How an Immigrant Became a Major Felony Defender

0:00Never say no to a possibility. When a door opens, you really need to look twice. Like, why not? Belen Olmeto-Gara is a resilient criminal defense attorney advocate in the founder of Belen Law firm. Drawing from her journey as an immigrant in seasoned litigator, she fights for others with compassion, determination, and a commitment to justice. I get to see the dark side of human beings. Yes. But their mistakes don't define them as people. And I am not God. I don't feel that I am in a position and nobody should be in a position to go judge another human being. I don't think that they understood why I'm representing the accused person. It's not only about the not guilty. Sometimes it is getting a dad back to his family. I don't know what I'm saying. It spans the globe like a super high school.

1:01Internet Elvis. Ready? Fire. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the bomb. It's not over until I win. The Living Your Legacy Podcast for those who live to leave a legacy. That's extremely impossible. Oh, that is sensational. Open. Chicago is the way you say it's all in the box. It's not on the planet. You can live your dream. Hey, welcome back everyone to another episode of Living Your Legacy Podcast. I'm your host again, Jace Langen. And we're down here at the sunny Miami Beach Studios. And we have the privilege to talk to some of the best entrepreneurs from around the country, the disruptors, and the experts in so many different fields. And today we have a special person with us for our Women in Power Show. Yeah, please introduce yourself. What's your name? Where you from? And what's your business? And Berlin. Oh, the Medo Guerra. I am the founder.

2:03And the managing attorney of the Lenn Law firm. And that is in Phoenix, Arizona. All right. The way you say your name is so much more graceful than I say your name. Berlin. Berlin. I completely hacked your name when I was doing the interview, right? But yeah, where you from? There's like some exotic, you know, to it. Well, I was originally born and raised in Argentina. I moved to the US when I was 17 years old. All right. So Argentinian and your English is like, you know, perfect. Did you speak English before you came over? I did. I did. I went to a bilingual school since I was three years old. And so that really helped. I've acquired a lot more vocabulary since I moved. Here, but yeah, I had a great foundation. Yeah, there's like no accident. And then you start speaking Spanish. I'm like, oh, just wait till I get mad. All my Latina comes out. Okay. Okay. Yeah.

3:03Yeah, I mean, Argentina is definitely on the checklist of places to go. And where you grew up, it's a big city. It's a small town. I grew up in Gordova. And that's the capital of the state of the same name. We call them provinces. Okay. And pretty large. Yeah. I think at the time I left, maybe it was about three million people. So I was pretty independent by the time I was 17, you know, it just moved around the city, taking public transportation, hailing the cab. All right. And then it sounds like I didn't know that about your city when we were giving the interview, right? Because I don't get to ask you these questions, the personal questions that I'd like to. But it's crazy. Because then you got you came to the states at 17 on like a study abroad program, right? Yeah. And you went from big city to like rural America, right? And it's so funny because, uh, so I lived in, in Southeast Asia for like 17 years, right? And one of the first jobs I had was teaching, uh,

4:04Thai students in Bangkok, right? Big city Bangkok, uh, who were going to do a year abroad in American high schools, right? Yeah. And one thing I'd warn them about, right? Because they all be, you know, dreaming like, oh, Britney Spears and these big concerts. And I'd be like, some of you are going to be, you know, in like these rural areas, right? So I would, and I would teach them about that and get them ready for it, right? And then you had that scenario, right? So what was it like going from that big city? And then, you know, you had that American vision in your head and then you go to this, honestly, like rural America. Yeah, I think the difference for me and back then in the 90s was that actually, I didn't really have the internet to search. And so I had very little information. I knew that it was a town surrounded by agricultural areas, farming communities. Um, but nothing really prepares you for the day to day living. I was, you know, going to nightclubs and hanging out with friends,

5:08being independent in Argentina and then going to Marshall, Minnesota, I remember the first day, I said, okay, how do I, how do I get a cab or just the bus go by? And they said, no, well, you just got to ask for a ride. Yeah. And so right there, right then, my legs were cut off, right? Like I didn't have that independence. Mm-hmm. And so then I had to relearn how to go by my, you know, day-to-day responsibilities like after school, I was in the swimming team and practices and then the track team where I was a manager. And you have to rely on other people. And that was an adjustment for me. Yeah. Because it's funny because usually you think of America and it's the Hollywood, it's the big cities, New York, right? And then when we think of Argentina, we think of the Argentinian Cowboys, right? Yeah. And then you kind of flip the script on that, right?

6:09You were from the big city in Argentina and coming to like, you know, the rural area, right? But yeah, that's a, in that turned into going into university here, right? Like you had the opportunity to go to university, you did that. Yes. Which then turned into, I guess, getting your residency, right? Talk about, you know, how did you go from a study abroad program to being a full-blown American? There's 31 years in between, right? I know. So I'll try to summarize that for you. But basically, I never could have imagined in a million years that I was going to end up where I am today. So I didn't come as an exchange student because I wanted the American dream. I had requested to go actually to Southeast Asia. I wanted to go to Bangladesh or Australia or Thailand. Because I wanted to be in an exotic place.

7:11And then I ended up in Marshall where I found incredible people that they became family even to this day. They are, I was just with them. They shout out to Marshall being good hosts. That's right. Grace, right? Like to hear it? Yes, for sure. And so it was, again, it was hard for me to visualize what my life was going to be. So I just moved one stage at a time. So at the end of the exchange program, I received a letter from the local university giving me multiple scholarships. So that was a surprise. And there's something that I've always done in my life never say no to a possibility. When a door opens, you really need to look twice. Like, why not? So it has kind of my motto, like, why not? So I like that. That door opened. If it's a good door. Yeah. A lot of us go with some teenage, you know, a lot of bad doors open too.

8:13Right? So you don't want to step through that. Yeah, there were some bad doors. I stuck through a lot of those doors. I'll tell you that. There were some bad doors for sure. But, you know, if you have a good head on your shoulders or some guidance, you can ask people, do I do this? Do I not do that? For me, it was very instinctual. So when I got that opportunity, well, life just flashes before your eyes, right? And so I took that next step. I told my mom, my dad, okay, first I said one year, and then I'll be back in four after college. And I developed such a core network of friends. And my work became my mission. I was working with victims of first sexual assault. And then the victims and survivors of domestic violence. And so that was my angry era. I also heard that in your story that you had worked with Sudanese refugees, right? Similar. So there's Somalian. Somalian, okay, okay.

9:14I worked with Sudanese at, you know, during my anthropology program in university. We have some things in common. No, we have it a lot in common, right? So, yeah, I worked with the Somalian refugee population in Marshall. There was a huge community there. They wanted to be where, one of the funny thing was when we went to go visit them in their apartments, right? They got the heat on full blast. And they're still wearing their donated down jackets, you know, completely zipped up with their hats, right? Well, I can't say much because I did too. Yeah, you know, I was always cold, always cold and martial. But I actually went to some of their homes and invited me for dinner. And then I walked out covered in henna tattoos. No, okay. They did my legs, my arms, my feet. I mean, that takes hours. So it's such an honor and dedication from them to have that. But yeah, it's been one door opening to the other. And now this is home. I mean, I just had my, I celebrate every year, 31 years of being in the US.

10:19It's a milestone every year. It's a big deal. I do a lot of reflection and think, okay, what have I done? Where, where am I going, right? And so 31 years of not saying no to opportunities. So if there is an opportunity, if there's something that presents why not? Why not me? Yeah, I think that's it. And so those doards led you through to being a lawyer, right? Yes. In Arizona and opening up your own law firm, right? That's right. And so yeah, tell us about, you know, what kind of law you practice, what kind of cases you take on and why? Well, I do criminal defense. All right. And now everybody's cringing, right? Because people think of criminal defense. They think of like, oh, you know, I only watch law and order. Why am I? No, I watch suits. I watch Lewis Lidd, you know, high respect there. But yeah, not quite the same. But so criminal defense is very specific, right? So it's high paced.

11:20If you ever watch the Lincoln lawyer, right? It's like a, there's a lot going on in people's lives, cases. So it's fast paced and the adrenaline. So if that's not for you, it's not for the faint of heart, for sure. People call and, you know, if there's a homicide, dead bodies, weapons, blood, you look at all of that. You look at the weapons, how do we end up here? And then you unpack the cases. And not every case is like a major felony. But I have a lot of them. Yeah. A lot of major felonies that include people who were not okay to begin with. Well, give us a spectrum, you know, like car thefts or like criminal law can be anything from maybe just stealing something in a store at the mall, right? Or you mean, or to, I mean, like stealing a car and then violent crime it could be like domestic violence to murder, right? Yeah. So the spectrum is very large.

12:22So it could be anything from like criminal speeding. In Arizona, if you go 20 miles or more over the speed limit, you could go to jail, right? Okay. And so it could be criminal speeding, trespassing, little misdemeanor things. And then things can get more complicated where you have human trafficking, drug trafficking, sex trafficking. Yeah. I say that. Weapons trafficking, right? So you have straw buyers and then, you know, you have the cartel involved and then they're gangs. And then you can escalate that all the way to the homicides and then you have a variety of them. Some of them, oops, I ended up killing someone all the way to first degree murder premeditated. Yeah. And then are there a lot of kind of like cartel stuff down being down in Arizona? There's a fair share. We share the international border with Mexico. But it's not like it's in the movies. Yeah. So things happen in very covert ways that most people don't know that stuff is happening,

13:26you know, in their own neighborhood. And so was it always criminal law? Like when you were studying and you were like criminal law, that's for me. Yes. Wow. Yes, I did want to represent the underdog. I wanted to be out there in the front lines, in the trenches, because of how I got there. So I tried to avoid becoming an attorney. I did everything else, right? I worked in a center where they helped immigrants and refugees who were victims of sexual crimes. And then when I moved to Arizona, I started working with victims of domestic violence. And I worked at the shelters, community centers, and then I became a teacher, got my master's. So my my undergraduate is in anthropology, cultural anthropology. And then got my master's in education. Meanwhile, all the things that I did to avoid being a lawyer, because both my parents were lawyers.

14:28And they had the worst divorce. All of that was training. Yeah. Little did I know that my long road was meant to be my road, because now I use all that knowledge that I have from the previous experiences, you know, like slam dog millionaire, like you just learn about all these things in life and then you use them yourself to help others. Yeah. So now when a client comes to see me, I assess, right? Do we have danger to self-dangers to other, do we have mental health? A lot of undiagnosed mental health. Autism, autism is also huge because there's such a big spectrum. Autism is not what people think it is. It's not only somebody who's completely impaired. You could be in the spectrum and have difficulties with inner social relationships with other humans that lead you to commit crimes that involve computers and things like that.

15:31I probably can't get into it right here. And for, I mean, you've been studying law, practicing law for about 14 years. Yes, that's right. Okay. In that, right? And hearing about so many different crimes, right? Do you lose faith in humanity? You know, like, oh my god, there's just so much crime out there. Like, do you, do you, do you picture things differently than you did before? No. Now that you've had kind of a peak into the world. Not at all. Not at all. I get to see the dark side of human beings. Yes. But their mistakes don't define them as people. And I am not God. Yeah. I don't feel that I'm in a position and nobody should be in a position to go judge another human being. That is not appropriate for this lifetime. Yeah. It's not up to us what other people do. I'm not going to lead a life of crime. And that's my choice. That's what I've done. And I've also had my moral compass that has never deviated, never changed.

16:33Even when I was alone without parents, no money, homeless, right? Yeah. I say that same thing. And so before I film every person, I give them the same spiel. And, you know, it's about basically the human journey, right? And I say, I don't judge anyone that comes sits here. You could have started off with the perfect childhood, right? And then life happens to that crazy roller coaster of life and then entrepreneurship happens. And that's another crazy roller coaster. Or you could have been down in the dirt and, you know, but I've heard and rose to the top, right? And I've heard everything in between. And you can't judge people, right? Also, in your case, criminal law, like a lot of people that grow up in single-family homes or abuse when they were young or no parent, like, you know, in the foster care system and they're just trying to deal with the tools that they're given, right? 100%. And they don't know, right? So yeah, you can't judge anyone. You don't know their situation. That's so true. And it's easy in the culture that we live in today.

17:36For people to judge, opinionate, and cancel others. So, you know, we're all really quick to jump to judgment of another person. Because it's easy. We said behind a keyboard and we do it. We do it in malicious ways sometimes without understanding. Yeah. And also, I think people misunderstand what being charged with the crime is. This is not one of those 30-minute shows that at the beginning of the show, there is a crime committed. And 10 minutes in, they find the blood spatter and boom, they solve the crime or very close. And they're in court towards the end of the show with the back door swing open, right, with the star witness. That is so not true. You have to tell the other side, opposing counsel, who your witnesses are. You have to disclose the evidence. But they're not going to make a show with that kind of process. Are you more of a litigation lawyer or like a settlement lawyer, right?

18:39Like, do you like to get out there in front of the court with the jury and prove the cases? Or it's like, okay, we got a plea deal over here. I think we can take it. Like, what kind of lawyer are you? It's not up to me. Yeah. The client calls the shots. Okay. So, the client is in the driver's seat, right? And so, I tell the client, these are your options. And you can take the plea or go to trial. Those are the only two options. Sometimes you will look for a third option. There is none, right? So, you take a plea or you go to trial. That's it. So, I always advise the clients. When other lawyers know that you're kind of like a litigation battle lawyer, right? I like to get down to the trenches and fight. Is that help you with the plea deal a little bit? Because it's just like, oh, this girl is willing to fight and she's good at it. I think I'm pretty forward with the county attorneys, the prosecutors. They know how I am. I'm not those kind of lawyers that I hide the ball or like to sneak out a motion to just like, like, no.

19:39Yeah. I will email them or call them up and say, hey, heads up. I'm filing this motion. I like transparency even in an adversarial situation. Yeah. Because professionalism is never lost. In criminal defense is very different. I think civil lawyers like to go at it. They like to like, you know, be petty and it's not my world. Yeah. My world, even if you are trying to sort out a first-degree murder, pre-moutotated, with they're looking a lot of time, you still want to pick up the phone, email, let them know. And you don't have to reveal, right, the ace that you have. That's not what this is about. This is about professionalism. So, the other lawyers, the county attorneys, they know that I mean business. If I'm going to present a deviation request. I think you said in your interview that you're a bad ass lawyer. So, I think you mean business. You know, you're like, can I say bad ass? I'm like, say it. You know, you're like, yeah, okay.

20:40So, I'm a bad ass lawyer, okay? I think so. Yes, I am. So, come, there must be some, a lot of stories, right? Give me a, give me a story and make me be like, oh my god. Jay, if I tell you everything about a client, I have to kill you. No, no, no, no, don't give me the details, but just maybe a little something, right? Oh, I have so many stories. And I am so proud of so many outcomes. How so many lives have been changed. Because it's not only about the not guilty. Yes. Sometimes it is getting a dad back to his family. Getting a dad who's the sole provider back to work. There are licenses. The professional licenses are always affected by a crime. Right. Yeah. If you're a real estate agent, if you're a nurse, if you have any kind of license, even security's license, if you're in the trading world, everything is going to be affected.

21:40So, negotiations and sometimes end up in a dismissal can really impact not only them, but their children and generations to come. Yeah. So, what is the win? How is that measured? It depends on the case. So, cases that I've had plea offers that are for five years, and they get zero days in jail or prison. That's a huge win. Yeah. Recently, I had a plea that was for 10 years. And it was a very young client, a juvenile client. And I was able to bring that down from 10 to 2. Well. Okay. So, that is very, very impactful to her, her children, and, you know, her own parents. So, what a win is. It's also the terms of the sentencing probation. For a juvenile, still, it says, get two years. That's, that's, you know, it's like, sounds so heartbreaking.

22:40It is. It is. It's like, oh my god. But in Arizona, when you turn 15 for certain crimes, you get charges and a dollar. Yeah. Drive-by shootings, homicides, anything that's a violent crime. Okay. So, it's up to the charging attorney. When you've represented some of those violent crimes. I have a lot of them. Yeah. Wow. Yes, I do. Yeah. Like, you never know who picks up the phone, which, which side they're on, right? But you have to just represent anything, that, anyone that you take on their, their case, right? Well, people think that they're exempt from crime touching their lives. Yeah. But that's a mistake. Because there's, if you really pay attention, you're not too far. Your degree of separation from somebody who got in trouble is not too far from you. Hmm. Yeah. And somebody Argentinian parents think about you being this criminal lawyer in Arizona. Well, both my parents died, rest in peace. But until the moment that they died,

23:41I don't think that they understood why I'm representing the accused person, right? Um, you know, they were more conservative, very Catholic. Mm-hmm. And so it was hard for them to reconcile. I had to remind my mother often. Yeah. She'd be like, put him away as long as they can. Yeah. And I'm like, mom, I'm literally on the other side. Yeah. So I want to just try to minimize the impact of the sentence to my clients. She's like, oh, I forget about that. But they supported me in everything that I've done. Never judged me and always supported me. Even when I was young, when I said in fifth grade, I'm going to be a paleontologist. They're like, absolutely. They never judged me. They let me be who I wanted to be. And I walked into college thinking that I was going to be a paleontologist. I used to. Right? That was 13 years later.

24:41And they never shot my dream down. Not one time. They never pushed me. They both owned separate law firms. And they never pushed me to follow their footsteps, which it would have been easier because law school is free in Argentina. So I wouldn't have had to pay for anything. That's funny how you just kind of settled into it anyways. Yeah. Try to avoid it, right? So you just like, one of those Greek mythologies. You try to avoid, you know, your future. But then you end up there anyway. So it's been a pleasure to have you on the show and also shoot your episode. Yeah. How do people find you? They can find me online. Any social platforms? Berlin law firm. If you forget, just google bellena-turni-erazona and my website, it's bellenlawform.com. Spell bellen for them. Be as in boy, E-L-E-N as in Nancy. Berlin. Berlin. And I was like, Berlin or just like. Berlin or the middle-gear.

25:42Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's, when you say it, it sounds so much better, right? But honestly, it's been a pleasure to have you on the show. And thank you for fighting for everyone, really. Thank you. Appreciate that. Yeah. And thank you guys for joining us again. If you want to tune into our episode, learn all about, you know, how she immigrated to the states, went to law school and became a lawyer. Then please tune into her episode. It's women in power. All right. And we'll see you next time. Cheers everyone.