Carola Villavicencio, Esq. is the President and founder of Carola Villavicencio, P.A. Law Office. A native of Venezuela, Villavicencio graduated from one of the top law schools in the country, Andres Bello Catholic University School of Law. Villavicencio practiced law in Venezuela for almost three years where she gained experience and an impeccable reputation for successfully trying her cases.  Villavicencio concentrated her practice in Venezuela to  business and corporate law.  She also practiced in the areas of family law, labor law, tort law, and estate planning.  Villavicencio tried cases in Venezuela before county courts, district courts and the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice.  In 1999, Villavicencio successfully tried an innovative case in Venezuela regarding the seizure of a credit from the third party possessor, the debtor of the debtor, which went up to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice through a petition for a writ of certiorari.  Villavicencio successfully tried a debt collection case, Arroz del Guarico v. Lopez, before the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice, which was published in the Ramirez & Garay Jurisprudence, decision number 00677, Volume. 205, p. 626-627

After immigrating to the United States, Villavicencio earned a Masters of Law degree in Intercultural Human Rights at St. Thomas University School of Law, graduating fifth in her class. She was awarded as the best student in the Protection of Refugees and the European System of Protection of Human Rights courses.  Subsequently, Villavicencio obtained a Masters of Law in Comparative Law at the University of Miami, which she focused on Immigration Law.  While enrolled in the Comparative Law LL.M. Program at UM, an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, a famed immigration attorney, asked her to work as a law clerk at his law firm. While working at that firm Villavicencio gained experience preparing nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications.  Subsequently, Villavicencio worked at Latin American Immigrant and Refugee Organization, Inc., a non-profit organization serving low income Latino Immigrants in Palm Beach County, where she coordinated a project that provided direct assistance in the application for naturalization. During Villavicencio involvement with this Project, she became an activist for the rights of the Hispanic Community in Palm Beach County and participated in the inception of the Palm Beach County Coalition for Immigrant Rights.  She is currently a member of the Florida Voices for Immigration Reform.

Villavicencio earned her J.D. degree in the United States at St. Thomas University School of Law. At St. Thomas, Villavicencio made the Dean’s List twice, won an academic scholarship, earned an award as the best student in Legal Research and Writing, and was one of the Staff Editors of the St. Thomas Law Review.  Villavicencio authored an unpublished paper entitled the Constitutionality of the Arizona Immigration Law, which focused on the federal immigration law preemption over state immigration law.  While enrolled in the J.D. Program, Villavicencio worked for the Honorable Judge Pedro Echarte Jr. in the Eleven Judicial Circuit of Florida where she was exposed to personal injury and wrongful death cases.  Before graduation, Villavicencio worked for seven months at one of South Florida’s most reputable injury law firms where she deepened her commitment for representing the underserved and underrepresented members of society.

Areas of Practice

• Immigration Law
• Contract Law
• Business and Commercial Law
• Wills, Trusts, and Estates
• Real Estate Law

Bar Admissions

• Florida
• Venezuela

 Education

• J.D., Andres Bello Catholic University School of Law, 1996
•  LL.M., St. Thomas University, 2004

Honors: Graduated 5th in her class, Books award in the Protection of Refugee and the Europeans System of  Protection of Human Rights

• LL.M., University of Miami, 2006
• J.D., St. Thomas University School of Law, 2011

Honors: Dean List, St. Thomas Merit Scholarship recipient, Legal Research and Writing Book Award, and  St. Thomas Law Review, Staff Editor

Professional Memberships

• The Florida Bar
• The Palm Beach County Bar Association
• American Immigration Lawyers Association
• Venezuelan Bar

Community and Civic Service

• Florida Voices for Immigration Reform, Member
• Learning Path Academy, Board of Director Member
• Justicia para la Democracia (Capitulo America), Executive Director