PHILIPPINE

Maeve Bennett

Killeen, TX

Maeve Bennett is an international attorney admitted to practice law in New York, Washington, Texas, and the Republic of the Philippines. She obtained her Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Washington, Seattle, and her law degree from San Beda University. She is fluent in English, Tagalog, and Ilocano. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Military Spouses JD Network, and American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Angeli Swinamer

Halifax, NS

Angeli earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines. Before pursuing law, she graduated magna cum laude from the same university with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. In 2010, she was admitted to the Philippine Bar and practiced law at a firm in Davao City, Philippines. Originally from the Philippines, Angeli joined MacGillivray Law in 2011 as a Research Analyst and Intake Specialist before completing her articles in 2016. Initially settling in Halifax, she now embraces the peaceful charm of countryside living in Pictou County, where she resides with her husband and three children. Angeli serves as the oversight lawyer of the Intake Team and is the Managing Partner at MacGillivray Law, playing a vital role in guiding potential clients to the right lawyer and ensuring they receive the help they need. She is deeply committed to helping clients navigate difficult situations, particularly those who have been injured in accidents or denied long-term disability benefits. Angeli has represented clients before the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, demonstrating her commitment to guiding them through the legal process and ensuring they obtain the recourse they are entitled to.

Maria Luz J. Manlapaz

Maria Luz Manlapaz has been practicing law since 1989. Her diversified law practice covers several aspects of litigation: civil, criminal, business, special proceedings, special civil actions, family disputes, annulment of marriages, separation of property, labor, tax, immigration and special laws. After passing the Philippine Bar, she first worked as law clerk for Justice Florentino P. Feliciano, at the Supreme Court of the Philippines, where she helped write landmark decisions for the Court.

Verdie Atienza

Fresno, CA

Verdie J. Atienza is a Senior Attorney with 10 years of solid experience with employment-based and family-based petitions. He is a dual qualified lawyer in the State of New York and in the Philippines and is qualified to practice immigration law in any state of the U.S. For employment-based petitions, he has worked mostly on E-1 Treaty Trader, E-2 Treaty Investor visa applications and L-1 intracompany petitions for executives, managers and specialized knowledge employees. He has also worked on employment-based petitions for multinational managers and executives to allow them to obtain permanent residency in the U.S. Verdie evaluates the credentials of prospective applicants and beneficiaries to determine best nonimmigrant or immigrant visa options for them. He closely works with company executives, managers and entrepreneurs to determine the best strategy to attain their goals. In his years of practice, he has dealt with numerous U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world and has gained significant knowledge of the guidelines and procedures that are unique for each embassy/conulate. Verdie has strong interest in various immigration issues as a first generation immigrant himself. He first gained experience when he personally handled his own adjustment of status application. Upon his admission to New York State Bar in 2014, he started giving pro-bono legal advice on immigration to members of the Filipino community in the US and handled immigration cases of family members. Prior to moving to the US, Verdie was a public defender in the Philippines and staunchly protected the constitutional rights of indigents. He effected the speedy release of long-term detainees by filing releases on recognizance motions and directed verdicts. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree (Major in Political Science) from Ateneo de Manila University and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of the City of Manila (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila). Verdie is fluent in English and Filipino (Tagalog).

Divina Flores

Divina “Divine” Flores is originally from Cebu, Philippines. She is a graduate of Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication in her home country. In June 2023 she also graduated in Business Administration Marketing program at New Brunswick Community College in Moncton. Before moving to Canada with her family, she spent several years working in the media as a Field Reporter, News Director for Radio, and News Manager for catholic television. However, while she was in court covering one of the most well-known cases, she was motivated to pursue a career in law by witnessing the solicitors in action. She eventually became a lawyer and was admitted to the bar in April 2010. She gained experience working for a few years at the Durano Law firm and later establishing her own law office in the Philippines. She assisted hundreds of clients and handled civil cases. Her most notable accomplishment was getting child-related lawsuits or petitions approved by the court. Divina joined the CLG Injury Law to pursue her interest in assisting individuals with legal problems and to continue her legal career as well. During her free time, she loves to spend quality time with her husband and two children by going to church, and parks, by cooking, and baking. She also serves at St. Augustine Catholic Church as a lector and member of the choir.