Team
For foreign citizens who wish to progress in their personal lives and professional careers in the United States, it is essential to rely on the legal support of attorneys who not only specialize in Immigration Law but who are also licensed to practice federal law across the entire country. All Gondim Law Corp’s attorneys are licensed in the United States and members of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
Our team works under the highest standard of ethics, commitment, and transparency to ensure the best service to our clients. Gondim Law Corp. counts on attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants who are experienced in various types of immigration processes.
Meet our Gondim Law Corp. team. Let us fulfill your goals towards the American dream.
ATTORNEYS
Marcelo Gondim
Immigration Attorney and President
Marcelo is the founder and lead attorney at Gondim Law Corp. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and licensed by the State Bar of California, U.S. District Court (Central District Court of California), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Marcelo came to the United States as an immigrant pursuing the same American dream, that years later, he has helped his clients achieve. Before his move to the U.S., Marcelo was an attorney in Brazil. Since 2010, he has been practicing law in the United States and has been working in immigration law for over 21 years now.
Julia Montenegro
Immigration Attorney
Julia is an immigration attorney licensed to practice law by the California State Bar since 2019. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and holds a Master’s degree from the Chapman University School of Law.
A lawyer in Brazil since 2012, Julia began working at Gondim Law Corp in 2016, as an intern.
She is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Patricia Mendoza
Immigration Attorney
Patricia holds a Juris Doctor degree (JD) from the University of West Los Angeles, School of Law. Since 2020, she is a CA Provisional Licensed Attorney authorized by the State Bar of CA and a member of the American Immigration Lawyer Association (AILA).
Patricia has considerable legal experience in various immigration areas, including but not limited to, immigration court proceedings, asylum, family-based and employment-based petitions/adjustment of status, naturalization, DACA, TPS, etc. She is fluent in English and Spanish.
João Mateus Loyola
Immigration Attorney
João is an immigration attorney licensed to practice law by the California State Bar since 2022 and by the Brazilian Lawyers Association (OAB) in Brazil since 2014. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and USCIS Liaison Committee member”.
João studied law at Estacio de Sa University and completed a paralegal course at Fullerton College. He has more than ten years of legal experience working in different areas of administrative law. João speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Legal Team
Cynthia Macedo
Coordinator
Cynthia has been working as a Paralegal at Gondim Law since 2020. She coordinates the EB-1 and EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) visa team. A licensed lawyer in Brazil since 2011, Cynthia holds postgraduate degrees in Public Law and Business Law, having worked for more than ten years in Customs and Tax Law. She is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Bianca Costa
Paralegal
Bianca has been a licensed lawyer in Brazil since 2010. She graduated in Law from the UFF (Universidade Federal Fluminense) and Portuguese English from the UFRJ (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro). Bianca worked for both the State and the Federal Legal Defender’s office in Rio de Janeiro-Brazil.
At the University of Syndey, Australia, Bianca obtained graduation and a postgraduate degree in Legal Practice. She was admitted to the NSW Supreme Court in Australia, where she also had the opportunity to work for various immigration law offices. She is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Carlos Henrique
Paralegal
Carlos Henrique is a lawyer licensed in Brazil since 2015, “LLM Loyola Law School 22”, and Post-graduate in Constitutional Law and Public Law. He worked with corporate law, litigation, testimonials, and appeals and served as an air traffic controller. Carlos speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Camila Viega
Paralegal
Camila holds a degree in Law in Brazil from the University of Araraquara (UNIARA), São Paulo. During her career, she has worked for large companies, mainly in Labor and Sports Law. Camila holds a postgraduate degree in Labor Law, Labor Processing, Business in Sports and Sports Law, and specializations in the area of Material and Labor Procedural Law and Sports Law. Camila is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Fernanda Louzada
Paralegal
Fernanda is lawyer licensed in Brazil since 2012. She graduated from Law school at Faculdade de Direito Milton Campos and held a postgraduate degree in Contracts. Fernanda worked for the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais – Brazil. She is fluent in English and Portuguese and speaks advanced Spanish.
Ingrid Medina
Paralegal
Ingrid holds a degree in Law from the University Candido Mendes (UCAM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She has seven years of administrative experience working in national banks in Brazil. As a Law Clerk in the United States, she assists the legal team in the EB-3 department. She is currently pursuing an MBA (Business Administration) in California. Ingrid is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Karoline Pereira
Paralegal
Karoline has been a licensed lawyer in Brazil since 2020. She previously worked at the Public Defense of São Paulo. She graduated from Law school at Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo and held a postgraduate degree in International Law and an LLM in International Business Law from Northeastern University. Karoline speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.
Manoela Reis
Paralegal
Manoela is a paralegal at Gondim law Corp working with the EB-2 NIW team. She is a lawyer in Brazil and graduated from Mackenzie Presbyterian University in São Paulo. Manoela worked with tax and global trade at a Big Four Consulting Company in São Paulo until 2019, when she moved to California to do her Master’s degree in American Law at the University of California, Irvine. Manoela speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Patricia Macedo
Paralegal
Patricia has been working as a Paralegal, assisting lawyers in preparing mainly EB-2 and EB-1 cases, besides supporting the preparation of the most diverse immigrant and non-immigrant visas. She holds a postgraduate degree in Civil Procedure Law and has been a licensed lawyer in Brazil since 2011. In the US, she has completed a Criminal Justice, Criminal Law Evidence & Procedure course and a Business English certificate. Patricia is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Patricia Abramant
Paralegal
Patricia graduated in 2003 in Business Administration from Instituto Brasileiro de Mercados e Capitais in Rio de Janeiro. She graduated in Law from Mackenzie in São Paulo in 2016. She possesses a Masters in Corporate Law and Compliance from Escola Paulista de Direito. She completed courses in the area of Corporate Governance from Fundação Getulio Vargas and a Compliance course from Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa. She has experience working at a Federal Autarchy in the Compliance Committee. She was a member of the Special Compliance Commission and the Governance and Integrity Commission, both for the OAB-SP (Order of Attorneys- São Paulo). Patricia is fluent in Portuguese and English.
Priscila Pimpão
Paralegal
Priscila Pimpão holds a law degree and a postgraduate degree in Civil Procedural Law from the Brazilian Institute of Teaching, Development and Research – IDP in Brasília. She started her career as a lawyer in Brazil in 2016 in the area of Public Law with an emphasis on class actions with more than 4,000 litigants. Priscila currently works as a paralegal at Gondim Law. As a paralegal, she is responsible for collecting essential information and documents from clients for immigration processes. This includes forms, financial statements, employment history, birth certificates, and other documents relevant to each case. Priscila is also in charge of keeping in touch with clients by providing updates on the status of their cases, requesting additional information and scheduling meetings with lawyers whenever necessary or when requested by the client. Priscila is fluent in Portuguese and English.
Ricardo Affonso
Paralegal
Ricardo Affonso is a lawyer licensed in Brazil since 2011, with Bachelor’s in Law (2010), Post-Graduate in Public Law (2012), Master of Arts in Theology (2018) and MBA in Global Business (2022). He worked for public institutions in Brazil mainly in the State Attorney Office and Court of Justice in Rio de Janeiro. He speaks English and Portuguese.
Ricardo Gondim
Paralegal
Ricardo works as a paralegal helping the lawyers draft and finalize EB-2 processes since 2018. He holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Everest University (Florida) in 2010. Ricardo has been a licensed lawyer in Brazil since 1993. He is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Virgínia Montenegro
Paralegal
Virginia Montenegro is a paralegal at Gondim law Corp working with the EB-2 NIW team. She holds a postgraduate degree in Administrative Law and has been a licensed lawyer in Brazil since 2012. Virginia speaks English and Portuguese.
Emma Chaidez
Legal Assistant
Emma graduated in 2020 from UC Santa Cruz with a bachelor’s degree in legal studies and Spanish Literature.
She worked as an immigration paralegal for two years and holds a Paralegal Certificate for State of California. She also has experience as an educator. Here she is part of the family-based team assisting with documentation and client communication. She provides support for translation services in Spanish and English as she in fluent in both.
Katherine Souza
Legal Assistant
Katherine is a licensed lawyer in Brazil since 2021. She graduated from Law School at UNASP and held a postgraduate degree in Technology law. She obtained her Master of Law degree in Intellectual Property in 2022 from University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. She has previously worked as an intern in Brazil at Procuradoria Geral do Estado de São Paulo and as a paralegal in a Boutique Law firm with Business, Intellectual Property, Loans, Real Estate, and Estate Planning. Katherine speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Andre Fiser
Office Clerk
Andre holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Sao Paulo. He has 7 years of experience working as Account Manager, taking care of clients, conflicts and demands. He is an asset to the legal team by supporting and assisting the EB2-NIW Department with a diverse organizational and operational skills set. He is fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish and conversational in Hebrew.
Andressa Henneberry
Office Clerk
Andressa presently serves as a valuable asset to the legal team by assisting in the field of EB2-NIW. She brings a diverse skill set encompassing quality control, organizational management, and financial administration, greatly benefiting the firm.
Andressa earned a degree in Civil Engineering in 2019. She is fluent in English and Portuguese, further enhancing her ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of clients and stakeholders.
Carolina Eisenman
Office Clerk
Carolina Eisenman works as a Law Clerk at Gondim Law Corp. She is responsible for supporting day-to-day operations as well as making the connection between clients and our team of professionals.
Carolina graduated from high school in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. She also graduated, with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and got a specialization in Psychology from the California State University Northridge. She is currently studying for an associate degree in Paralegal.
Carolina is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Vivian Silva
Office Clerk
Vivian began working at Gondim Law Corp. in 2021 as a secretary. Later, she went to work in the administrative unit and now she assists Paralegals in communicating with clients, filling out forms and other administrative functions. Vivian is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Xenia Zamarripa
Office Clerk
Xenia works as a Law Clerk at Gondim Law Corp since 2023. She provides support to the Paralegals and Attorneys in the Family-based team on immigration petitions, green cards, employment authorization document cards, and various legal proceedings. Xenia holds a bachelor’s degree in Food Science and has previously worked in the food industry. She is currently completing a Paralegal Certification. Xenia is fluent in English and Spanish.
Administrative Team
Maria Eduarda
Office Manager
Marina Macedo
Finance Department Supervisor
Adrielly Martellotti
Financial Assistant
Alice Madruga
Receptionist
Amanda Peter
Receptionist
Monica Gondim
Marketing Assistant
Kevin Gondim
Administrative Assistant
Manuela Camboim
Administrative Assistant
Suellen Dacio
Administrative Assistant