Mariela Civale

• Licenses/Accreditation: New York State Bar; Colegio Público de Abogados de la Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, BA, Argentina (Argentinian Bar Association)
• Degrees: NYU Law School – Master of Law (LL.M.); Universidad de Buenos Aires (Post Graduate Degree in Family Law); Universidad de San Andres, Buenos Aires (J.D.)
• Immigration Law Specialization:  Investment-based immigration (EB-5 and E-2),
  National Interest Waivers, family-based immigration, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)
• Languages: Spanish (native), English (fluent) and Portuguese (intermediate)
• Personal Interests: Dancing (salsa, bachata, Brazilian zouk)

Mariela is an Associate Attorney at Ganey Law Group. Mariela is a seasoned attorney who, prior to her time with Ganey Law Group, practiced law in Argentina at a boutique family law firm. In 2019, she came to the United States to pursue an LL.M. degree at the New York Law School. During the course of her LL.M. degree, Mariela completed four different internships across diverse organizations: UN Women, Sanctuary for Families, Brooklyn Public Defender’s Office, and NYU’s Human Rights Clinic. After passing the New York Bar, Mariela practiced as a staff attorney at Sanctuary for Families (NGO) as part of their family law team. In 2022, Mariela joined Ganey Law Group, where she practices as an associate attorney and her work with the firm is particularly focused on:
▪ Investment-based immigration (EB-5 and E-2)
▪ National Interest Waivers
▪ Family-based immigration
▪ Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)

Mariela’s experience as an Argentinian lawyer and fluency in Spanish and Portuguese enables her to interact and connect with clients from Latin America on a personal level. Mariela is an empathetic and trusted attorney and has vast experience in dealing with complicated family law matters. These capabilities and experiences allow her to manage complex immigration cases with precision and care.

Ziyou Fan

• Licenses/Accreditation: District of Columbia Bar (expected January 2023)
• Law School: George Washington University Law School
• Other Degrees: Bachelor of Politics – New York University. LL.M. – Georgetown University Law Center, expected 2023
• Immigration Law Specialization: Employment and Investment-based immigration (primarily EB-5, E-2 and L-1 matters)
• Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
• Personal Interests: Playing semi-competitive soccer, street photography during travel, and cooking for loved ones

As a Law Clerk at Ganey Law Group, Ziyou focuses his practice on EB-5 cases. He conducts source of funds tracing and due diligence analysis on EB-5 offerings. Ziyou also works with clients on E-2 visa matters and L-1 visas.

Prior to attending law school, Ziyou had extensive exposure to the practice of immigration law on both personal and professional levels. He has previously worked for a national immigration law firm as a law clerk in both the Cleveland headquarter and the New York City office where he assisted in extraordinary ability (EB–1(a)) and asylum matters at every stage of the case, including client intake, document drafting, petition filing, and USCIS interviews. During college, Ziyou interned for a non-profit organization in Ohio, and worked as a member of its legal aid team serving the local immigrant community.

Ziyou has significant personal experience with the U.S. immigration system, and was once an EB-5 applicant-derivative himself. These experiences inform his personalized and empathetic approach to his work.

Sara Lindstrom

• Degrees: Master of English, Nonfiction Writing, George Mason University, and Bachelor of Communication, George Mason University
• Immigration Law Specialization: Employment-based immigration, family-based immigration, and students and scholars, higher education immigration matters
• Languages: Swedish (native), proficient in Spanish and French
• Personal Interests: The outdoors and traveling with her family. Reading, movies, and cooking.

Sara has more than 25 years of immigration experience. She started her career as an International Student Advisor and Assistant Director at George Mason University’s International Programs Office, responsible for GMU’s F-1 and J-1 programs, and has worked several well-recognized law firms in Washington, DC.

Sara focuses on employment-based immigration and is an expert in H-1B, L-1 and TN visas, and PERM labor certification applications.

She combines her experience with compassion, creativity, and attention to detail to break down complex processes. She also considers all case pieces, including family members, deadlines, and age-out situations. Finally, Sara presents clear solutions to ensure our clients achieve their goals as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Sara has worked with large corporations and individual clients in a range of industries including IT, civil and mechanical engineering, health care, business, higher education, and non-profit. In addition, she has presented workshops on work visa programs, PERM-based green cards, and other immigration matters for organizations including NAFSA and George Mason University. Sara is a native of Sweden and is a former Division I basketball player.

Amara Tek-Ronquillo

• Degrees: Bachelor of Communication, Minor in Asian American Studies, University of Maryland
• Immigration Law Specialization: Family-based Immigration
• Languages: English (native), Khmer (conversational)
• Personal Interests: Reading, trying new restaurants, and spending time with family

Amara Tek-Ronquillo is a Paralegal at Ganey Law Group. She has more than eight years of experience working in the immigration legal field. Amara has assisted with various family and employment-based visa petitions, re-entry permits, removal of conditions, naturalization, removal cases, and asylum.

Amara’s family came to the United States as refugees. This allowed her to witness firsthand how difficult it can be to navigate different agencies and processes in the U.S. immigration system. After graduating from the University of Maryland, she spent some time working in the nonprofit field, supporting Asian/Pacific Islander survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Her personal and professional experiences continue to motivate her work in immigration law, where she can help individuals and their family members. She is passionate about reunifying families and working with clients to reach their immigration goals.

Dorian Matthews-Rurak

• Licenses/Accreditation: Attorney and Notary Public Credentials of El Salvador, University “Francisco Gavidia”, San Salvador, El Salvador
• Languages: Spanish (native) and English
• Personal Interests: Embroidery, reading, basketball, spending time with husband and dog

Dorian Matthews-Rurak is a Legal Assistant with the Ganey Law Group. She is a motivated individual with a strong desire to learn something new every day. Dorian holds a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies and, prior to her move to the United States, had seven years of experience working as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant in her home country of El Salvador. Working in these roles, Dorian demonstrated her exceptional work ethic and strengths in legal case management support. Dorian manages a high-volume, complex caseload.

Dorian immigrated to the United States from El Salvador. She was drawn to immigration law in an effort to assist others and give something back to her community. When Dorian is not working with clients, she enjoys embroidery, reading and spending time with her husband, dog (Waffle), and family.