Northern Virginia

Teresa’s personal experience growing up in a heavily immigrant community surrounded by families with mixed immigration statuses motivated her to pursue a legal career advocating for society’s most vulnerable, particularly those children who cannot advocate for themselves. She now works with unaccompanied children who have been victims of severe forms of violence, including intra-family violence, community violence, sexual violence, and trafficking. Teresa is a graduate of American University Washington College of Law (WCL). At WCL, Teresa was a student attorney with the Women and the Law Clinic, where she was awarded the highest grade certification for her work with indigent clients. While in law school, she also interned with Ayuda, where she assisted in a number of unaccompanied children’s cases, KIND, where she conducted numerous intakes with unaccompanied children, and Catholic Charities’ Hogar Immigrant Services, where she was introduced to a wide variety of immigration cases. Prior to law school, Teresa graduated with honors from George Mason University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology – with a concentration in Childhood and Youth – and a minor in Spanish.

Sofia Lorenzo became an attorney with KIND in January 2016. Prior to joining KIND, she worked as an immigration attorney with Northern Virginia Family Service in Falls Church, Virginia, and as a Washington College of Law-J.D. Distinguished Fellow with Ayuda in Washington, D.C. Sofia received her J.D. in 2014 from the American University, Washington College of Law. She received the Dean’s Award for Professional Responsibility for her work as a student attorney with the Immigrant Justice Clinic. As a law student, Sofia interned with Ayuda, the Legal Aid Justice Center, and the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. She received her B.A. in Latin American Studies from George Mason University in 2011.

Lauren Wert is a Senior Attorney who joined the Legal Services team in December 2022. Prior to joining KIND, Lauren was both a staff attorney and pro bono coordinating attorney at Ayuda. She received her juris doctorate from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2016 and has focused her professional career on public interest. In her first year of practice, Lauren worked as the Greif Fellow in Juvenile Human Trafficking providing free legal advice and representation for survivors of trafficking. She was also an Ohio Justice For All Fellow from 2017 to 2018 who worked to build a cadre of pro bono attorneys to provide pro bono representation to children in removal proceedings in the State of Ohio. Prior to attending law school, Lauren served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, Lauren worked in a public health program in elementary schools. She received her Bachelor of Arts from James Madison University in Modern Foreign Languages in 2009.

Prior to coming to KIND, Kelly was a staff attorney at Connecticut Legal Services where she represented unaccompanied immigrant children and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in family and immigration matters. Her experience working with vulnerable client populations began during law school, when she spent two summers as a fellow at Jerome N. Frank Legal Services at Yale Law School in three clinics dealing with immigration and related matters. After clerking for the Honorable Robert E. Beach on the Connecticut Appellate Court, she continued representing low income clients as a LawyerCorps attorney at Greater Hartford Legal Aid, where she handled SSI, education, family, and immigration related matters. Kelly earned her JD from Western New England University School of Law with a concentration in criminal law. She has a BA in International Studies and Russian from Dickinson College, and is fluent in Spanish.

Reta Arbusto joined KIND as a Staff Attorney in September 2021. Prior to joining KIND, Reta was a Staff Attorney at Legal Services of Central New York for over seven years and launched an Immigrant Rights Project in 2016. Through this casework, she focused on the unique needs of children seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and disabled refugees pursuing naturalization. Reta earned her J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law in 2013. During law school, Reta interned for Human Rights Watch, a Constitutional Lawyer in Uganda, and a local NGO in rural Sierra Leone. As a student attorney in the Community Development Clinic Reta began working with local immigrant communities and was compelled to continue this work after graduation. Reta earned her B.A. from the University of Washington in 2006

Max joined KIND in June 2020. He received his J.D. from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. In law school, Max was the Editor-in-Chief of the National Security Law Journal and completed internships with the Public International Law and Policy Group and the Washington D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings. Prior to attending law school, Max taught English in Brazil and in Argentina. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2012. Max is currently pursuing a Master of International Policy and Practice at George Washington University.

Bio coming soon!

Prior to joining KIND, Hamida worked as an Investigations, White Collar, and Fraud Associate at Hogan Lovells US LLP, where she maintained an active pro bono practice representing women and children in immigration, custody, and domestic violence cases. As a first-generation American, Hamida has long been committed to empowering immigrants and refugees, including vulnerable children. She served adults and unaccompanied minors seeking immigration relief as a volunteer pro bono attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center in Virginia, and she previously managed a non-profit internship program impacting children and youth in New York City through Harvard’s Center for Public Interest Careers. Hamida clerked for a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia and a U.S. District Judge in the District of Maryland. She earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she gained experience handling wage and hour, SSI, criminal expungement, and eviction cases in Stanford’s Community Law Clinic, and served as Co-Director of the Timor-Leste Legal Education Project. Hamida also holds an A.B. in African Studies with a Secondary Field in Government from Harvard University.

Megan Cox is a Gallogly Public Interest Legal Fellow and staff attorney for KIND’s Northern Virginia office. In this role, she leads a project to develop medical-legal partnerships between KIND’s NoVA office and medical providers to address the legal and medical needs of KIND clients with disabilities or illnesses. Through this project, Megan aims to create a comprehensive referral network between legal and medical service providers, design professional and client-centered educational curricula, and represent clients with disabilities in their immigration matters. Megan originally joined KIND in the summer of 2020 as a legal intern in KIND’s then-joint DC-VA office. She earned her law degree at American University Washington College of Law (WCL) and holds a master’s degree in international affairs from American University School of International Service. At WCL, Megan was a student attorney in the International Human Rights Law Clinic and engaged in work at a variety of human rights organizations. Prior to law school, Megan graduated from Oberlin College with a bachelor’s degree in politics and Latin American studies and a concentration in peace and conflict studies.

Bio coming soon.

Esperanza Hernandez supports the Legal Services team at KIND. She joined KIND in June 2022. She graduated from Duke University with a degree in Public Policy, a certificate in Latinx Studies in the Global South, and a minor in History. Esperanza has worked with several non-profit organizations in the U.S. Southwest region to research policies about driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, higher education access for undocumented students, and sanctuary cities. Prior to KIND, Esperanza served as a college adviser in North Carolina through the College Advising Corps where she helped 200 high school seniors navigate the college application and financial aid process.

Bio coming soon!

Sixto Lazo (he/him) supports KIND’s Washington D.C. office, joining the KIND team in November of 2022 as a Paralegal. Sixto graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Homeland Security. Later, Sixto completed a Certificate in Paralegal Studies with VCU. Prior to joining KIND, Sixto has had over three years of experience serving as a teacher for unaccompanied immigrant children and adolescents at Youth for Tomorrow, a local nonprofit organization based in Northern Virginia. In his time serving as an educator, Sixto worked closely with recent child arrivals from Mexico, Central America and Afghanistan, focusing on mental health and trauma-informed methods of care to support their prior experiences when journeying to the U.S. Being raised by Salvadoran immigrant parents, Sixto has always had a passion for the defense and representation of immigrants and refugees. He supports a world in which the rights and well-being of children are protected as they migrate in search of safety. He hopes to pursue a J.D. to become an attorney in the near future.

Ingrid graduated from the University of Virginia (UVA) where she double majored in Philosophy and Foreign Affairs with an specialization in Latin America. She has been working with the migrant population in the Northern Virginia area for the last six years. She started an internship at Immigrants First where she assisted immigration attorneys with a variety of cases. Later, she joined Catholic Charities Diocese of Arlington-Hogar Immigrant Services where she started as their legal assistant and end up managing their naturalization and citizenship program. While there she received her Board of Immigration Appeals partial accreditation and most of her knowledge of immigration law. Throughout her career, Ingrid has worked with different aspects of federal and state law. Ingrid is originally from Lima, Peru and is excited to continue her work with the immigrant community at KIND.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon!