Flora Legal Group's 250% growth and immigration mission

Flora Legal Group grew 250% in two years while keeping its original mission: protecting immigrants' rights and helping clients build more prosperous lives. Attorney Jason Flora opened the firm in 2009 in a tiny office on the west side of Indianapolis, near Hispanic-run car lots, Honduran restaurants and Guatemalan grocery stores. Fluent in Spanish, he spent the early years as a solo practitioner, working 60 hours or more each week and regularly driving between his office and immigration court in Chicago. The practice has since expanded to 23 attorneys and nearly 140 full-time employees handling thousands of cases each year. In May, it ranked No. 3 on IBJ's list of the region's fastest-growing companies, based on two-year growth of 250%. Flora explains how limited interest from recruiters at established law firms helped push him toward a street-level practice. He also describes the shift that came with growth, realizing he could create more value by building the organization than by spending every hour practicing law himself. The conversation between IBJ Podcast host Mason King and Flora traces the firm's evolution from a one-man operation to a large legal team while showing how its central purpose has remained consistent. Its work focuses on protecting immigrant clients and providing legal services, particularly in immigration matters, that can improve their lives and economic prospects.