Overview
Tampa’s W. Kennedy Boulevard corridor has long anchored a diverse range of professional services for the surrounding South Tampa neighborhood and the broader Hillsborough County immigrant community. The Law Office of Mayra L. Calo was located at 2708 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33609, and operated as an immigration law practice serving individuals and families navigating the U.S. immigration system.
Attorney Mayra Lillian Calo passed away in December 2022. Prior to her passing, she had built a practice known for immigration representation with a particular focus on asylum seekers, family immigration, and deportation defense. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2002 following her graduation from Stetson University College of Law, and practiced immigration law for approximately 18 years. The firm’s LLC entity, registered in Florida as Law Office of Mayra Lillian Calo Esquire, LLC, is listed as inactive in Florida business records as of available public data.
The information below reflects the firm’s practice and attorney background as documented in publicly available sources prior to the firm’s closure.
Practice Areas
Asylum and Humanitarian Immigration
Attorney Calo developed considerable expertise in asylum law and humanitarian immigration matters. Asylum cases involve individuals who have fled persecution in their home countries based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. These cases require detailed documentation of the conditions in the applicant’s country of origin, as well as a credible personal account of the fear of persecution.
Her work in this area included representing individuals at immigration court proceedings and preparing asylum applications for submission to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. She also worked with organizations serving refugees and torture survivors, including the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture.
Family Immigration
Family-based immigration allows U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to petition for certain qualifying family members to obtain immigrant visas. The process varies depending on the relationship between the petitioner and beneficiary, with immediate relatives of U.S. citizens typically processing more quickly than other preference categories.
Attorney Calo’s practice included assistance with family petitions, adjustment of status applications, and cases requiring consular processing abroad.
Child Support and Family Law
The firm was listed as handling child support matters in addition to immigration work. Information on the specific scope of family law services offered is not fully detailed in publicly available sources.
Deportation Defense and Removal Proceedings
Deportation defense involves representing individuals before immigration courts when the government has initiated removal proceedings. This work requires familiarity with immigration law, constitutional protections, and the procedural rules of the immigration court system.
Attorney Calo was recognized by peers as one of the prominent deportation defense attorneys in the Tampa area. She was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division.
Attorney Profile
Mayra Lillian Calo, Esquire (1972 – December 2022)
Mayra Lillian Calo attended the University of South Florida in Tampa before earning her law degree from Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2002 and built her career primarily in immigration law.
She was recognized as a Top Rated Immigration Attorney by Super Lawyers, receiving the Rising Stars designation in 2012. She was also nationally known for lecturing at immigration law seminars and community roundtables, and was at times consulted by local media on immigration issues.
Her community service was a consistent feature of her legal career. She served as a volunteer attorney for the Hillsborough Kids, Inc. Immigration Clinic, worked as an Attorney Ad Litem for unaccompanied minors in Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit, and served as former Chair of the Pro Bono Committee of the Immigration Court in Bradenton, Florida. She also participated in free citizenship drives in the Tampa area and collaborated with organizations including Lutheran Services and Catholic Charities to provide immigration legal services to low-income clients.
At various points in her career she was affiliated with Symphorien-Saavedra Law, an immigration firm based in Orlando, Florida, where she was listed as Of Counsel.
Colleagues who worked alongside her at Stetson and in practice described her approach as characterized by compassion and commitment to underserved communities.
Languages
Attorney Calo’s publicly available professional profiles indicate service to Spanish-speaking clients. The firm’s practice served the Tampa Bay area’s significant Spanish-speaking immigrant population.
Location and Service Area
The firm’s listed address was 2708 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33609, in the South Tampa neighborhood of Hillsborough County. Tampa serves as the county seat of Hillsborough County and is the largest city in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area. The firm’s work extended across Hillsborough County and addressed immigration matters arising within the jurisdiction of the Tampa Immigration Court.
Hillsborough County is home to a substantial immigrant population from Latin America and the Caribbean. The immigration court in Tampa, and a separate court in Bradenton, handle removal proceedings for individuals in the region.
Client Focus
The firm’s practice was directed primarily at immigrants and their families in the Tampa Bay region, with particular attention to those facing humanitarian circumstances such as asylum claims, individuals in removal proceedings, and families seeking to reunite through the immigration system. Attorney Calo’s pro bono record reflects a consistent orientation toward serving individuals who lacked the resources to pay standard legal fees.
Her involvement with the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture and her work with unaccompanied minors indicate a focus on some of the most vulnerable populations within immigration law.
Current Status
As of available public records, the Law Office of Mayra Lillian Calo Esquire, LLC is listed as inactive in Florida business records following Attorney Calo’s passing in December 2022. The phone number previously associated with the office was 813-915-1715. Individuals seeking immigration legal assistance in the Tampa area may contact the Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service at www.floridabar.org/ for referrals to currently practicing immigration attorneys.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of immigration cases did the firm handle?
The firm’s documented practice included asylum applications, family-based immigration petitions, deportation defense before the immigration court, adjustment of status, and matters involving humanitarian relief. Child support was also listed among the firm’s practice areas.
What courts was Attorney Calo admitted to practice before?
Attorney Calo held admissions to the Florida Bar, the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division.
What was Attorney Calo’s educational background?
She attended the University of South Florida before attending Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, from which she graduated and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2002.
Is the Law Office of Mayra L. Calo currently operating?
Based on available public records, the LLC entity is listed as inactive in Florida business records. Attorney Calo passed away in December 2022. Individuals seeking immigration legal assistance should contact currently practicing attorneys in the Tampa area or consult the Florida Bar’s referral service.
Did the firm offer services in languages other than English?
The firm served the Tampa Bay immigrant community, and publicly available information indicates services were provided in Spanish as well as English.
Closing
The Law Office of Mayra L. Calo served Tampa’s immigrant community for approximately two decades. Attorney Calo’s career reflected a sustained commitment to immigration law in its most humanitarian dimensions, from asylum representation to pro bono service for unaccompanied minors and survivors of torture. She was graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 2002 and practiced until her passing in December 2022. The previously listed office address was 2708 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33609, and the phone number on record was 813-915-1715.