Our Boston Immigration, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury Law Firm Team

Desmond P. FitzGerald, Principal Attorney

(View Video Biography)

As the son of an Irish immigrant Desmond P. FitzGerald understands why people wanted to come to America. As a Boston immigration 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, getting the Immigration Service to accept applications from detained immigrants without a fee, as well as having the first case of a residency petition approved for a same sex marriage by the US District Court of Massachusetts. In addition he has had several important court decisions on his cases published (read more about his published court decisions). As an experienced criminal litigator, attorney FitzGerald has particular expertise in minimizing negative immigration consequences of criminal charges or convictions.

Desmond FitzGerald serves and has served for over 8 years as 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 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the state of Florida, Washington D.C., the state of New Hampshire, the US District Court of Massachusetts, the First Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court of Southern Florida, the U.S. District Court of Nebraska, the U.S. District Court of Colorado, the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire. He is an active member of the Boston Bar Association, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACLD).

Pamela Fuentes, Attorney

Pamela Fuentes is acutely aware of the immensely important role that immigration law can play in a person’s life. She has experienced the immigration system with her Chilean parents and her Brazilian husband. She understands how it feels to wait for the decision, to imagine the worst, and to hope for the best. It is as a result of her personal experiences that Pamela became drawn to the practice of immigration law. Then, during law school, she worked with the Latinas Know Your Rights project, which helps domestic violence survivors obtain legal residence. Every successful case was a life-changing triumph for the clients, and the experience was more gratifying than Pamela could have imagined. From then on, Pamela has had no doubt that she wants to dedicate herself to the practice of immigration law.

Pamela has a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and attended law school at Temple University in Philadelphia. While at law school, she joined the Temple Journal of Science, Technology & Environmental Law to pursue her lifelong passion for writing. She published an article discussing the balance between patents, the pharmaceutical industry, and the needs of the world’s population. Then, during her final year, she was a research assistant for an immigration professor, and explored the rights of migrants throughout the world.

Many other experiences have contributed to Pamela’s growth as a professional. After completing her undergraduate studies, she spent ten months as a member of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. During this time, she realized the invaluable strength of teamwork, as well as the joy of helping others. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Kathleen M. Delaney in Camden, NJ, and learned to juggle countless tasks as she assisted the judge in issuing the right decision in emotionally charged cases. Most recently, she traveled throughout the country, representing people in Social Security Disability hearings. She learned about the responsibility of advocating for her clients in front of Administrative Law Judges, and the simple yet profound importance of truly listening to her clients. Pamela is excited to continue advancing her career as a lawyer at FitzGerald & Company.

Juan C. Congote, Attorney

For Juan Congote, practicing immigration law is all about bringing families together and about helping people achieve their dreams. As a Colombian immigrant himself, Juan has first hand knowledge of the hopes and expectations that immigrants have when they decide to move into this country, pursuing a better future. These experiences, and those of his family, also immigrant, are what motivate Juan to practice in the immigration field.

Juan got his Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida Atlantic University where he was in the President’s List and in the Dean’s list. He attended law school at Suffolk University where he was in the Dean’s List for three years in a row. During Law School, Juan was part of the Suffolk University Law School Immigration Law Clinic, where he represented indigent immigrants in asylum petitions and removal proceedings. He was also tasked of conducting the “Know your Rights” presentation in Spanish to ICE Detainees in Suffolk County Jail.

Juan’s legal experience has always revolved around helping those who need it the most. He worked as a Social Security Disability attorney for over four years, where he appeared in over a hundred hearings representing Social Security Disability claimants. Juan is now part of FitzGerald Law Company, with the objective of zealously defending the rights of the immigrant community and of those who have found themselves unfairly treated by the legal system.

Shirley Naranjo Giraldo, Paralegal

Born in Pereira, Colombia, Shirley is fluent in English and Spanish with a basic understanding of Portuguese. She is a full time paralegal at our Immigration, Criminal and Personal Injury Boston Law Office, she is responsible for preparing immigration applications, motions, affidavits, managing client relations, court communications, general case management and interpreting when needed.

Having emigrated from Colombia to be reunited with her family and after a long immigration process to become a “ legal alien”, Shirley understands our clients from both a professional as well as a personal perspective. Adapting to a new culture when moving to a different country is not easy and Shirley remembers the arduous experiences that came with adapting herself like not knowing her rights, being afraid of being separated again from her family or not speaking the language. Shirley knew back then that her mission was to help and encourage people who are going through the same experiences she went through.

Shirley is a graduate from Universidad Libre – Colombia with a BS in Environmental Engineering.She has obtained certificates in English from Harvard Extension School, BCAE, Salem State University and just got certified in Community Interpreting at Language Connections. She has worked in the past by implementing projects to mitigate environmental impact, and creating awareness of this issue in the community. Shirley enjoys making a positive influence in people’s lives and is an avid supporter of St. Jude Children’s research . She participates every year in the Boston Walk To End Alzheimer’s.

Lerby Menendez, Paralegal

Lerby Menendez was born in Guatemala and is fluent in English and Spanish. He is a full-time paralegal at our Immigration, Criminal and Personal Injury Boston law firm. He is responsible for preparing immigration applications, motions, affidavits, managing client relations, court communications, general case management and interpreting when needed.

Lerby understands the impact and importance of immigration law first-hand. He immigrated to the United States from Guatemala at a very young age and he experienced the immigration process as his family and him worked to obtain legal status and then become US Citizens. His personal experience with immigration law motivates him to help other immigrants navigate the complicated legal processes needed to achieve their immigration goals.

Lerby received his paralegal certificate from ICDC College in Los Angeles, California. He worked at a workers’ compensation law office where he helped defend injured workers, many of them immigrants like himself, who were being discriminated by their employers for filing work injury compensation claims. He then worked at a immigration law firm where he helped attorneys in asylum cases and deportation proceedings. The combination of academic, professional and personal experience in the field of immigration and public interest motivates Lerby to personally contribute to facilitate the immigration process for others.

Zrinka Anic Milic, Paralegal

Zrinka Anic Milic was born in Croatia and is fluent in English and Spanish. She is a full time paralegal at our Immigration, Criminal and Personal Injury Boston law firm. She is responsible for preparing immigration applications, motions, affidavits, managing client relations, court communications, general case management and interpreting when needed.

Zrinka lived in several different countries and later on moved to the US. In this way, Zrinka understands the complexities of living in foreign countries and the intricacies of immigration and naturalization.
Zrinka is a law graduate from the University of Zagreb, Croatia. She continued her education by completing an internationally focused Master of Laws at Pompeu Fabra University, Spain, with a special emphasis on human rights. In addition, Zrinka is a graduate of Boston University where she obtained and L.L.M. in American Law. Zrinka also interned in a Boston non-profit organization where she helped legal permanent residents obtain citizenship. The combination of academic, professional and personal experience in the field of immigration and protection of human rights motivates Zrinka to personally contribute to the facilitation of the immigration process for others.