Our Washington, DC and Northern Virginia Team

Prior to joining KIND in September 2016 as a Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney, Andrea spent six years as a Litigation and Trial Associate at Latham & Watkins, LLP where she maintained an active pro bono immigration practice representing detained and non-detained clients in affirmative applications and petitions, removal proceedings, and appeals before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Immigration Courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals. While at Latham, Andrea served as Pro Bono Liaison to the Tahirih Justice Center where she was a full-time volunteer Immigration and Public Policy Attorney from 2009-2010. Andrea received her J.D., summa cum laude from American University’s Washington College of Law and her master’s degree in International Policy from the School of International Service in 2009. In law school, Andrea worked as a Research Associate for the Public International Law and Policy Group and interned with Women for Women International. Prior to law school, Andrea worked at the District of Columbia’s Office of Administrative Hearings. She holds a B.A. in International Relations from Duke University.

Prior to joining KIND, Laura was a freelance photographer and a regular volunteer with CAIR Coalition’s Detained Adult Program at Farmville Immigrant Detention Facility. She is currently a Wolcott Foundation Fellow at George Washington University, where she is pursuing her Master’s Degree in International Affairs. Focusing on Central America’s Northern Triangle region and Mexico, she specializes in migration, human security, and gender policy. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Photography and Imaging at New York University and minored in Latin American Studies. After completing her undergraduate studies, Laura was the Digital Media Coordinator at the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics at NYU from 2012-2016. Laura is also a devoted teacher and loves working with children; she taught English at a border school in the Dominican Republic, and in New York, she taught free photography courses to NYC high school students at International Center of Photography and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. After completing her Master’s program, Laura hopes to pursue a law degree to continue advocating for immigrants’ and children’s rights.

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.

Prior to her current role, Claudia worked in private law firms and corporations focusing her career in real estate law and litigation. She volunteered her time to local legal aid organizations, assisting primarily with DACA and citizenship applications. As a direct representation attorney with KIND, Claudia dedicates her full attention to directly representing children in immigration proceedings. Claudia earned her Juris Doctor in 2011 from the University of Maryland School of Law and earned her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Marymount University. During law school, Claudia worked as a congressional legal fellow at the U.S. House of Representatives, where she was awarded a Certificate of Congressional Recognition. Claudia speaks English and Spanish and is licensed to practice law in Virginia, D.C., and New Jersey. She resides in Fairfax, VA with her three children and husband.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

bio coming soon

Becca spent over a decade in federal service with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security working on and adjudicating many different immigration cases and forms for relief. In her federal role, she became a subject matter expert in human trafficking, U visas, asylum, and employment-based immigration. She has advocated on behalf of immigrants on the County, state, and federal government levels and presented regarding human trafficking, immigration, and other topics to faith and community groups throughout Maryland. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law where she also earned a Master’s in European Studies in addition to her JD and of the University of North Carolina where she majored in international studies and minored in the Russian language. She clerked with the Hon. Ellen Hollander at the Maryland Court of Special Appeals (now with the U.S. District Court for Maryland) following law school.

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.

Prior to joining KIND, Jessalyn worked in Boston as a court-appointed attorney for children and parents involved in child protection proceedings, students facing school offender and truancy petitions, and adults in mental health guardianship and commitment cases. Through her casework, Jessalyn was able to familiarize herself with reporting procedures for allegations of child abuse and neglect, services focused on reunification and permanency, and the difficulties faced by families and children in obtaining supports. Jessalyn was selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for the Boston area in 2018. Jessalyn is active in other professional organizations, serving in varying capacities for the Washington Council of Lawyers and writing Practice Point pieces for the American Bar Association’s Children’s Rights Litigation Committee related to child welfare and education topics. Jessalyn is a DC-area native and earned her JD from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. She has a BA in Communication Arts and Sciences with a minor in Business from Pennsylvania State University.

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.

Marlena Rubenstein recently graduated with honors from American University in Washington, DC with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Psychology and a minor in Spanish Language. Her senior capstone project focused on improving the educational opportunities for high school students in DC’s least advantaged Wards. She has a well-established devotion to helping improve the lives of underprivileged children, with extra-curricular and work experience focusing in educational equality for girls and children of low-income families. Previously, Marlena worked in several countries throughout Central and Latin America teaching students K-12 in both English and Spanish classes. Dividing her time between KIND’s DC and Northern Virginia field offices, Marlena is excited for the opportunity to work with and learn from the communities in the DC Metro Area. She is fluent in Spanish.

Bio coming soon