As a teenager growing up in the city of San Cristóbal, Táchira in Venezuela, Leyda Guadalupe Schmid had a front row seat to the country’s tumultuous political environment and growing economic hardships.
“It caused many people to lose faith in the rule of law and Venezuela’s future,” Schmid said. “I always believed that things would get better and I wanted to prepare myself so I could help make those positive changes.”
Given that many of her skills and passions aligned with a legal career, including critical thinking and a desire to resolve conflicts and help people, she decided becoming a lawyer was the best way to make an impact.
But after earning her law degree in 2018 from Universidad Católica del Táchira in Venezuela, the situation had become worse in the country.
“I was a recent law school graduate and newly licensed attorney, so I had limited professional experience,” Schmid said. “I had done an internship with the Norwegian Refugee Council.”
Still, she said at the time she knew she could not stay in Venezuela because “it was no longer safe.”
In search of safety
She wasn’t alone in her thinking. Prior to law school, she met another aspiring attorney, Konrad Schmid, whom she later married after graduating.
They were each other’s support system through law school. Later, they decided to visit family in Indiana and explore the possibility of practicing law in the United States, though their initial plan was to secure positions in their native Venezuela.
After spending time in the U.S. and researching the issue, they started the immigration process, obtaining green cards and moving to Indiana.
“My husband’s English was pretty good, but mine was not, so I studied in the liberal arts school at Indiana University,” Schmid said. “We knew we wanted to practice law in the United States, and we needed a Master of Laws degree to be able to do that.”
“Leyda is such a hard worker,” Konrad said. “I was so impressed with how dedicated she was to learn English. She would wake up at 5 a.m. every day to drive to Indianapolis to take English classes.”
Building a legal future
In 2020, the couple began researching LL.M. programs to find one that fit their needs.
They wanted a school that would offer coursework that would allow them to qualify to take the bar exam.
A supportive environment was also important, as was the chance to gain additional legal experience.
They selected Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, which was not only located close to the area where they were living, but most importantly would allow them to achieve their academic and career goals.
One of the things Schmid truly liked about IU McKinney Law was that classes often included both LL.M. and J.D. students.
“This was particularly important because it allowed LL.M. students to be fully integrated into the academic environment, experiencing the same challenges and opportunities as J.D. students,” Schmid said.
She and her husband started the LL.M. program in August 2022, opting for the corporate and commercial law track since it aligned well with their plan to take the New York bar exam.
At the time, Indiana did not allow foreign-educated attorneys to take the bar exam.
While pursuing her LL.M. degree, Schmid completed more than 50 hours of volunteer work through the school’s pro bono program, which she said allowed her to hone her skills even further.
“It gave me pro bono experience shadowing housing attorneys in small claims court,” Schmid said. “I helped tenants that were facing housing instability because of COVID-19 to understand the eviction process and get legal assistance, and I also had the opportunity to interpret for Spanish-speaking tenants.”
She also received academic and job preparation guidance from the professional development office at the law school and some of her professors.
“I had the privilege of learning from retired Indiana Supreme Court Justice Frank Sullivan Jr., who taught three courses during my studies, and from Professor Lloyd T. Wilson, who taught Introduction to the American Legal System,” Schmid said.
Schmid said these courses created the perfect foundation for her subsequent studies and helped her better understand both the American legal system and American legal culture.
“Leyda has a genuine appreciation for the values of the American legal system,” said Wilson, who was also associate dean of graduate and international programs at the time.
“While a law student and in her private practice, Leyda has sought to uplift families and improve lives, especially for under-resourced persons,” Wilson said. “As attorneys, she and her husband Konrad conducted a legal and financial fair designed to give free access to reliable legal information and practical financial resources. She and the firm also affiliate with The Little Timmy Project, which seeks to make a difference in the lives of mothers and infants in the community.”
From LL.M. to law firm
Schmid and her husband earned their LL.M. degrees in December 2023, and in March 2024, they started as law clerks at the personal injury law firm Hurst Limontes in Indianapolis.
That same year Indiana changed the law to allow foreign attorneys to take the bar exam, which they did in July 2025.
They’re now both associates at Hurst Limontes, where they focus on a variety of personal injury matters.
“We did our interviews together,” Schmid said. “Working here has been a wonderful experience because the firm is very connected to the Hispanic community, and we are able to make a difference in many lives since we are bilingual and can connect with the people and make them feel comfortable.”
They also play a key role in the firm’s community outreach efforts, participating in free legal clinics and liaising with local churches and nonprofit organizations to help parishioners and clients receive legal and other assistance.
Alexander Limontes, managing partner at Hurst Limontes, said Schmid and Konrad complement one another well and are a “great fit” for the firm.
“They have different personalities of course, but they are excellent writers who know how to practice law,” Limontes said. “We needed bilingual attorneys at the firm to represent the many Spanish-speaking clients that we have.”
That’s not all. Both are key players in the firm’s Indianapolis Abogado brand, a community initiative which connects Spanish-speaking clients to services.
“While our firm focuses on personal injury matters, this brand also provides legal guidance to clients who may need other types of assistance,” Limontes said. “I view it like a triage service, where a patient may come in with several problems that require different doctors; it’s the same idea but in a legal services context.”
Limontes said an example would be a client in need of a bankruptcy or immigration attorney or both, and the right person handles their matters.
“Ledya and Konrad have been members of the Hispanic community in Indiana for several years and they continue to grow their networks, and we believe they will play a key role in helping Hispanic and Latino Hoosiers for years to come,” Limontes said.
New home, new hope
Though the couple came to the U.S. with a plan to return to their native Venezuela, their goals have changed.
Schmid has become a U.S. citizen, and she and Konrad now call Westfield, Indiana, their home.
Neither plans to return to Venezuela in the foreseeable future.
