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Andrew Knapp is an adjunct professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California and Western State College of Law in Irvine, California, where he teaches both law schools’ Ninth Circuit Appellate Litigation Clinics. In that capacity, he regularly serves, along with his law students, as appointed pro bono counsel for immigration cases assigned through the Ninth Circuit’s law school clinic pro bono program. Andrew and his law students have won most of their pro bono Ninth Circuit appointed immigration cases, including Chavez Garcia v. Sessions, 871 F.3d 991 (9th Cir. 2017), Dimaya v. Lynch, 803 F.3d 1110 (9th Cir. 2015), Muniz Alvarado v. Lynch, 603 . 637 (9th Cir. 2015), Gomez Ponce v. Holder, 571 . 528 (9th Cir. 2014), and Hernandez v. Holder, 738 F.3d 1099 (9th Cir. 2013). The clinic’s big win in Dimaya v. Lynch was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5 to 4 decision, Sessions v. Dimaya, 138 S.Ct. 1204 (2018), in which Justice Kagan, writing for the majority, affirmed the Ninth Circuit’s invalidation of a criminal removal provision as unconstitutionally void for vagueness. Andrew also successfully moved the Ninth Circuit in Marinelarena v. Sessions, 886 F.3d 737 (9th Cir. 2018), to reconsider, before an 11 judge panel, the only case he and his Southwestern Appellate Litigation Clinic lost in a published decision (Marinelarena v. Sessions, 869 F.3d 780 (9th Cir. 2017). Subsequently, the 11 judge en banc panel, ruling 8 to 3, flipped this decision in Marinelarena v. Barr, 930 F.3d 1039 (9th Cir. 2019).. Andrew also serves as the Chief Financial Officer and lead volunteer attorney for Immigrant Access to Justice Assistance (“IAJA”), a charitable nonprofit which provides pro bono representation before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to disadvantaged noncitizens who would otherwise go without legal representation. Andrew’s last full time employment was as a staff attorney for the Board of Immigration Appeals in Falls Church, Virginia, from 2010 to 2011, drafting decisions for three Board member panels. Before that, he practiced immigration law in Los Angeles for over 10 years with Cifuentes Knapp & Associates, and for nearly 4 years in Orange County as a solo practitioner. Prior to that, he worked for the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as an asylum officer in the mid 1990’s.. For over the past 25 years, Andrew has successfully represented numerous noncitizens before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In all of his published cases, his clients have prevailed both before the Ninth Circuit, and, on remand, before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and the Immigration Court. Andrew’s BIA wins include Matter of Ordaz, 26 I&N Dec. 637 (BIA 2015), abrogated in part on other grounds by the U.S. Supreme Court in Pereira v. Sessions, S.Ct. , 2018 WL 3058276 (June 21, 2018) (holding that a notice to appear that was served but never resulted in the commencement of removal proceedings does not have “stop time” effect for purposes of establishing eligibility for cancellation of removal). Andrew’s published Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals wins include: Chavez Garcia v. Sessions, 871 F.3d 991 (9th Cir. 2017) (holding that the Immigration Judge’s failure to inform Chavez-Garcia that his departure from the United States would constitute a waiver of his previously reserved right to appeal rendered his purported appeal waiver constitutionally invalid); Dimaya v. Lynch, 803 F.3d 1110 (9th Cir. 2015) (striking down a criminal deportation statute as unconstitutionally void for vagueness); Hernandez v. Holder, 738 F.3d 1099 (9th Cir. 2013) (holding that the Board of Immigration Appeals’ “place of filing” rule – mandating that a motion to reopen must be filed with the Immigration Judge after the Board dismisses a direct appeal on timeliness grounds – is not a jurisdictional bar to the Board’s authority to reopen removal proceedings); Mejia Hernandez v. Holder, 633 F.3d 818 (9th Cir. 2011) (finding a motion to reopen filing deadline equitably tolled for nearly seven years and that the petitioner’s waiting for his wife’s application to be adjudicated first was reasonable under the circumstances and did not show a lack of due diligence); De Rodriguez Echeverria v. Mukasey, 534 F.3d 1047 (9th Cir. 2008) (remanding where the Immigration Judge “erred in determining that Rodriguez was not under arrest at the time she gave her incriminating statement”); Recinos De Leon v. Gonzales, 400 F.3d 1185 (9th Cir. 2005) (where the Immigration Judge’s opinion was “literally incomprehensible” and the BIA summarily affirmed without opinion, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals could not review the substance of the decision and was required to remand); Reyes Melendez v. INS, 342 F.3d 1001 (9th Cir. 2003) (remanding where the Immigration Judge was “aggressive,” “snide,” and accused the noncitizen of moral impropriety, and where the Judge’s bias precluded full consideration of the noncitizen’s relevant hardship factors); Guadalupe Cruz v. INS, 240 F.3d 1209 (9th Cir. 2001) (holding that the BIA erred by not correcting the due process violation committed by the Immigration Judge’s erroneous application of the newly enacted “stop time” rule before its April 1, 1997 effective date).. Andrew’s accolades include the Alumni Achievement Award he was conferred on November 5, 2016 by his alma mater, Western State Law School, and the Ninth Circuit Distinguished Pro Bono Award, he and his supervising professor, Professor Gowri Ramachandran, were awarded by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at a ceremony at the Ninth Circuit’s Pasadena courthouse on September 26, 2018.. Andrew has participated as a panelist on many immigration law conference programs presented by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and local and national bar associations, including the June 15, 2018 American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Annual Conference seminar entitled “Preventing the Demise of Due Process,” the June 23, 2017 AILA Annual Conference seminar entitled “Void for Vagueness: How to Apply Johnson in the Immigration Context,” the January 14, 2016 United States Court of Appeals “Immigration Law Training,” the December 13, 2014 Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) seminar entitled “Practicing Immigration Law before the Ninth Circuit and U.S. District Court,” the November 9, 2012 AILA California Chapters Conference seminar entitled “The Modified Categorical Approach in the Ninth Circuit,” the November 13, 2009 AILA California Chapters Conference seminar entitled “ICE Update - The ICE Storm,” the March 11, 2008 National AILA audio seminar entitled “TPS: What Kind of Status Is It?,” the October 24, 2012 AILA Southern California Chapter (SoCal AILA) seminar entitled “Beyond the Master Calendar Hearing: An Introductory Overview of Removal Defense for Newer Practitioners and Refresher Course for Existing Practitioners,” the March 17, 2010 SoCal AILA seminar entitled “Ninth Circuit Update,” the July 22, 2009 SoCal AILA seminar entitled “Nuances of Unlawful Presence,” the August 28, 2008 SoCal AILA seminar entitled “Immigration Court Practice Manual,” the July 20, 2006 SoCal AILA seminar entitled “Reinstatement of Removal and I 212 Waivers After Fernandez Vargas,” the May 27, 2004 Mexican American Bar Association (MABA) seminar entitled “Fighting Back Against the Unauthorized Practice of Law,” the May 15, 2003 SoCal AILA seminar entitled “Asylum/NACARA Update,” the June 27, 2002 MABA seminar entitled “How to do a Successful Motion to Reopen Before the Immigration Court,” and the November 3, 2001 AILA California Chapters Conference seminar entitled “KUTV New Channels for Victims of Crimes and Lonesome Spouses.”. Andrew’s articles and publications include:. “Void for Vagueness: How to Apply Johnson in the Immigration Context,” published in the 2017 American Immigration Lawyers Association Annual Conference Handbook. Editor, 2013 American Immigration Lawyers Association California Chapters Conference Handbook. “The Modified Categorical Approach in the Ninth Circuit,” published in the 2012 American Immigration Lawyers Association California Chapters Conference Handbook. “ICE Update The ICE Storm,” published in the 2009 American Immigration Lawyers Association California Chapters Conference Handbook. BIA Finds Service Of OSC On Two Year Old Defective For Failure To Serve The Child’s Mother (,0927 ). Reopening Deportation Proceedings: A Look At Applicable Exceptions To Motions To Reopen (,0214 ). Andrew’s unpublished BIA victories are available on the internet at:. Hugo Alvarado Cortez A070 781 971 BIA Mar 10 2014 (vacating the denial of an I 130 step-parent, post-divorce, visa petition because the “case law does not require proof of active parenting and continuing financial support by a step parent.”). Daniel Nava A099 317 368 BIA March 30 2012 (reducing the bond set by an immigration judge from $20,000 to $7,500 for a criminal noncitizen with a pending Ninth Circuit appeal under Casas Castrillon v. DHS, 535 F.3d 942 (9th Cir. 2008)). Maritza Santos Ardon A073 904 816 BIA Aug 27 2013 (reopening proceedings for a single mother to apply for suspension of deportation as the parent of a U.S. born child who was battered by the child’s other, lawful permanent resident parent). (finding the service of the deportation charging document on a two year old defective for failure to serve the child’s mother)

Cheryl Deptowicz-Diaz is the daughter of Filipino immigrants, married to a Mexican immigrant, mother to a Mexican Filipino son, and an immigrant herself, having arrived in Southern California, United States at the age of 8 in 1982.. Cheryl is proud to connect her Filipino roots to those roots established in Los Angeles, California. She attended Virgil Junior High and graduated from Belmont High School in 1991. With school records filled with academic honors, leadership positions in student council and school clubs, and positions of captain for both the varsity volleyball and varsity swim team, Cheryl was accepted to and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). She worked full-time during college, participated in a study abroad program in Argentina and Chile, and was active in campus organizing.. In 1996, she graduated from UCSB with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian American Studies. That same year, Cheryl received the NAACP Excellence Award, Distinguished Service Award, and the Asian American Studies Highest GPA Award. After college, Cheryl worked as a secretary until multiple and simultaneous personal hardships pushed her to apply to law school.. Cheryl attended the evening program at Southwestern University School of Law while continuing to work during the day as a secretary, accounting clerk, law clerk, and elementary school teacher’s aide. Her law school highlights include receiving the Writing Achievement Award for the Moot Court Honors Program and serving as an extern clerk for both the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office and the Alliance for Children’s Rights. She earned her Juris Doctor from Southwestern in 2006.. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2007 after passing the State Bar Examination on her first attempt. She is admitted in all California state courts as well as the Central District and Southern California District of the U.S. District Courts.. She recharges her energy supply by spending time with her husband Jorge, son Diego, and fur-pup Maxim. They love to read and write together, mimic mindless vegetables in front of the TV, and create memories through play, travel, and adventure. She clears her mind and works out Life’s stresses by doing yoga, journaling, meditation, dancing, and boxing. She connects with her community by writing, performing poetry, and attending community events on various topics aimed at bridging systemic divisions of race, sex, gender, and class.

Reynold E. Finnegan, originally from New York City, began his academic journey at Vanderbilt University, where he achieved dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Molecular Genetics and Psychology. His undergraduate experience was enriched by participation in innovative brain mapping research and a successful rugby career, highlighted by an SEC Championship. After earning his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 1993, where he excelled as a Law Review Research Editor, Mr. Finnegan gained valuable experience at Brody & Price, a prominent criminal defense firm. He then served as an Associate Attorney at Korenberg & Abramowitz, focusing on immigration law and managing a diverse caseload. With over 500 immigration clients represented, Mr. Finnegan has navigated cases from asylum seekers to corporate relocations. In 1996, he launched his own immigration practice in Los Angeles, which quickly thrived. By 1997, he partnered with Kasey Diba to create Finnegan & Diba, a law firm that has grown to encompass various legal specialties, solidifying Mr. Finnegan's reputation as a dedicated and astute immigration attorney.

Kathleen Grzegorek has been a California State Bar-Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law for over nineteen years.. She has over twenty-five years of immigration experience serving a diverse client base with an emphasis on business immigration in the professional, high technology, academic, fine arts, scientific and entertainment fields. Clients range from start-up enterprises to mid-size and large companies, law firms, nonprofit entities, as well as government institutes and universities.. Ms. Grzegorek is very active in the immigration field and has lectured and published frequently on topics such as Immigration in a Fluctuating Economy; Immigration for Business Professionals in Finance, Marketing and Operations; Nonimmigrant Visas for Entertainers, Athletes and Artists; and The J-1 Program Demystified: Answers to your Top J-1 Visa Questions, Inside Immigration, April 2013.. Activities in the immigration field also include liaison and policy formation on the regional and national level. She served with the American Immigration Lawyers Association as Chair of the Students & Scholars Committee from 2011-2013. She served as the Chair of the Liaison Committee for the California Service Center from 2008 to 2010. She also works with the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA) where she spoke at the 2011-2015 annual conferences.. Ms. Grzegorek’s husband is a Research Scientist in Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology.  They live in a historic craftsman home in Pasadena, California with a superb Japanese-style garden. She is a member of the board of the Friends of the Gamble House, a house museum operated by the University of Southern California.

Los Angeles immigration attorney Marisol Chianello has dedicated her career to helping those in need of immigration assistance. A graduate of prestigious USC School of Law, Marisol has vast experience dealing with immigration issues such as removal defense and adjustment of status. Originally from Montebello, CA, Ms. Chianello is of Mexican-American descent and speaks Spanish fluently. If you or a loved one is seeking an immigration attorney, call Marisol Chianello today for a free consultation.