Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvette H. Ayala.
Yvette, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Miami to immigrant parents and I am the eldest of three siblings. We are a close-knit family and I believe that’s where I learned the values and concepts of merit, justice and compassion that drive who I am today. At a very young age, I was drawn to the promise of stability and fairness of the legal profession, and so pursued an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice at Florida International University, before obtaining my Juris Doctor degree from the Dickinson School of Law at Pennsylvania State University.
I began and continue my career as an attorney at an intellectual property boutique firm in Coral Gables, Florida, Rogero Law. Rogero Law focuses on intellectual property, and you could say the area of law chose me when I started at the firm. David M. Rogero, the primary of the firm became my mentor and has been an excellent teacher and friend. I’ve now practiced at this firm for a little over seven years and grown into my sub-specialty, trademark and entrepreneur law. I focus on providing my clients guidance in protecting their business and ideas, and through strategic alliances, advising them in all aspects of law applicable to them. I streamline what would normally involve various meetings with various lawyers, and I become their point person, their problem solver and their business’s protector.
Although I love my clients and very much enjoy the area of law I practice, I felt something was missing. I dedicated quite a bit of time in 2018 to personal development and discovered that in doing what my environment believed was “the right thing” or what I was “supposed” to do, I neglected the things that sparked life for me, namely impacting animals. And that was all it took. I was off to South Africa to learn first-hand about endangered wildlife and experience the frontlines of the poaching war. This trip was life altering. I realized, I needed and wanted to be a catalyst and a bridge between the needs of threatened species and those with the means to support their survival. As a result, I founded Reclaimed Earth, a non-profit dedicated to the conservation of endangered wildlife. Through public education, outreach, and fundraising, we provide medical care, protection, and facilitate repopulation efforts needed by critically endangered animals, to prevent their extinction.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Had I been asked this question a couple of years ago, my answer would have been completely different. I would likely have explained all the ways life can occur as hard. In this past year, my personal and professional growth has led me to see that I was my biggest obstacle. Better said, the things I’d tell myself about myself.
The biggest challenge wasn’t the goal I set for myself. Randy Pausch, author of “The Last lecture” said, “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”
The brick wall wasn’t the problem. The problem was the self doubt and negative talk about whether I could or was worthy of making it over the brick wall. The biggest challenge has been distinguishing who I am from that talk and taking back my power.
Please tell us about your business.
At Rogero Law, we specialize in copyright, trademark and business law. We work with creatives and businesses protecting their intellectual property rights, whether it be music, art or branding. Because we are a boutique firm, each client receives a personal individualized customer experience and a cost structure that works for their business. Additionally, we can compete with larger firms by providing the client with a full suite of legal services in other practice areas through strategic alliances with vetted boutique firms in our area.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
As both a lawyer and a conservationist, the proudest moments have involved leadership through inspiration. As a lawyer who is a woman, I have had the privilege of empowering women either through participation in speaking engagements or direct mentoring for women in the profession or seeking to be in the profession. It is an honor to be able to facilitate community and advancement for them.
Similarly, through Reclaimed Earth, I have the opportunity of speaking for the voiceless and educating others about endangered wildlife. Which in turn, influences the community to have a more active role and impact in protecting endangered species. Just this year I inspired 5 volunteers to join me on our first Conservation trip to South Africa for hands on conservation work. Seeing the trust they put in me and Reclaimed Earth’s efforts exchanged for inspiration, was well worth all of my time, sweat and tears.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2625 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Suite 280
Coral Gables, FL 33134 - Website: www.rogerolaw.com
- Phone: 305-441-0200
- Email: yhayala@dmrpa.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/esqapades/ ; www.instagram.com/reclaimedearthinc/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/yvetteayalaesq/
- Other: www.reclaimedearthwildlife.com
Image Credit:
Dir. J. Gomez
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