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Newsletter
- Residency and travel abroad: Avoid losing your residency (Dec. 2011)
- Cancellation of Removal/Deportation, Second Quarter 2011
- Priority Dates Advanced - December 2010
- The "U" Visa, First Quarter 2010
- Conditional Residency Newsletter, Third Quarter 2009
- American Citizenship Newsletter, Second Quarter 2009
- First Quarter 2009 Newsletter (immigration benefits for stepchildren, deportation, waivers, TPS, 245i, criminal charges and immigration)
- Is your Immigration Petition Taking too Long? You may sue the immigration service (USCIS)
- The 2008 U.S Presidential Candidates on National Immigration Reform
- December 2007 Newsletter
- Newsletter Index
Our Team
Legal Team
| Desmond P. FitzGerald, Principal Attorney | |
| Rachel Benedict - Attorney | |
| Katherine Butler - Paralegal | |
| Adriel Orozco - Paralegal | |
| Jessica Scott - Paralegal |
Adminstrative Team
| Gloria Lara - Executive Director | |
| Ynes Hernandez - Accounts Receivable Coordinator | |
| Mariajimena Lizarralde - Administration and Case Coordinator |
Legal Team
Desmond P. FitzGerald, Principal Attorney
As the son of an Irish immigrant Desmond P. FitzGerald understands why people wanted to come to America. As an attorney who helped his Colombian-born wife become an American citizen he understands what it takes to make this happen.
Through his personal and legal experience it became apparent to attorney FitzGerald that there was little ingenuity and a lack of a consultative, proactive solutions-based approach to the area of immigration law. In order to better meet this need in the community, Mr. FitzGerald decided to start his own firm, which through his leadership, creative approach and litigation success, grew into what is now FitzGerald & Company.
Understanding firsthand the anxieties associated with immigration, Desmond has not forgotten the importance of serving every client in a respectful and personalized manner. He likes to work closely with clients to identify their objectives and provide them with a goal-based strategy to help accomplish them. For Desmond and his team there is no greater joy and reward in the practice of law, than to provide clients with the results they dream of. This is why the majority of the new clients that come to the firm are referred by satisfied clients.
Attorney FitzGerald has successfully filed legal actions against numerous government agencies, including the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, for improperly denying licenses to immigrants and against the Immigration Service (USCIS) for failing to properly and timely adjudicate immigrant petitions.
Significant legal accomplishments include establishing the rights of step children of U.S. citizens to be recognized as “unconditional” legal permanent residents as well as getting the Immigration Service to accept applications from detained immigrants without a fee. As an experienced criminal litigator, attorney FitzGerald has particular expertise in minimizing negative immigration consequences of criminal charges.
For 7 years (2004 - 2010) Desmond FitzGerald was the legal counsel for the Colombian Consulate for New England and his firm has always recognized the benefits that the immigrant community provides to our region and nation and the importance of offering quality legal services to protect it.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College, Attorney FitzGerald had the opportunity to live in Bogotá, Colombia, where he studied Spanish at the Universidad Javeriana, before he received his law degree from the New England School of Law.
Attorney FitzGerald has been admitted by the Bar to practice law in Massachusetts, Florida, and Washington, D.C. and is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Rachel Benedict, Attorney
Ms. Benedict is a native of the Midwest who was born in Iowa and grew up in Akron, Ohio. Her interest in immigration law stems from her family history. Her grandmother is an Italian Jew who was fortunate enough to receive a visa to come to the United States in 1940. As at that time the United States had a quota system which severely restricted the number of visas available to Eastern and Southern Europeans. She has always considered her family to be extremely lucky and felt called to work with present-day immigrants to the United States. Ms. Benedict’s interest in immigration law was further sparked after she spent a year working as an immigration paralegal for immigrant victims of domestic violence. Rachel has handled a variety of immigration matters including family and employment based visas and residency petitions, U visas, VAWA self-petitions, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and asylum applications.
Rachel Benedict is admitted to the bar in Massachusetts. She received her Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University School of Law in 2009. While at Northeastern, she completed an internship at the Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) Immigration Unit. At GBLS, she played a key part in the asylum cases for two indigenous Guatemalan women who were picked up in the 2007 ICE raid in New Bedford. She also interned at CASA de Maryland, an immigrant rights organization, where she assisted with litigation related to civil rights abuses committed by police officers deputized under 287(g) agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In addition to Ms. Benedict’s experience in immigration law, she also has extensive experience in public benefits and employment law. She has worked as hearing officer presiding over unemployment insurance appeal hearings for the state of Mississippi. She also served as a review examiner (staff attorney) for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development Board of Review, a quasi-judicial tribunal which has jurisdiction to hear appeals of unemployment insurance claims and other unemployment matters.
Rachel developed her Spanish fluency after completing two intensive Spanish immersion programs in Latin America. Rachel is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Carleton College with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion.
Katherine Butler, Paralegal
Born in Worcester, MA, fluent in Spanish and English and with a conversational degree in Mandarin and beginner's Portuguese, Katherine works with both immigration and criminal matters. She is responsible for preparing immigration petitions, client and court communications, and overall case management. Her case load has included various cancellation of removal petitions and family-based petitions, in addition to other applications, motions, and appeals both with the immigration service and different courts.
Katherine received a BA from Boston College in International Studies, Philosophy, and Hispanic Studies. While pursuing her Bachelor's, she was able to pursue her international education as well. Katherine attended the University of Guadalajara and took classes in law, Spanish and Mexican literature, and philosophy. She also attended Peking University in Beijing, China, where she studied International Relations, Political Science, and Mandarin. She also taught English to both children and adults while living in China. In both countries she traveled extensively and discovered the diversity of cultures that exist in Asia and Central America.
Katherine has been traveling the world from a young age and has widespread international experience. With an extensive history living abroad, Katherine understands the issues that people from all countries and cultures face assimilating into and feeling at home in another country. She is dedicated to helping immigrants navigate legal issues in the U.S. and advocate for their rights.
Adriel Orozco, Paralegal
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Adriel is fluent in Spanish and intermediate in Portuguese. He is a full-time paralegal, handling immigration, criminal and personal injury cases. He is responsible for preparing immigration applications, client relations, court communications and general case management. Born from Mexican parents and raised in a border state, Adriel draws his intercultural understanding through his family and heritage.
Adriel received his BA in Economics and Politics from Brandeis University. He studied abroad in São Paulo, Brazil attending the Pontífica Universidade Católica de São Paulo. He also taught English and mathematics to fifteen high school students and did research on illiteracy and its relation to the Brazilian economy and political system.
Additionally, Adriel is Managing Director of a student-run fellowship program, Students Crossing Boundaries (SCB). As a co-founder of the fellowship, Adriel has worked with nineteen students in the course of two years, educating them about conflict and coexistence. Adriel’s background as a first-generation American, his time in Brazil, and his work with SCB have given him substantial experience addressing conflicts arising from seemingly disparate perspectives. He is interested in national and international politics and deeply dedicated to immigrant advocacy and helping immigrants navigate legal issues.
Jessica Scott, Paralegal
Born in Empire, Michigan, Jessica serves as a paralegal, handling both immigration and criminal cases. Jessica prepares immigration applications, motions, government and client correspondence, and is responsible for overall case management and client communication. She is fluent in English and Spanish.
Jessica received a BA from Kalamazoo College in Spanish Literature and International and Area Studies focused in Latin America. While pursuing her bachelors, she had the opportunity to study at La Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile and interned with immigrant organizations in Chicago. She also has experience working with immigrant and refugee migrant farm workers in Colorado through the Migrant Education Program.
Since living in Argentina as an exchange student in high school, Jessica has had a strong interest in the area of immigration. She is dedicated to supporting immigrants as they become self-advocates and learn to navigate the immigration legal system.
Adminstrative Team
Gloria Lara, Executive Director
Born in Bogotá, Colombia. Ms. Lara's responsibilities are wide in scope, ranging from strategic planning, marketing, and operations, to human resources, accounting and billing. Though this may sound like a huge task to manage, she is a believer in teamwork and delegation. Her top priority is to make sure our clients are being taken care of appropriately at all times. Gloria is one of our leading problem solvers; her background in business consulting, marketing and Internet start-ups has been key to managing the growth at FitzGerald & Company and making sure that the firm adopts the best business practices among service industries.
A graduate from Boston College undergraduate School of Communication, and Boston University's dual MBA and MA in International Relations graduate program, Gloria has helped propel FitzGerald and Company into the efficient and service-oriented business it is today. Formerly, Gloria served as Marketing Director at NewDeal Inc. and Espanol.com. In addition, she served as Internet and management consultant at AGENCY.COM, DIGITAS, Arthur D. Little, and Monitor Company. She is an active member of the Association of Legal Administrators and the Legal Marketing Association. On a personal note, Ms. Lara has held 5 different types of visas to reside in the U.S., including B1/B2, F1, E2, H1, residency, and now citizenship. She is fluent in Spanish, French, and English.
Ynes Hernandez, Accounts Receivable Coordinator
Born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Ynes supports the Executive Director and is a member of the administration team. She manages the accounts receivable and collections process. Ynes is in charge of maintaining our receivables records, monitoring our aging accounts, creating client invoices, generating monthly receivable activity reports, reviewing bills and ensuring the appropriate application of billing procedures. As part of the administrative team, Ynes helps ensure that our office is running smoothly at all times and with her cheerful attitude she helps make our office a fun place to work.
Ms. Hernandez is fluent in Spanish and English. She has an Associates degree in Business Administration from Bunker Hill Community College and will be pursuing her Bachelors degree in Business Management at UMASS Boston. Ynes has experience working as a Spanish/English interpreter and extensive experience working for car rental companies, which have taught her the importance of providing exceptional customer service to clients. She is always willing to listen, understand and respond to any inquiries or questions that clients may have about billing concerns and shows superior customer service at all times.
Mariajimena Lizarralde, Administration and Case Coordinator
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Mariajimena is fluent in Spanish, French, and English. She supports the Executive Director in all aspects of firm administration. Specifically, she is responsible for client contracts, bill payment, vendor relationships, client database maintenance, marketing and technology projects, filing system administration, maintenance of the office calendar, and supervision and coordination of daily firm operations. She handles our relations and work with the Colombian Consulate in Boston for which the firm is the legal counsel for the New England area. Also she is responsible for preparing immigration applications, client relations, government correspondence, and general case management.
Ms. Lizarralde immigrated with her three children to the United States in 2002 as an asylee. Having gone through the immigration process herself, Mariajimena takes great satisfaction in helping and guiding others to understand and navigate the complex system of the diverse immigration processes.
Mariajimena studied business administration and graphic design in Colombia and she has worked in business administration for more than 10 years. Upon arrival to the U.S., Mariajimena worked for an International Courier and later owned her own business. She has always focused on client satisfaction and she excels at implementing productivity strategies and leading new projects. Mariajimena now brings her extensive business experience to our firm, is dedicated to our clients and loves her work.
