English-Speaking Attorneys

Dwayne D. Kinney

Atlanta, GA

Dwayne Kinney is a dedicated and accomplished attorney specializing in workers’ compensation law in the State of Georgia. With a steadfast commitment to advocating for workers’ rights and experience taking cases to trial, Dwayne brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to every case he handles.

Katherine R. Sookhoo

Philadelphia, PA

Kate Sookhoo's practice focuses on family law and domestic relations, including complex divorce and support cases, adoptions, prenuptial agreements, contentious custody litigation, relocation cases, and Hague cases. She serves on the Board of Directors for Interfaith Philadelphia and as Director of Communication for her church.

Isak Hawkinson

St. Cloud, MN

Isak is an Associate who practices in the areas of Appeals, Litigation, and Real Estate Law. Isak’s background in land surveying and construction provides him with unique insights into the industry, enabling him to zealously advocate for his clients. He is proactive in his approach, trying to fix problems before they arise, and he strives to make things right for his clients.

Alexandra K. Taylor

Rochester, NY

Alexandra is an experienced attorney focused on the practice area of collections, including retail, commercial, credit card debt, school loans, subrogation, deficiency balances, enforcement of foreign judgment and medical debt. Prior to joining Lacy Katzen LLP, Alexandra practiced law with another firm in Rochester, New York, where she handled foreclosure and eviction matters.

IVETTE RIOS

Las Vegas, NV

Ivette is a legal assistant at Nevada Legal Group. Her unique attitude enables her to deliver honest, compassionate support to each client. Ivette is passionate about helping people and is proud to be part of a firm that strives to transform difficult situations into positive client experiences. Prior to working with our team, she worked in a managerial position at a financial institution office and has over 13 years of experience in customer service. She is an eager learner, who enjoys learning new skills and gaining new knowledge. She embodies many admirable qualities including kindness, reliability, honesty, responsibility and an appreciation for life. Ivette excels at managing a demanding workload. She meticulously organizes case files, maintains detailed calendars, and prioritizes tasks efficiently. Her organizational skills ensure that all deadlines are met, and legal matters progress smoothly. Outside of her professional life, Ivette enjoys being outdoors and spending time with her friends and family. She also likes to explore new places and try new foods.

Joanne Constantino

Rochester, NY

Joanne practices in the areas of probate, trust and estate administration, and taxes. She began her legal career as a writer and editor for West Group.

Lyliana Zamora

Austin, TX

Lyliana Zamora is a Senior Paralegal with over 10 years of experience in personal injury law, as well as family law and business litigation. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, she is passionate about advocating for clients and ensuring their cases are handled properly. She enjoys being the voice for those who feel unheard.

Percy Martinez Esq.

Miami, FL

Percy Martinez Esq. began his career over 20 years ago, working with former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. He is known for his fervent advocacy for clients' rights and a strong success rate, aiming to achieve substantial monetary awards through trial or settlement. He has represented clients in complex legal cases nationwide in state and federal courts in Florida.

Sandra Navidi

New York, NY

Sandra Navidi is admitted to practice law in Germany and New York. She holds a law degree from the University of Cologne School of Law and an LL.M. in Banking Corporate and Finance Law from Fordham University School of Law. She also passed the tax lawyer's exam in Germany. Ms. Navidi specializes in alternative investments, corporate, tax, and regulatory law, and cross-border business transactions. She is the founder and CEO of BeyondGlobal, LLC, and previously served as Director of Research Strategies and Senior Relationship Manager at Roubini Global Economics. She is a frequent commentator on financial markets and author of '$uperHubs: How the Financial Elite and their Networks Rule Our World'.

Kegan A. McMullan

Las Vegas, NV

Kegan A. McMullan, Esq. is a personal injury attorney at De Castroverde Accident & Injury Lawyers. A Texas native, he has resided in Las Vegas since 2013. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Hardin-Simmons University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He earned his Juris Doctor with honors from the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV, receiving numerous awards for academic excellence and community service. Kegan is proud of working full-time throughout his academic career. He is an avid sports fan of the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Longhorns, and Vegas Golden Knights, and enjoys spending time with his family and dogs, working out, volunteering, and admiring vintage vehicles.

Stephanie Perez

Los Angeles, CA

With a decade experience in the legal industry, Stephanie is the Director of Operations and Litigation Manager at Venerable Injury Law. As the frontline manager of administrative operations and primary support for litigation, Stephanie is enthusiastically driven to streamline administrative and legal processes with technology in order to promote transparency, efficiency, security, and effectiveness of said processes within the firm. Utilizing her background in Business Administration and Information Systems Security, Stephanie has the ability to identify deficiencies within standard business operations and implement solutions to address specific problems. This expertise allows her to run a tight ship in order to better serve the clients at the firm. In addition, her paralegal background allows her to provide litigation support, including tasks such as research, drafting, filing, calendar management, scheduling and of counsel communications, as necessary. Through the knowledge and experience Stephanie has gained at Venerable Injury Law, having served in roles including litigation support, litigation paralegal, operations assistant, litigation manager and director of operations, she has developed a unique perspective into the personal injury industry, which is often misunderstood due to its complexity and the guarded nature of the parties involved. Accordingly, Stephanie is dedicated to the vision of continuing to evolve Venerable Injury Law as a pioneer in implementing technological solutions that are scalable and accessible with the goal of helping underserved communities.

Chevera Blakemore is a family law attorney at Guest & Gray, committed to helping parents achieve the best resolution for their family law issues. She graduated from Texas A&M University and earned her J.D. from the University of Arkansas. She practiced family law in Arkansas and founded The Blakemore Law Firm in Dallas before joining Guest & Gray in November 2024.

Andrew Lawhon

Spokane Valley, WA

Andrew Lawhon, recruited from Vancouver, Washington, previously served as a judge pro tem for five years. He has extensive trial experience, having led counsel in over a hundred trials as a senior supervising attorney at a criminal defense firm. He attended Gonzaga for his undergraduate studies and is fluent in Vietnamese. Andrew is passionate about advocating for marginalized individuals and focuses on court and trial matters at Albrecht Law Firm. He was drawn to Spokane Valley for its quality of life, including short commutes and access to golf and fly fishing.

John Kellner

Greenwood Village, CO

John Kellner recently served as the elected District Attorney for Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties, responsible for seeking justice for over 1.1 million Coloradans. A highly accomplished lawyer with unique trial experience and elite skills, he handled complex and prominent cold cases. He is recognized as the state's top prosecutor and by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers for holding reckless drivers accountable. John is passionate about defending those harmed, including in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. A U.S. Marine Corps and Afghanistan War veteran, he served as a military prosecutor, operational law attorney, and Special Assistant United States Attorney. He continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves. John graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder School of Law.

Luigi Belcastro, Esq. is a Partner in the firm and an experienced Criminal Attorney, spending more than 12 years as a Suffolk County District Attorney from 2008-2020. As a prosecutor, Mr. Belcastro successfully prosecuted thousands of cases. He was well respected for his abilities and repeatedly promoted. As a result of his successes, he was assigned to the Enhanced Prosecution Bureau in Riverhead, where he handled serious and high-publicity felony criminal cases. His experience includes prosecuting organized crime and gang activity, assault, counterfeit currency, prostitution, gun-related offenses, and murder cases. As a prosecutor, Mr. Belcastro conducted a wide diversity and a significant number of jury trials. Since joining our firm in 2019, Mr. Belcastro has concentrated on serious criminal defense cases as well as civil litigation. He has conducted numerous DWI and other criminal and traffic trials on behalf of the firm, bringing his considerable experience and his passion to fight hard for each client he represents. Mr. Belcastro handles most of the firm’s felonies and trials throughout Suffolk, Nassau, and the five boroughs.

Nikki Miller

Houston, TX

Nikki is a West Texas native and grew up in Spearman, a small farming community north of Amarillo. She is a Texas Tech alumna, completing both her Bachelor of Arts and Doctorate of Jurisprudence degrees at the university. During her undergraduate time at Tech, Nikki studied abroad in Spain and spent time traveling throughout Western Europe. Nikki was admitted to the Texas College of Pro Bono during law school for her dedication in providing pro bono assistance to Texans in need. Additionally, Nikki interned at the office of House Representative Gilbert Peña where she reviewed bills and responded to constituent concerns and participated in Tech Law’s Regional Externship Program where she interned for the in-house counsel of Interstate Batteries in Dallas. Prior to joining Abbott, Clay & Bedoy, Nikki was a mediator at the Office of Dispute Resolution in Lubbock, where she mediated employment issues, DA referrals, family matters, juvenile infractions, and pre-plea agreements. At Abbott, Clay & Bedoy, she advocates on behalf of injured Texas workers in their effort to receive the medical care and income benefits that they deserve. Nikki is passionate about her clients’ rights and will be a zealous advocate of yours. As a respected member of the legal community, you can trust her to keep your best interests at heart and treat you with the utmost professionalism.

Rick Guerra

Houston, TX

With an education and professional background in computer information systems, accounting, business, and law, Rick has devoted his time, energy, and resources to assisting clients (real estate brokers, agents, mortgage brokers, investors, homeowners) with their real estate needs. Rick handles matters ranging from million-dollar property disputes/litigation to owner-financing transactions. Mr. Guerra recently won 2 appeals at the Texas 1st Court of Appeals representing a homeowner against fraudulent robo-signing (banks rubber stamping foreclosure documents without authority) and for a wrongful foreclosure case involving a loan modification. For business related matters, Rick uses his education in accounting (CPA license in the near future) and experience as a business owner to help clients with entity formation, taxation, dissolution, and litigation matters. Rick has handled many business owner disputes and dissolutions ranging from thousands of dollars to multi-year million matters. Mr. Guerra’s “of counsel” association with the Giron Kirby Law Group allows it to coordinate comprehensive legal services for its clients in the fields of real estate, business, and litigation.

Yenny Lavin joined KLS Law in October 2019 and has over 10 years of experience in Personal Injury, Office Administration, and Customer Service. As the Office Manager and Senior Litigation Paralegal, she provides personal attention to clients, ensures constant communication, and supports attorneys in all aspects of litigation from case commencement to trials. Yenny graduated from Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. She is fluent in both Spanish and English.

Silvia Surdez, a member of the New York Bar since 1993, brings over 30 years of legal experience to her clients. She holds a Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law and is fluent in Spanish and English, allowing her to serve a diverse clientele effectively.

Angelika Laich

New York, NY

Angelika Laich is a Senior Attorney with Urban Thier & Federer, P.A., based in the Munich office. Her practice focuses on corporate law, inheritance law (including estate tax matters), and real estate law (including residential and commercial landlord-tenant law). She has a long-standing client base of private individuals, family businesses, and small to medium-sized companies. She is a member of the German Bar and the German Attorney Association, admitted to practice in Germany since 1987. She is fluent in English and German.

Esteban Contreras

Austin, TX

Esteban Contreras was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. He graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in Economics and a minor in Philosophy. He then attended Arizona Summit Law School, graduating in two years. He is licensed to practice law in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. He speaks Spanish fluently.

Ellen O’Connell is Of Counsel to the firm. She has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1983, and has wide experience advising employers and individuals in labor and employment matters. Ms. O’Connell represents clients before State and federal courts, governmental agencies and in private arbitration. Ms. O’Connell provides day-to-day human resource counseling to a variety of private and public employers concerning all aspects of State and federal employment laws. She advises clients with regard to issues relating to discrimination, harassment, leaves of absence, wrongful discharge, wage and hour laws, restrictive covenants and unfair competition, and assists employers with drafting and revising employment policies and personnel policy manuals. Ms. O’Connell has advised colleges, churches, seminaries, non-profit agencies and several New Jersey municipalities on labor and employment matters and has represented them in actions in State and federal court and before the National Labor Relations Board. Her practice includes representation of religious organizations in matters involving employment and resolution of disputes concerning polity and governance. She also counsels executives about employment agreements, compensation, severance and non-compete agreements. Ms. O’Connell regularly conducts internal investigations for employers into claims of unlawful harassment, discrimination and other allegations of workplace misconduct. Ellen has lectured for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), Employers Association of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. She has been appointed to three New Jersey Supreme Court Committees in matters related to attorney advertising, employment law and pro bono court assignments. Ms. O’Connell has served as pro bono counsel to non-profit organizations that support employment and residences to the developmentally disabled; served as trustee, officer, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Community Health Law Project, and as a trustee of the Girl Scouts of Rolling Hills Council. Ms. O’Connell has been a trustee of the New Jersey State Bar Association where she served in numerous leadership positions, including the office of Chairman of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee and the Professional Responsibility Committee and a founder of the State Bar Pro Bono Committee. She also served as an officer and trustee of the New Jersey State Bar Foundation. Additionally, she served as a Trustee of the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey at Drew University. A cum laude graduate in Philosophy from Boston College, she received her Juris Doctorate from the Seton Hall University of Law. Ellen is involved with the sport of pure-bred dogs and is the Secretary of the Somerset Hills Kennel Club. She is also an Elder of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church in Liberty Corner, Bernards Township, New Jersey.

Joe Glenn Kahla

Jasper, TX

Joe Glenn Kahla was born in Jasper, Texas, on January 3, 1974. He was admitted to the Texas bar in 2000 and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas. He received his B.B.A. from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1996 and his J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law at San Antonio in 2000.