The inspiring story of Laneyscha Echevarria

What has happened in the life of Laneyscha Echevarria over the last six years is what people write books about.

Echevarria recently opened her own real estate law office, L. Echevarria Attorneys at Law, in Carpenter’s Crossing along Kings Highway in Lewes. Her path after leaving her hurricane-ravaged home in Puerto Rico to reach this point has been filled with obstacles and setbacks, and yet unbelievable timing and persistence.

A chance meeting

A chance meeting with Lewes-area sailor and contractor Scott Gaston in 2016 near her home in Puerto Rico turned out to be life changing. It was Gaston and his wife, Achareeya, who opened their home to Echevarria following the devastation of her hometown in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

As people were still recovering from Hurricane Irma, Maria hit Puerto Rico with winds gusting to nearly 120 mph while more than 3 feet of rain fell.

Echevarria had recently graduated from law school and was studying to take her bar exam. The hurricanes got in the way of that.

For more than two weeks, Echevarria was without contact to the outside world. On a trip to San Juan, she was able to make internet connection and finally get a true look at the devastation suffered throughout her country and other countries in the Caribbean.

There was also an unexpected email from Gaston asking how she was doing. On a second visit to San Juan, she called Gaston, and he offered her a place to stay in Lewes.

She accepted Gaston's offer. “I figured I could get a job and send my family money. I could help them from here,” she said. She flew to New York Oct. 14, 2016, and arrived in Lewes the next day.

Echevarria met Gaston while he was on a sailing excursion to Puerto Rico. He let her and her friends stay on his sailboat for three days while they showed him around parts of the island. “That little gesture we made to him, he has paid back 10 times or more,” Echevarria said.

Help from community

She thought her stay in Lewes would be temporary, and she returned to Puerto Rico in 2018 to take the bar exam, which she passed. She has also passed the New York Bar Exam.

After they read an article in this newspaper about her plight, Echevarria was invited to stay with Dorothy and Eric Cartagena, who were also from Puerto Rico, in their Lewes home. “They helped me so much, just like the whole community has helped me out,” Echevarria said.

She also realized there was a great need for a Spanish-speaking real estate lawyer in the area. It was then she decided to devote her time to passing the Delaware Bar Exam. As she studied, she also found work at local law firms.

“I realized I had to help these people, but all I could do was administrative work with an attorney watching over what I did,” she said.

For a time, she considered moving back to her home, but the call to service was too great. “I care too much about the Hispanic community,” she said. “But I realized I needed to have my own office.”

Passing Delaware Bar

Her goal of passing the Delaware Bar Exam became a mission, and one that, at times, seemed impossible.

She failed to finish her first exam in 2019 and didn't pass her second exam by a mere five points in 2020. The Delaware Bar Exam is considered one of the hardest in the country, with a pass rate of 67%.

“The language barrier was too much for me,” she said.

Not to be deterred, she translated a legal dictionary so she could get the terminology from the test to her mind. It paid off, and in 2019 she passed the New York Bar Exam.

“I was licensed in Puerto Rico and New York, and I thought maybe this is not for me in Delaware,” Echevarria said.

With assistance from her life partner Sohany Lopez, she put everything else aside and studied for three months for her third try in Delaware in 2021, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On her fourth try in 2022, she found out two weeks before the exam that is was it was going to be virtual. With the help of family and friends, she purchased a new computer capable of downloading all the material.

As if a dark cloud was hanging over her, her computer froze halfway through the exam.

In a panic, she called the group giving the exam and they told her to restart her computer and continue the test. Even with the glitch, she finally passed the Delaware Bar Exam.

“Now I'm building my business. I have a niche as the only real estate lawyer speaking fluent Spanish, and I also understand the culture,” she added.

Echevarria said without the support of many people, she would not have come close to attaining her goals.

New office opens

Echevarria said her office is unlike any other lawyer's office. Her office and desk are not covered in books and legal documents. “We are paperless here, using the best technology. I want to be personable, very reachable and approachable all the time. Many people view attorneys as untouchable. I want people to know that I have the same struggles they do,” she said. “I'm ready to hand people the keys to their future.”

Her legal assistant, Paula Arredondo, has plans to go to law school. “She always has a job here,” Echevarria said.

Sohany Lopez, the firm's office manager, is also a graphic designer and photographer.

“There are three of us on the team now, and I want to expand and add more people. I'm building a modern practice, and my clients are growing and I'm getting support from businesses. The people have adopted me here,” she added.

Echevarria said many people have wrong impressions of the Hispanic community. “They are making a good living here. Many of them have been saving money for years and they are ready to buy a house. That's their American dream,” she said. “I'm extremely proud of this community and I want to advocate for them.”

She hopes her story will inspire other young Hispanics. “When they learn my story, they will say she did it and I can too,” Echevarria said.

“I will work with everyone, but Hispanics are close to my heart, and I think I can have the biggest impact there,” she said.

She wants to give back to the community and is involved with La Plaza Delaware, providing free legal classes to Hispanic business owners. The nonprofit was created to increase opportunities, business savvy and prosperity for Latino- and minority-owned businesses.

Everyone who meets her is overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, persistence and heartwarming personality. Echevarria is living a true American success story that is only just beginning.