Strong Life Coach Podcast

Byron was born and raised in Long Island, New York. He is a proud descendant of two working-class Guatemalan parents who arrived in the United States in the 1980s and went through the process of becoming legal United States citizens, wanting a better life for their family. Byron witnessed first-hand how complicated the immigration process can be and how the language barrier is a massive issue for many, miscommunications causing the individual to miss dates and not understand procedures or what to do next. Byron acknowledges that he wants to recompense his parent’s struggles to achieve the American Dream by serving as a voice and a gladiator in the courtroom on behalf of his clients. The struggles that his clients experience with the continuing complicated immigration process empowered Byron to gain a broad cultural awareness, which motivated Byron to help the same working-class Latino communities with their legal matters near and dear to his heart. Byron’s dedication to helping others is a testament to his work. Byron is fluent in Spanish, and he has appeared as a legal advisor to educate the Latino community on the continuing changes to the immigration laws, as they happen quickly and can significantly affect people’s lives, on monumental television networks, such as Telemundo, Univision, and other national Latino mornings programs such as Vision Latina and TV Azteca. Byron serves as the point of contact in his Great Neck community for non-native speakers and those who need legal representation, and he opens the door to clients who continue to struggle to access it. Byron’s clients chose to work with his boutique law firm because of his extreme diligence, keen eye for detail, commitment to his client’s needs, and confidence in his approach to solutions to his client’s matters.

Attorney Irving Pedroza has dedicated his life to helping people feel less broken. Irving is a skilled and accomplished lawyer who practices in courts all over the State of California. Irving has litigated hundreds of cases and recovered millions for his injured clients. Irving was the first in his family to ever attend college. After College, he stayed in San Diego for Law School and went to California Western School of Law. Irving Pedroza was born in Guerrero, Mexico from humble beginnings. At the age of six his parents immigrated to the United States, to Escondido, CA, where he grew up. Irving’s family struggled with poverty, his older brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child, and Irving saw his mother be a victim of domestic violence. Due to the struggles, Irving has dedicated his life to helping others, through the justice system or during his spare time. Irving is a relentless and passionate advocate for his community. He serves as a Director and Motivational Speaker with PowerMentor, a non-profit organization that focuses on developing young leaders through mentorship. Additionally, Irving sits on the board of directors for Youth Will, an organization whose focus is to equip the youth with the necessary skills to drive social change through projects, community outreach, and leadership training. In his free time Irving enjoys meditating, reading, and watching sports.

Mikaela is from Long Beach, California, and attended the University of California, Davis, where she double majored in International Relations and Sociology. Mikaela took a gap year after her undergraduate career and began working at The Simon Law Group in 2017 as an Administrative Assistant. While there, she knew she wanted to spend her days advocating and giving a voice to those who have been injured. With this reignited passion, she applied to Law School. Since Mikaela always viewed school as an excuse to get to know a new place, she moved to Kentucky and attended the University of Kentucky College of Law. During her three years in Kentucky, she was an Ambassador for the College of Law and volunteered with Court Appointment Special Advocates. Mikaela spent both of her summers as a Law Clerk at the Department of Public Advocacy’s Trial Office. Mikaela also completed an Externship with the Department of Public Advocacy’s Innocence Project, where she advocated for wrongly convicted individuals. Mikaela was also a Research Assistant for Professor Blanche Cook where she worked on Sex Trafficking as well as 4th Amendment issues. During her last year of Law School, she worked as a Certified Legal Intern for the University of Kentucky College of Law Legal Clinic, where she advised, counseled, and represented indigent clients. She did all of this, while continuing to work remotely as a Law Clerk for The Simon Law Group. Mikaela graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in May 2021 and received the Pro Bono Award for completing 120 pro bono hours. Law School allowed Mikaela the space and time to develop her passion. She wants to spend her life and energy advocating for Justice for her clients, and The Simon Law Group gives her the opportunity to do just that.

Laila Ghauri is the principal attorney and founder of the firm. She focuses her practice in trademarks, small business advising, and government contracts. She has experience in trademark prosecution and litigation, UDRP administrative proceedings, bid protests and claims in government contract matters, False Claims Act litigation, advising small to mid-size companies in protecting their intellectual property, and has aided nonprofits and start ups with formation and business strategy. Previously, she worked for large firms and government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She devotes her time to her local community and is a dedicated contributor of the Maryland Pro Bono Resource Center and the DC Bar’s pro bono services for small businesses and non-profits. Over the past decade, Laila has taught as a university professor and is a published author. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in law and religion. She has native fluency in English, Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi. She lives in Maryland with her husband. In her free time, she loves writing fiction, painting, international travel, meditation, and practicing yoga.

Laila Ghauri is the principal attorney and founder of the firm. She focuses her practice in trademarks, small business advising, and government contracts. She has experience in trademark prosecution and litigation, UDRP administrative proceedings, bid protests and claims in government contract matters, False Claims Act litigation, advising small to mid-size companies in protecting their intellectual property, and has aided nonprofits and start ups with formation and business strategy....

Byron A. Quintanilla, Esq. operates his law practice in New York City and Long Island, assisting clients with their accidents, workers’ compensation, real estate, and immigration matters. Byron’s law practice is focused on bringing efficient, predictable and cost-effective results. Byron’s team handles complex matters of litigation on a wide spectrum of issues. Byron and his team serve as trusted advisers to his clients throughout the state of New York.

Andrew Leventhal is a dynamic, passionate, and charismatic criminal defense lawyer. Andrew spent the first seven years of his career battling in the courtroom trenches as a Los Angeles Public Defender. Here, Andrew developed a reputation for being a fearless trial lawyer. In 2015, Andrew left public practice and created THE LEVENTHAL FIRM; he has defended thousands of criminal cases and conducted many jury trials involving everything from DUI and domestic violence to theft and murder. Andrew’s legal knowledge and passion for justice has led him to a 90% jury trial non-conviction rate. Andrew loves the underdog and fights for his clients to the end. He treats his clients like family and advocates for them like they’re his own flesh and blood. Andrew earned invitations into the National Trial Lawyers “Top 100 Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers” club for the past six years in a row. He also received the Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” Award in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The Rising Stars list recognizes no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in each state. In addition to the Top 100 and Super Lawyers honors, Pasadena Magazine named Andrew a “Top Attorney” for criminal defense every year he has been in private practice; and, Attorney at Law Magazine recently (Jan. 2021) featured Andrew in a cover story entitled: “Against all Odds”. Andrew was also re-selected among America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys for Southern California in 2019 and 2020. The American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys selected Andrew as one of the “10 Best Attorneys” for California in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. And, last but not least, the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys selected THE LEVENTHAL FIRM in 2020 as one of the “10 best law firms” for the practice area of criminal defense – an accomplishment that requires “an impeccable client satisfaction rating.” Andrew truly strives to be regarded as one of the best criminal defense attorneys in U.S. history. Andrew Leventhal has dedicated his life to defending people. His strong reputation, vast network and authentic approach separates him from the rest. Andrew is direct and to the point. He is respectful and respected. You will know if he can help.

Attorney Teresa Gutierrez is founder and owner of Teresa Gutierrez Law - a Southern California wills, trusts, and probate law firm that helps clients plan for the transfer of their wealth to the next generation and that helps protect clients’ assets from court proceedings during their lifetimes. Teresa is ready and able to speak with you in English or Spanish at: tg@teresagutierrezlaw.com or (310) 503-6492.

Lizbeth Mateo has been an immigrant rights organizer for over 10 years, and currently runs an immigration and worker’s compensation legal practice in Los Angeles, California. Born in a Zapotec community in Oaxaca (wahaca), Mexico, Lizbeth became one of the first undocumented young people to risk deportation to demand passage of the Dream Act, when she was arrested in 2010 during a sit-in inside the office of Senator John McCain. In 2013, a few weeks before starting law school, Lizbeth and two other organizers traveled to Mexico and returned with six previously deported youth; all 9 successfully returned home to the U.S. after spending 17 days in an Arizona detention center. The first in her family to graduate from college, Lizbeth earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2016 and got sworn in as an attorney in June 2017 by then Senate President Pro-Tem Kevin the Leon. Despite meeting the requirements for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the Obama Administration denied Lizbeth’s DACA application 8 days before Donald Trump’s inauguration. As an attorney and owner of the Law Office of Lizbeth Mateo, Lizbeth has helped many immigrants like herself apply for DACA, work permits, and to become legal permanent residents and citizens. She has also represented immigrants who are detained or living in sanctuary.

Isadora Velazquez, Esq. is an AV Board Certified Immigration Attorney, was born in Puerto Rico to a Puerto Rican father and Venezuelan mother. She decided at a young age her career goal would be to assist immigrants who wish to make the US not a dream but a reality. Isadora has over ten years of experience in immigration law representing individuals, in removal proceedings, cancellation of removal, asylum, adjustment of status, naturalization, as well as labor certification, Intra-Company Transfer Visas, Professional Visas and Specialty Visas.

Sharifa Tharpe is the daughter of wonderful Jamaican Immigrants. She’s now a Florida based attorney who runs a nationwide immigration practice at S.T. Law Office, dedicated to helping clients to gain permanent residence and status in the United States. She graduated with her J.D. from University of Minnesota Law School and a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Florida

Attorney Silvia Luna owns Luna Legal Firm which is a Los Angeles based Latina Owned Plaintiff’s Employment, Personal Injury, and Civil Rights Law Firm. But Silvia is not defined by her practice. A believer in paying it forward, Silvia also sits on the Board of the Latina Lawyers Bar Association, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to Latina Law students and support to Latinas at all stages of their legal career. Similarly, Silvia serves as a Deputy for the National Hispanic Bar Association (Region XVIII), a non-profit organization that helps Hispanic law students and alumnae advance in their legal careers. During her spare time, Silvia enjoys hiking/trail running, camping/backpacking, reading, and spending quality time with her kids.

Attorney Vanessa Clark was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and she is the founder and principal attorney of Clark Law PLCC in Orlando, Florida. She focuses her practice on Estate Planning, Cryptocurrency, and Personal Injury. Vanessa is active in her community – she serves on the Board of the Hispanic Bar Association of Central Florida, she was one of a few Latina Attorneys chosen to participate in the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Latina Leadership Academy, and she is a huge extrovert who enjoys working with people and providing an unparalleled client experience.

Laurore B. Jean Pierre Esq is not a typical estate planning and business attorney; she is also a licensed financial advisor. Laurore is the founding partner of the first and only combined law firm with a registered financial advisory firm, JP Law and Wealth Advisors PLLC. Laurore is no stranger to being the first, as the first attorney in her family, she has always accepted the challenges and remained focused and disciplined. Her persistence is the key to her success.

Pamela Vallero is a trial attorney at Gruenberg Law. Pamela fights for the rights of those who have been subjected to unlawful discrimination, wrongful termination, and retaliation. Pamela is a native Spanish speaker and routinely counsels clients in that language. Pamela grew up in Medellin, Colombia and moved back to the U.S. in her teens. She is a first generation American, college graduate, and now attorney. Her parents are both Colombian and now reside on the East Coast. She is one of three sisters. Pamela joined Gruenberg Law in 2017. Since then, Pamela has worked as trial counsel recovering millions for her clients. As trial counsel, Pamela recently obtained a $1.1 million jury verdict for a janitor who suffered disability discrimination by her employer, a large national company. It was the second largest civil rights jury verdict in San Diego County in 2019. Pamela has accumulated a track record of standing up to businesses that violate the law. Prior to joining Gruenberg Law, Pamela served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Charles W. Dortch, Jr., in the Superior Court of New Jersey. Before becoming a judicial law clerk, Pamela served as a judicial extern to both Magistrate Judge William V. Gallo and District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Pamela obtained her B.S. from Georgia Southern University in 2007 and then received her J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2015. She lived in Korea between 2008 and 2012 where she taught Spanish and English. Pamela maintains memberships with the following organizations for attorneys: the California Lawyers’ Association Labor and Employment Law Section; the San Diego County Bar Association; San Diego La Raza Association; Consumer Attorneys of San Diego; San Diego Lawyers’ Club; Women of Color in the Law; the American Bar Association; the Federal Bar Association, Latinas in the Law; and The Louis M. Welsh American Inn of Court. Pamela has been a speaker at employment law-focused seminars with Ellevate Network, the Military Spouse J.D. Network, Las Valientes – God’s Heart Ministries. Pamela routinely speaks on Spanish-speaking radio and television networks, including La Poderosa and NBC San Diego. In her spare time, Pamela enjoys exploring new things with her six-month-old daughter, Olivia, going to the dog beach with her puppy, Goku, and playing chess and scrabble with her husband, David. Email: pam@gruenberglaw.com IG handle: @pamvallero which will soon become @ladefensoradeltrabajador

Evelyn Hahn is a compassionate immigration attorney and a Managing Partner at David Hirson & Partners, LLP, which is a full-service immigration law firm, headquartered in Costa Mesa, California with branch offices in Seattle, Washington and New York City, managing around 20 staff internally and assisting both corporate and individual clients from over 30+ countries. Her passion in immigration law deeply ingrained in her because she was one of them and personally underwent the same immigration process herself. Having a full understanding of how difficult, challenging and complex the entire immigration process can be based on her personal experience, her goal is to help each of her clients, both corporate and individual clients, to expand into new opportunities, overcome obstacles, and ultimately achieve their immigration goals in the U.S. She truly believes in helping her corporate clients move around/hire talented foreign national employees to work on their critical projects in the U.S. as well as individual clients achieve their American Dream just like she did. She represents both corporate/business clients and individual clients on all aspects of immigration law, including business, investment, and family immigration as well as immigration litigation. Evelyn represents small, mid-size and large companies, both domestic and multinational companies, hospitals and other healthcare related facilities, entertainment companies, as well as non-profit and religious organizations and successfully filed hundreds of employment-based non-immigrant visas, including E-2, H-1B, J-1, K-1, L-1, O-1, R-1, and TN visas as well as immigrant visas, including PERM labor certifications, and EB-1 (EB-1-1, EB-1-2, and EB-1-3), EB-2 including the National Interest Waivers, EB-3, and EB-4 immigrant petitions. She also advises her corporate clients about the immigration consequences of mergers, acquisitions, corporate restructuring, employer sanctions, and immigration law audits including labor condition applications and I-9 verification. She also focuses her practice on EB-5 investment immigration, representing both individual investors on I-526’s and I-829’s and regional centers and project developers on all aspects of the EB-5 program, including regional center creation, establishment of new EB-5 projects by filing the Form I-924’s, and the EB-5 program compliance in general. Evelyn also has significant litigation experience in representing immigration clients in federal court, successfully filing writ of mandamus actions and securing temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions until such cases ultimately reach a settlement, resulting in final approvals. Evelyn has spoken at several conferences, seminars, webinars and other speaking engagements, covering various immigration topics. She is licensed to practice law in California and District of Columbia. She is fluent in English and Korean. The firm’s website is www.hirson.com, her email is evelynh@hirson.com, her Instagram is attorney_evelynh, and her profile is available on LinkedIn as well.

Esther S. Noh passionately practices immigration and nationality law. Ms. Noh is a first generation Korean-American who grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. Ms. Noh focuses her practice on defending immigrants in complex removal proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), who face the threat of deportation. She has successfully sought bonds for clients from ICE detention facilities and defended clients in removal proceedings. Ms. Noh also counsels domestic and foreign businesses and investors in obtaining business related visas for their workforce. Ms. Noh specializes in E-2 nonimmigrant investor petitions. She has vast experience with clients across diverse industries including consumer goods, technology, engineering, oil and gas services, manufacturing, and transportation. Ms. Noh received her J.D. from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Additionally, Ms. Noh studied immigration law abroad at the University of Puerto Rico Law School in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While in law school, she was selected for a fellowship at Equal Justice Works of America serving indigent clients at Lone Star Legal Aid in Houston, Texas. She was also selected by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund to join the Immigrant Access to Justice Department in New York, New York. Ms. Noh co-founded the first Korean American Bar Association of Texas and serves as the president, serves as legal counsel for the Board of Directors for the Korean Language School in Houston and serves as the community liaison for the Korean American Society of Houston. Ms. Noh enjoys skiing, playing tennis, and traveling. More information about Esther Noh and her law firm can be found on her website, esnlawfirm.com, IG @esnlawfirm, FB @esnlawfirm and tiktok at @esnlawfirm.

Taly is a Los Angeles native and the founder of Goody Law Group, LLP. She was raised by Iranian immigrant parents in Torrance, California and is fluent in Farsi. She attended the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where she was President of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She graduated from UC Irvine with a BA in International Studies with a focus on Africa & the Middle East. Taly attended the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. There, she received the Witkin Award for Academic Excellence for her legal writing class. During law school, she was a member of MELSA (Middle Eastern Law School Association) and later became the President of MELSA. She graduated law school cum laude in 2014. Thereafter, Taly began working at a boutique law firm in Century City, specializing in art transactions and business litigation. Taly always knew she wanted to be a leader and business owner, so she started her own law firm in September 2019 focusing primarily on personal injury and employment law. In addition to running her own law firm, Taly mentors many aspiring lawyers from high school, college, law school, and beyond. She hosts monthly seminars for prospective law students on various legal topics. More information about Taly and Goody Law Group can be found at www.GoodyLawGroup.com Follow Taly on TikTok at @TalyGoodyEsq, on Instagram @TalyGoodyEsq, and her law firm account on Instagram is @GoodyLawGroup.

Kimberley Felton is a 2018 graduate of Albany Law School with a Juris Doctor in the Law. Prior to attending Albany Law, she graduated from the College of Saint Rose with a Bachelor’s in political science & history. Kim has known since a young age that going into the legal field was her calling. Upon stumbling into immigration law in August 2016, she has never looked back. She graduated law school with over 1,300 hours of pro bono service and vast immigration experience. In June 2019, she started a business called Innovation Litigation, providing contract-based work to immigration lawyers. Once she had a taste of running a business, she was certain that she wanted to run a firm. In October 2020 she opened Onward Immigration, a virtual immigration law firm that serves immigrants seeking to gain status in the United States. She was admitted to practice in the State of Minnesota in August 2020, which is when she got to work building Onward Immigration. She spends her time learning how to better serve the immigration community, seeking to find various avenues to help each client obtain their ultimate immigration goal. Onward Immigration seeks to change the game for what it means to have an immigration attorney, and to change the fractured trust between the immigration community and the legal profession. Kim resides in New York with her husband and their kids. She is the mom of two boys, both who she had during law school & immediately after graduating. In addition, she has two fur babies named Bubba & Loki. To get ahold of Kim or Onward Immigration: https://onwardimmigrationlaw.com (347) 669-2730 hello@onwardimmigrationlaw.com For contract legal services through Innovation Litigation: https://innovationlitigation.com hello@innovationlitigation.com

Nina is an Associate Partner at Dabdoub Law Firm, a Miami-based plaintiff’s disability insurance and ERISA law firm. Born in Chile and raised in Miami, Florida, Geannina (Nina) Burgos is a first-generation lawyer. She has dedicated her entire legal career to representing those who are entitled to disability benefits from insurance companies. Nina represents clients nationwide through the entire process: from filing an initial claim to appealing disability denials to litigating benefits in federal and state courts. While majority of the cases that Nina handles fall under a federal law called the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), she also handles individual disability claims governed by state law. Because her legal career has focused on one area of the law, Nina has significant experience handling just about any disability issue. She has represented clients with disability claims with every major disability insurance company in the United States, and she has acquired extensive knowledge on many medical conditions, including Trigeminal neuropathy, Myasthenia Gravis, Chronic Migraines, ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Back Pain, and Parkinson’s Disease to name a few. Education & Background Nina is a classically trained ballet, modern, and flamenco dancer. Before going to law school, she managed a multi-site nonprofit arts education organization for several years and danced professionally in local companies. Nina holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Communications and a MBA in Entrepreneurship. A graduate of Florida International College of Law’s evening program, Nina received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Mediation—the highest honor for the course. During her studies she served as the vice-president of FIU Law’s Women’s Law Society and had a summer judicial clerkship under the Honorable Judge Barbara Lagoa in the Third District Court of Appeal. As a participant in FIU Law’s Community Development Clinic, she provided legal guidance to local South Florida small businesses and non-profit organizations. Several organizations awarded Nina academic fellowships during law school including Young Lawyers’ Division of the Florida Bar, the American Society of Public Administrators, the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and the Ruden McClosky Foundation. Nina is an active member of the non-profit arts community, sitting on the boards of multiple culture-driven organizations and has volunteered as a grant panelist for several cultural funding institutions. She serves as a mentor for business and law students as well as recent graduates. Nina is proud to have returned to her alma mater, serving as an adjunct professor of legal writing at FIU Law. If you or someone you know has a disability claim, or is thinking about filing for disability, contact Nina’s firm at 1-888-812-0393 or visit www.longtermdisability.net Social media handles: Facebook: Geannina Burgos Instagram: @geanninaburgos Twitter: @geanninaburgos AVVO: https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/33134-fl-geannina-burgos- 4664545.html LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geannina-burgos-5649494 Firm website: www.longtermdisability.net