I’m so excited to share with you our new immigration law firm colleagues. In January I introduced to you our three new attorneys, Robert Ratliff, Retanio Aj Rucker, and Renee Boyle. Today I present to you many of the new support staff who have joined our team.
Mustafa Duzdag, PhD, joins us full time as a project manager in our Cleveland office. A part time professor of English literature at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Mustafa is a new American citizen from Turkey, and has 21 years experience as a copy editor, translator, teacher and project manager and “Scrum Master.” Mustafa has planned and executed hundreds of events, lectures and educational programs.
Mustafa helps the legal team manage complex cases. He continues to teach as an adjunct professor at John Carroll. One of his favorite classes was a writing workshop, “Attitudes of Jazz,” which he co-led at Case Western Reserve University with Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Artistic Director and trombone player, Paul Ferguson.
Dr. Qian Hong Li, MD, PhD, FAHA, joined us a writer and translator. Dr. Li is a long time professor of medicine and stem cell researcher, currently at the University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. Born and trained in China, a professor at the Beijing Medical University, Dr. Li has been in the US since 1996, and is a fierce proponent of the US retaining foreign born professionals who are enormous contributors to their scientific fields. And so it is with great joy she joins Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC to better help the law firm assist other professionals in their goals to build their professional and personal lives in the USA.
A law firm’s data processing department is increasingly important, as all the data that flows from USCIS, the courts and clients requires instant precise response. Katrina Deal-Mccall joins our data processing team after 35 years of progressive professional growth at Northeast Ohio companies including Kirby, Envision RX, Soft-Lite Windows, Produce Packaging, and Express Employment Professionals.
Alethia Vaquero also joins our data processing team. She and Katrina are strong additions to the extant data processing team members April Lopez and Jury Pychowycz, and their supervisor Jesus Torres.
Sanjay Patel has joined Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC as Community Liaison in southwest Ohio. Unique at the law firm, Sanjay is already a successful entrepreneur and business owner in southern Ohio and Kentucky. His unique blend of business savvy and connection to foreign born South Asians across the United States who seek Green Cards and citizenship prompted conversation with Attorney Wong years ago, she essentially saying, “If you are ever in a position to join my team, I’d love to have you.” Sanjay recently found himself in that position, and the opportunity presents him the challenge to introduce people in need of an immigration attorney to the team who has helped him and his family so well over the years.
Sanjay translates the attorneys’ client conversations, helping his country women and men understand exactly how the attorney is helping them navigate the US immigration system. Working primarily in our Columbus office, Sanjay assists in other offices as necessary.
Legal assistants and paralegals with a rich experience in the legal field are a rare find.
Liliana Natividad-Cruz has joined our Columbus office as a translator and legal assistant.
Lorgia Morales has supported litigation teams for 16 years. Lorgia was born in Peru and came to the United States in 1986, settling in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2006, she obtained her Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies from Cuyahoga Community College. Fluent in English and Spanish, in her spare time, Lorgia enjoys spending time with her son and dog in her home in Tremont.
Ana Avila, earned her law degree from the Faculty of Law of the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, in Mexico, as well as an MBA from Latin American University in Mexico. Ana practiced law, worked in banking, and taught in Mexico prior to arriving in the United States in 2018. Without a law degree in the US, Ana taught and was a paralegal and legal assistant at three northeast Ohio law firms. Fluent in Spanish, she joins Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC’s Cleveland office with an amazing skill set.
Janisse Cruz joins our Cleveland office as a legal assistant fresh out of college (Cleveland State University, 2023), having about a year’s previous experience in an immigration law office. Her father is foreign born, so Spanish is her first language.
Celene Acuna joins our Raleigh, North Carolina, office as a paralegal with a recent college degree, magna cum laude, in criminology at North Carolina Central University in Durham. With experience in banking and as a paralegal, she’s also bilingual in Spanish.
Marcia Soares-Bonasera is from Brazil, so Portuguese is her native language. Joining our Nashville office as a paralegal, Marcia has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Estacio, Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. Attending several universities in California, Marcia obtained certificates in business administration and paralegal studies. She has experience as a legal assistant, and as a paralegal.
Nataly Cardozo has joined our Columbus office as a translator and legal assistant.
Mariela Castillo joined the Cleveland office of Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC as a legal assistant in 2021. Mariela was born in Cuba, and earned a bachelor’s in information technology from City University José Antonio Echeverría, or CUJAE, in Havana, Cuba. Mariela and her husband welcomed a baby boy a year ago, and Mariela is rejoining the law firm having been a full time mother for a year. Mariela is fluent in Spanish.
Our team looks forward to meeting you to assist in your immigration law needs. Reach out and say hello by contacting your local office.
