can give is when I graduated from law school and decided NOT to practice law and become a federal law enforcement officer.
I didn’t know why I chose that path at the time, and certainly, a lot of my friends and family thought I had lost my mind and that I was a failure. Instead, I just began this amazing journey of public service whereby I was able to serve our country in some of the most difficult times. I was able to respond and serve the people of New York immediately after the attacks on 9/11/2001.
I was able to respond and assist after several major natural disasters in our country including but not limited to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans as well as Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. 23 years later, I was able to retire from government service with satisfaction that I made a difference and positively contributed to this country’s well-being. I was fortunate enough to retire young enough that I can now get back on the original path of practicing law with a better perspective and purpose than ever before.
So, the point is, if you are starting with one goal in mind, and your heart pulls you in a different direction, follow that instinct and see where it takes you rather than forcing something that may not be ready to flourish just yet.
Contact Info:
- Website: northsouthlaw.com
- Linkedin: @northsouthlaw group
Image Credits
Daniel Nova
