More Than a Lawyer

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Anda Totoreanu, an Associate Attorney at Avocet Law, whose personal journey and passion for immigration law shape the way she advocates for her clients. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

How It All Started

My family has always put me in a leadership position—as the oldest of three, an immigrant, and the only girl, I always had to assert myself. 

But I wanted to do other things growing up. I’m a singer, and I loved the arts. I was in choirs, shows, and plays for a lot of my youth.

I’ve always been close with my dad. Back in Romania, he was a classical guitarist and metrologist. When he came to the United States, he had to leave his degrees behind and start working in construction to help feed and support our family. He still plays classical guitar, but he’s sort of like the typical immigrant dad who was like, “You should do something that’s more concrete and will keep you employed.” 

He did support my art and my music and would always show up for the concerts—my mom, too. But I think he wanted a more stable career for me. 

As most kids do, I rebelled against that. I went to college and explored everything.

Getting into Law and Advocacy

I did a lot of volunteer work in high school with the courts. I was a lawyer for something called “Teen Court,” handling misdemeanors and things like that. You could pretend to be a lawyer, and have an actual attorney supervise. I really enjoyed that.

In college, I was still involved in music and performing, but I think I decided that I also really did enjoy being an advocate. 

I pursued international relations and delved into the idea of law. I found myself doing more community service and work on LGBTQIA+ rights, women’s rights, and advocating for all minorities. 

As a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and a first-generation immigrant, I felt it was important for me to help amplify voices that too often go unheard.

I think the world isn’t always set up for people who want to pursue multidisciplinary interests, even though in college you have the freedom to explore them all. It takes more effort to keep it up after you graduate, but I enjoy the challenge. 

I really enjoy immigration law because it allows me to be more creative than I could be in many other areas of law. You have diverse clients—from all over the world and from different industries. You also have the opportunity to help people who are themselves creatives.

After law school, I started practicing business immigration, working mostly with artists—musicians, film directors, dancers, and more. That was really special for me, because it allowed me to combine so many different things that I’m passionate about.

Figuring Things Out

I’ve been incredibly blessed in life, but I’ve also worked hard to get where I am. I have had the privilege of earning three degrees. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in 2015 as a double major in International Affairs and French. I then earned my master’s in Russian and Eastern European studies in 2016, gaining regional expertise on Eastern Europe which I then applied to my work for a think tank in Romania until 2017. I moved back to the United States after that because I missed my brothers, and spent three and a half years working in the managing attorney’s department at a law firm in New York City, gaining exposure to various areas of law before going on to law school.

In law school, I was torn between practicing international law and immigration law. Immigration law resonated with me—not just because I’m an immigrant, but also because I saw how deeply it was needed in the United States. It always felt personal.

Even though I kept exploring other areas of law, my heart was really in immigration. I loved bankruptcy law because that also helps low-income families. I loved criminal law, but it sometimes felt too heavy. I dabbled in various fields before participating in an immigration clinic during law school, and that experience really solidified that immigration is what I wanted to do. It took me a while to find my way here, but it really feels like the right place for me.

Things This Work Has Taught Me

I learned how complex immigration is, and how important it is to pay attention to every little detail—it’s very research intensive.

But what I think I learned most was that even when my clients have spent years navigating immigration law, sometimes it takes a team to get them to the finish line.

It deeply humbled me. You can grow really close to your clients and their families. It opens your eyes to how vulnerable clients can be, and how important it is to protect them—not just legally before the U.S. government, but emotionally as well.

Sometimes, as their attorney, you become their therapist or their emotional support. You go through these huge life events with them, even though you didn’t grow up together, and didn’t even know of them before taking on their case. Suddenly, they become a huge part of your life.

It also taught me the value of a strong and communicative team. My teammates and I in law school each had different strengths. I was probably better at client communication than others on the team, while another one of my teammates was way better at finding the right statute or case for the brief. 

We all worked together, playing to our strengths. That didn’t mean one of us was a better attorney than the others—it just meant we learned to trust our instincts and lean into what we do best. And, importantly, to not be so hard on ourselves when we make mistakes.