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Staff

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Staff

We are in the business of assisting our clients with their greatest resource: their human capital. The importance of this resource is not lost on us. We pride ourselves on the exceptional caliber of our workforce. Many of our staff hold advanced degrees and have been in the field of immigration law for a number of years. Further, as one of very few women-owned law firms, LAC understands the importance of diversity and the perspective it lends to the workforce. We employ individuals of various backgrounds who are fluent in a number of languages, including Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Russian, Spanish, French and Italian.

ANNA HO

Senior Accounting Assistant

ANNA RIAZANOVA

Senior Paralegal

ATESA LASHKARI

ATESA LASHKARI

Controller

Brandon Konig

Brandon Konig

Case Writer

CAROLINE KOBAYASHI

Senior Paralegal

DIANA CARRILLO

Business Support Specialist

ERICA MISKINIS

Case Writer

JANAN BURNI

Case Writer

JESUS MENDOZA DOWNEY

Case Writer

KRISTI CAVANAUGH

Database Administrator & Records Specialist

MATT SPARKS

Senior Paralegal

Milena Nikolova

MILENA NIKOLOVA

Case Writer

NADIA GAMBOA

Case Writer

TRINITY RODRIGUEZ

Receptionist

SARA KNEPSHIELD

SARA KNEPSHIELD

Business Support Specialist

SATOKO HASEGAWA SIMONDS

Senior Case Writer

TATYANA KONDRASHUK

Paralegal

YOLANDA BARRON

Case Writer/Case Management Specialist

YUKI MURATA

Senior Paralegal

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Anna Ho

Anna was born in Hong Kong and came to the U.S. to attend Northern Illinois University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Anna worked in a senior accounting role for several years with successful companies prior to joining LAC in 2002. Anna is also a Notary Public. Anna was attracted to immigration law because she experienced firsthand the positive benefits of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. She wants to contribute to the firm’s success of helping its clients achieve the same goal. Anna also enjoys a healthy lifestyle, loves nature and being out in the great outdoors.

Anna Riazanova

Anna has over 20 years of experience in the field of immigration law and is a member of LAC’s Labor Certification Team. Prior to joining LAC in 1996, she worked for various law firms in Los Angeles. Anna was born in Moscow, Russia and graduated from the State University in Moscow with an honors Master’s degree in Linguistics. She also completed a year of study on the Urdu language and literature at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. After graduation, she worked as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Asia and Africa in Moscow and was an editor of an Urdu-language magazine. She earned her Paralegal Certificate from the West Los Angeles School of Law in California, graduating magna cum laude. She has personal experience with the immigration process, having immigrated to the U.S. as a winner of the Diversity Visa Lottery. Anna loves working in the challenging and rewarding area of immigration because it gives her an opportunity to help people achieve their dreams.

Atesa Lashkari

Controller

Atesa Lashkari comes to LAC with several years of public accounting and financial accounting experience in various fields of law. LAC’s mission and passion in assisting foreign nationals from all over the world in the immigration process is what drew her in joining the firm as its controller. She is a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising and a focus in accounting. Born in Abadan, Iran, she is a dual U.S. and Iranian citizen, and is proficient in French and fluent in Farsi. In her spare time, Atesa enjoys volunteering, traveling, watching foreign and independent films and cooking.

Brandon Konig

Brandon Konig

Brandon graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature & Creative Writing. He is a first-generation American, born & raised in California after his family immigrated to the United States from South Africa. Outside of work, he enjoys reading philosophy, writing fiction, & playing computer games.

Caroline Kobayashi

Caroline has been with the firm since August of 1997 and she is well versed in all of the immigration case types handled at LAC. Currently her work with the firm focuses on nonimmigrant and immigrant cases, as well as naturalization applications. She also has in-depth experience with labor certification cases. Prior to joining the firm, Caroline was a Legal Assistant with Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP where she gained experience in immigration, litigation and trademark law. She graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Studies in Progressive American Social Movements. Caroline enjoys working directly with the firm’s foreign national clients from all over the world as it allows her to continually learn about other cultures and customs, which has always been an interest to her. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and paddling in the ocean with her outrigger canoe team.

Diana Carrillo

Diana Carrillo was raised in Los Angeles and moved to San Diego in 2013. In her spare time, she loves to enjoy the beautiful beaches and hiking trails that San Diego has to offer. She is an avid runner and loves to explore the new upcoming restaurants. Prior to joining our team, she worked in the Hospitality Industry where she specialized in customer service.

Erica Miskinis

Erica graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with two Bachelor’s of Art degrees in English and German and Slavic Studies. Prior to joining the immigration law field, she worked as a Legal Assistant and Editorial Assistant in medical law and library sciences respectively. In office she works on Labor Certification PERMs which is often the first step in the green card process, and out of office she enjoys reading, playing video games, and cuddling with cats.

Janan Burni

Janan was born and raised in San Diego. She proudly comes from a blended Mexican, Jordanian, and Native American family and is trilingual in Spanish, Arabic, and English. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College (aka Obama’s alma mater!) where she focused her research on the comparison of transnational political imaginaries of liberation between the Black and Palestinian Diasporas. After graduating, she lived in Jordan and then Egypt for two years where she worked in refugee legal aid and resettlement. She also worked in family based immigration for 3 years in San Diego as a DOJ Accredited Representative. She looks forward to learning and working in employment based immigration at LAC. In her free time, she enjoys indulging in overpriced iced lattes and matcha’s at aesthetically pleasing cafes, learning about astrology, listening to music, working out, and spending quality time with her friends and family.

Jesus Mendoza Downey

Jesús is a native San Diegan and Spanish speaker. After graduating from the near-Arctic climate of the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in English, he worked in adult and high school education for three years. Jesús comes from a family of Mexican immigrants, and as part of LAC, he hopes to bridge his growing knowledge of employment-based visas with his familiarity with Latinx culture to offer as many clients as possible the benefits his family continues to enjoy. In his free time, he aspires to be a fiction writer, occasionally jogs, and bakes and cooks with his family.

Kristi Cavanaugh

Kristi joined LAC in April of 2001 and is responsible for the administration of our online case management system, internal computer programs and document management systems, troubleshooting hardware/software issues, and assisting with IT related issues. Kristi also regularly generates firm client reports, manages the file room, assists with DS-160’s and the LAC website. When off the clock, she enjoys spending time walking, playing disc golf, camping, reading, watching ridiculous movies, and dancing to the beat of her own drum.

Matt Sparks

Raised in San Diego, Matt is a member of the first generation of his family born in the U.S. He understands how important American citizenship is to today’s immigrants and enjoys working with clients on their permanent resident and naturalization applications. Prior to his work with LAC, Matt worked as an Account Coordinator for the public relations firm The Grove Agency before joining the firm in September of 2000. In his free time, Matt plays for a local soccer team and is a co-chairman of the San Diego Region Porsche Club.

Milena Nikolova

Milena Nikolova

Milena is native Bulgarian and speaks Bulgarian, Russian and English. As a participant of International Olympiads in Russian language and literature she gained two golden medals and was awarded a full scholarship for studying in Moscow.  

There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in management of international tourism and hospitality. She also completed a year studying international business as an MBA student at the All-Russian Academy of foreign trade.  

After graduation she worked for multinational companies and public institutions in various industries and countries: tourist and event management industry (Bulgaria, Germany, China, Thailand, Japan), import/export (Germany, Russia, China, Sri Lanka), healthcare (Germany, USA) and held different positions from Marketing/PR associate to Head of Representative office and Member of the Supervisory board. 

As an immigrant to the USA and a professional who worked closely with foreign expatriates Milena understands the importance of visa formalities and legal status in today’s global world. She has recently joined LAC’s Labor Certification Team and is passionate about supporting highly skilled workers in their endeavors to attain a future in the United States. 

In her free time Milena enjoys reading, watching documentary movies, singing, dancing, and planning adventurous trips for her family or friends.

Nadia Gamboa

Nadia was born in Veracruz, Mexico and moved to the United States with her family to pursue greater opportunities. Nadia was drawn to immigration law because of her personal experience, and began working in this field in 2003. Prior to joining the firm, she was a legal assistant for three well-regarded law firms in San Diego, California, and has worked in all areas of immigration law. In the fall of 2007, Nadia participated in the Panetta Institute Congressional Internship Program, and served as a congressional intern in Washington D.C for the Hon. Grace F. Napolitano. Nadia graduated from California State University, San Marcos in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. In her spare time, Nadia pursues her passion for boxing and kickboxing, traveling, watching foreign and independent films, and expanding her “foodie” resume.

Trinity Rodriguez

Trinity Rodriguez

Trinity Rodriguez is a San Diego native, born and raised. In her free time she enjoys long days on the beach, skateboarding, being outside with nature, doing tarot cards, collecting crystals, and hanging out with her cat Mister. Prior to joining our team, Trinity had previously worked as an administrative assistant for multiple construction companies.

Sara Knepshield

Sara was born and raised in Sacramento, where she spent most of her time playing golf with her family. She graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Security and Conflict Resolution in 2020. Prior to working at Larrabee Albi and Coker, Sara worked in healthcare administration where she managed a COVID contact tracing team. Sara hopes to attend law school in the upcoming years, until then, she’s enjoying her time working at an immigration law firm. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, reading, and watching the Yankees with her boyfriend.

Satoko Hasegawa Simonds

Born and raised in Japan, Satoko is bilingual in Japanese and English. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from San Diego State University. After several successful years in Los Angeles as an Editor-in-Chief for the largest Japanese media in the United States, Satoko moved back to San Diego and joined the firm in April of 2006. She finds the immigration law field challenging yet rewarding, and enjoys sharpening her skills and expanding her knowledge on the Labor Certification PERM Team. Outside the office, Satoko has passions for Formula One, foreign films and books, rugby, and cooking.

Tatyana Kondrashuk

Tatyana’s first-hand experience with the immigration process has inspired a passion to ensure that the immigration proceedings for clients of our firm are as seamless as possible. Tatyana has expertise in both business and family immigration matters, having worked in the industry for over six years. Her particular focus at LAC is on both nonimmigrant and immigrant visa petitions, as well as adjustment of status applications. Prior to joining LAC, Tatyana worked as an immigration paralegal at a large international law firm, as well as at an immigration boutique firm specializing in business immigration. She also has experience as an in-house immigration specialist at a global IT corporation. Prior to her immigration to the US, as a corporate legal counsel Tatyana provided legal counseling and strategic advice regarding employment and contract matters. Tatyana received her Master and Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from Brest State University in Belarus and Paralegal Certificate from UCSD Extension. In her free time, Tatyana enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and traveling.

Yolanda Barron

Yolanda joined LAC with immigration experience in a law firm setting as well as immigration software training. She has worked in the tech, software, and healthcare settings and loves data and Excel. In her spare time, she enjoys sewing, embroidery, and camping.

Yuki Murata

Yuki is bilingual in Japanese and English with an understanding of both Japanese and American business practices and customs. Yuki has assisted the firm’s international clients with the preparation of non-immigrant and immigrant petitions for many years; she has worked with the firm for 15 years. She finds her work intriguing and rewarding as she meets and assists so many interesting people from all around the globe with their immigration needs. In the last decade, she has helped countless individuals and their families to make the U.S. their home away from home.