Valley influencer Steven Franz to be sworn in as attorney

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Steven Franz, a Valley influencer known for his street interviews with downtown McAllen clubgoers, is scheduled to be sworn in as an attorney.

"I know a lot of people are shocked by it and are like 'What? The guy from downtown?' I know it's kind of different," Franz told ValleyCentral.

Franz says he always knew he wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps and be an attorney from a young age.

"I grew up seeing my dad help people, and he did a lot of work for free, and I saw the impact that being an attorney can have on someone's life," Franz said.

Franz kicked off the beginning of his undergraduate academic career in his early teens after acing his Accuplacer test and SATs.

At 16 years old, Franz earned his associate degree in Paralegal Studies from South Texas College.

In 2015, two years after earning his associate, Franz earned his bachelor's degree in political science from St. Edwards University.

He was later accepted into St. Mary's University School of Law.

While aspiring to become an attorney, Franz also developed a passion for videography.

What began as an interest in becoming a travel blogger soon turned to his now-viral downtown McAllen videos.

"It kind of happened accidentally," Franz said. "I asked one of the nightclubs if I could bring my camera and shoot them a video for free, because it was a hobby of mine. But one of the nights, we had a little too much to drink, and I was like, you know, I'm gonna go talk to people on the street."

Franz says balancing his studies and his side business came with several setbacks.

"I actually got dropped from the program. It was too hard to do both," Franz said. "But my social media started to blow up, and I started to turn that into a business."

In 2020, Franz decided he wanted to try law school for a second time at Thurgood Marshall School of Law.

"Things had to get serious for the law school, so I did both things at the same time. It took a while, but I finally, I was able to complete everything: graduating and passing the Bar," Franz said. "It took me a couple of tries taking a bar exam, but it was worth it to juggle both, because I didn't give up on either of them. So, now I have both."

The Thurgood Marshall graduate plans to join his dad to launch a father-son law firm: Franz Law Group.

Franz Law Group will specialize in personal injury cases across the Rio Grande Valley and beyond.

"I wouldn't be where I'm at on social media if it wasn't for all the people in the Valley. I feel like this is a good way that I can give back," Franz continued. "I feel like I'll be able to kind of help the people that helped me."

In between his academic work, Franz has partnered with Taco Palenque and Kumori. He has also attended red carpet movie premieres with notable celebrities, including Bad Bunny, Mark Wahlberg, and Mario Lopez.

Franz will be sworn in as an attorney by Honorable Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa, the same judge who swore in his dad.

"We thought it'd be really special to get the federal judge to swear me in," Franz said.

The ceremony will be at 4 p.m., Wednesday, June 18, at the U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas McAllen Division located at W. Business Hwy 83.