Melissa Wharton
Northeast News

When Paul Franco moved his practice to the Northeast in 2012, he realized he was one of very few attorneys in the area.

“It’s interesting. There are no lawyers in the Northeast,” Franco said. “I think there’s me and another fellow who has an office, but I am the only Latino lawyer in the Northeast.”

The son of Mexican and Mexican-Guatemalan parents, Franco grew up in Los Angeles. He began his law practice in Johnson County, Kansas, but moved it to the Northeast just over five years ago. Franco runs the law office alongside Office Manager Carla Brewer and Legal Assistant Ambar Lara. Together the three are working to prove that law can be practiced both well and helpfully in the Northeast.

“The practice of law has become a business,” Franco said. “I think for many of us we became lawyers because we want to help people and make the world better, until you realize it’s a business. I think for many people the question is: can you run a successful law business over here?”

Franco said that when he moved his practice to Independence Ave, some of his colleagues questioned why he would move somewhere that, as they saw it, wouldn’t offer any financial success. But Franco said he didn’t see why he couldn’t have a successful practice and still help those in need.

“There’s a couple of tensions in this business: the helping and the payment. What I’ve decided to do is merge them the very best I can,” Franco said. “If you need help and you’re willing to work the payments out, we are not going to say no to you. On the other hand of that, if you need help but you want it free or you’re not going to cooperate on payments, then we can’t help you.”

Franco acknowledged that having a law office in the Northeast isn’t as lucrative as his previous practice in Johnson County. But for Franco, the satisfaction of bringing helpful service to the area is enough.
“In my five years here, and out of 23 years of practice, this is the happiest I’ve been,” Franco said. “I don’t feel like I’ve given something up to be here, like I’m sacrificing to be here. I’m happy being here, because I see people that I can help from time to time, and that feels good.”

The people Franco’s office is able to help come in with a variety of cases. Office Manager Carla Brewer said they receive traffic cases the most often, followed by family cases and then criminal cases. At any one time, Brewer said the office handles anywhere between 200 and 300 cases.

Franco said the root of many of their cases involve family issues in some way.

“What’s sobering is that parents are working two or three jobs, and they’re first generation. You come in working really hard and the family unit that you had before is challenged here,” Franco said. “It’s the family unit that’s getting broken down, and the result of that is the kids are on their own. I see the struggle between the way you’re brought up and the way you’re living, and I see it played out all the time.”

The aftermath of this, Franco said, is that many of his cases deal with teenagers or young adults who get caught up in serious crimes. But through the chaos, Franco and his office are trying to bring hope and kindness to the community.

“It’s not about using and abusing. My parents taught me that the purpose of life is to serve, and I’m happy with what we’re doing,” Franco said. “We try to practice compassion here.”