French-Speaking Attorneys

James grew up in Salem, Oregon and graduated from Sprague High School in 2007. The following years saw him serve a church service mission in Southern France, where he learned to speak French fluently and enjoyed helping others through their trials. On return he attended Brigham Young University - Idaho and obtained a bachelor’s in political science. This led him back to Salem where he attended Willamette University College of Law. During his time in law school, he worked at the Marion County District Attorney’s Office, where he was able to obtain invaluable experience in the court room representing the State of Oregon and various victims of criminal behavior. He graduated law school and joined the Oregon State Bar in 2018. James subsequently moved to California where he practiced federal consumer protection law. He has litigated and appeared before federal courts in hundreds of cases against large banking institutions and various debt collectors. He has always taken pride in representing the “little guy” and ensuring they are not taken advantage of. James returned to Salem in 2021 and has been channeling his experience into personal injury cases ever since. He continues to ensure clients obtain what is rightfully theirs due to their injuries and suffering. James lives in Salem with his wife and two sons. He enjoys spending time with them, traveling when able, camping, and catching the latest films and movies at IMAX. He also enjoys music, sports and games, including basketball and Formula 1 racing.

Zain M. Jaffry joined Sherwood Law Group in June of 2023. Born in the vibrant city of Toronto, Ontario Canada; Zain Jaffry brings a fresh and dynamic perspective to the world of law. As a young and upcoming attorney he has already made his mark as a tenacious litigator known for his unwavering dedication and relentless work ethic. Zain understands that legal matters can be incredibly daunting. His clients often describe him as a tireless advocate, always willing to go the extra mile to ensure their interests are protected. He is committed to providing his clients with the utmost care, attention, and personalized legal solutions. His approach is characterized by diligence, where no detail is too small to escape his scrutiny. He strives to make the legal process as smooth and transparent as possible, ensuring his clients are well-informed every step of the way. Zain has prosecuted cases and specializes in representation of Plaintiff’s in motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, trucking accidents, premises liability, and third party actions stemming from a work injury. Beyond the courtroom, Zain enjoys studying languages and is able to speak Urdu, Chinese, French, and is currently learning Spanish. He believes that his versatility in language not only aids him in breaking down language barriers but also fosters a deeper understanding of the unique needs and perspectives of his clients. When Zain isn't fiercely advocating for his clients, you'll often find him embracing life's adventures. He's an avid cyclist, frequently pedaling along the scenic Lakefront Trail. His passion for rock climbing and the thrill of conquering new heights keeps him grounded and motivated. On the basketball court, he showcases the same tenacity and competitiveness that make him an excellent litigator.

Partner at Mexlaw, Charles graduated from the University of Ottawa in 1982 and has been a member of the Bar of Quebec since 1983 with occasional practice at the Bar of Ontario. His career spans more than 35 years during which he has litigated civil matters before all instances in Canadian courts. Charles is also a successful entrepreneur and has participated in multiple real estate transactions and commercial negotiations. He is an Attorney and CEO of Tibshirani Avocats, a respected law firm in Montreal, Canada.

Michael LaMonica

Coral Gables, FL

Michael LaMonica heads The Alvarez Law Firm’s legal support and appellate department. He graduated in the top 5% of his class from Quinnipiac University School of Law and holds a Ph.D. in legal history from McGill University. Licensed in New York and Connecticut, he has extensive experience in brief writing and oral argument, previously serving as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Connecticut.

A. Christine Svenson

Oak Brook, IL

A. Christine Svenson is an Of Counsel attorney with over 28 years of experience in civil litigation, including family, workers’ compensation, employment, civil rights, and election law. She represents clients in federal and state courts throughout Illinois and is fluent in French, highly proficient in Spanish and Italian.

Nakissa Sedaghat

Woodland Hills, CA

Nakissa Sedaghat is a graduate of NYU School of Law, where she obtained a Master of Laws in international human rights, and she was admitted to the New York Bar. She previously obtained an LL.B. from Queen’s University Faculty of Law in Ontario, Canada, being one of the youngest law graduates there, at the age of 23. Having been educated in France and Canada, Ms. Sedaghat is fluent and bilingual in French and English. In addition, she speaks Farsi and a measure of German. An immigrant herself, Ms. Sedaghat devoted the first decade of her legal career to advocating for asylees, victims of domestic violence, and undocumented immigrants, obtaining legal status for a multitude of clients of all backgrounds. She also had the honor to make successful oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on their behalf. Thereafter, she took a sabbatical from the legal profession in order to raise a family. Pivoting to civil litigation practice, Ms. Sedaghat currently heads the motions, discovery, and pleadings department at The Law Offices of Ali Taheripour. Her guiding principles have been to achieve justice for her clients and to adhere to the Rule of Law.

Alejandra Ureta Melcon

Columbia, MD

Alejandra Ureta Melcon is an immigration attorney at Portner & Shure, P.A. Originally from Spain, she is bilingual in Spanish and English, and proficient in French. She holds a Juris Doctor from American University Washington College of Law and a Master of Arts in International Affairs with a concentration in Human Rights and Global Legal Governance. She is admitted to the District of Columbia bar and serves clients throughout the DMV area. Prior to joining Portner & Shure, Alejandra gained experience in international law and cross-border disputes at various international organizations. She is dedicated to providing strategic legal solutions and compassionate representation.

Audrey Toutain holds a Masters I in International, European and Comparative Law and a Masters II in Humanitarian Law and Action from the Faculty of Aix-en-Provence, France. She was an Associate Researcher at the Study Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Civil Security. Called to the Bar at Aix-en-Provence, she defends minors and adults in criminal law and specializes in Family Law, International Family Law, and Heritage Law. She assists clients concerning French citizens, foreigners in France, and those overseas. She speaks French, Italian, and English.

Ranee Singleton is a distinguished family law attorney and certified mediator practicing in Eastern North Carolina since 1987. She is the founder of Ranee Singleton, PLLC, and is licensed to practice in North Carolina state courts and several U.S. federal courts. She offers legal representation in family law, child custody, and mediation, with a focus on client support and achieving positive outcomes.

Nika has also had many hung juries which resulted in substantially reduced charges. Nika has also obtained dismissals of felony charges at preliminary hearing and prior to trial, as well as obtaining misdemeanor charges from serious felony charges. Nika has been married to her law partner, Bill Cummings, for twenty years. They have four children. They are members of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.

Salah Shawa

Ridgewood, NY

Salah Shawa is a dedicated personal injury attorney at Grigoropoulos Law Group, specializing in serious accidents and medical malpractice. He is known for his tough and detail-driven advocacy, handling cases from depositions to trial. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and French, and represents clients from diverse backgrounds across New York.

Arnold Luschin

McKinney, TX

Arnold Luschin is Counsel at Scott, Ray, Pemberton & Goll, representing clients in local government, civil litigation, and other areas. He previously worked as Senior Legal Counsel at Volkswagen AG in Germany from 2012 to 2024, handling procurement contracting, corporate compliance, IP litigation, and U.S. patent litigation. Before that, he was a Senior Associate at Clifford Chance in Frankfurt, Germany, from 2008 to 2012. He speaks English, German, French, and conversational Spanish.

Michael Piri

Dallas, TX

Michael Piri is a highly experienced attorney at The Piri Law Firm, known for his unwavering dedication and compassionate approach across various legal fields including immigration, divorce, criminal defense, and personal injury. He is particularly noted for his expertise in advocating for immigrant juveniles through Special Immigration Juvenile Classification, assisting families with family-based visas, and defending clients in DWI, drug possession, and personal injury cases such as truck, car, motorcycle, dog bite, slip and fall, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and paralysis. Fluent in Spanish and French, he is committed to protecting his clients' rights and securing favorable outcomes, especially within the Latino community.

James J. “Jimmy” Binns is Special Counsel at The Beasley Firm. He is known for founding the Hero Plaque program and Holiday Meals For Heroes program for fallen police officers and firefighters, and is President and CEO of the Hero Thrill Show. He has successfully handled numerous major cases and is licensed to practice in 20 states, including admission to Federal Courts in those states, the U.S. District Court for Puerto Rico, Circuit Courts of Appeals in all Eleven Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is certified as an instructor of Highway Patrol Motorcycle Police Officers and serves as Deputy Chief of the Darby Township Police Department. He speaks French, Italian, and Spanish.

Inna Nikolova

Chicago, IL

Inna Nikolova is a summa cum laude graduate from Cleveland State University (2020) and DePaul University College of Law (2024). She interned at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and clerked at a private consumer law firm. Inna focuses on personal injury law and is a member of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois. She speaks French and Bulgarian.

James Carr

Santa Ana, CA

Mr. Carr’s primary practice area is personal injury. He represents his clients with focused attention and is committed to securing the highest possible settlements. Before joining Razavi Law Group, Mr. Carr gained valuable experience working in both criminal law and immigration law. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy with an emphasis in Ethics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Following his undergraduate studies, he attended Western State University College of Law on a merit-based scholarship. During law school, Mr. Carr served as Chair of the Social Committee, where he was responsible for organizing various school-wide events. In his free time, Mr. Carr enjoys hiking, biking, and traveling.

Roberto A. Campos

San Antonio, TX

Roberto Campos is a native of Mexico City, Mexico. He graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law in the year 2018 when he was awarded as the “Outstanding LL.M. Pro-Bono Volunteer for the 2017-2018 Academic Period” in recognition of his dedication to Pro-Bono work. During law school, Roberto interned for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and assisted the legal staff with litigation and legislative matters. Prior to forming Rivera Hernandez Campos PLLC, Roberto worked as an immigration attorney for the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) at the Karnes Pro Bono Project. Roberto provided direct legal representation to families and women detained at the Karnes County Residential Center and assisted them in their deportation defense. Roberto is based out of the San Antonio office and focuses his practice on representing individuals and businesses in U.S. Immigration and Nationality law cases.

Julie C. Collange

Davie, FL

Julie C. Collange’s focus is in the area of Plaintiff’s First Party Property Damage cases, where she represents property owners against insurance companies who have wrongfully denied, delayed, or underpaid their insurance claims. Julie attended Lynn University where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, specializing in International Business and attended Nova Southeastern University where she earned her Juris Doctorate degree in law. While attending law school, Julie earned her certification as a Guardian ad Litem to advocate on behalf of children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected. In addition, she gained Florida Bar approval as a Certified Legal Intern to represent individuals under the Children and Families Clinic in partnership with the Broward Legal Aid Society. Through these programs Julie gained valuable experience handling a variety of legal issues and developed a passion for helping those in need. Julie is admitted to practice law in the state of Florida and is currently a member of the Florida Bar and Broward County Bar Association. Julie is fluent in French.

Alexandre Ballerini

Tallahassee, FL

Alexandre Ballerini is an international lawyer with prior business experience in venture capital, technology startups, e-commerce, banking, management, real estate, brokerage, finance, and development. His law practice focuses on corporate & partnership structuring, real estate transactions, international taxation, arbitration & litigation. He is fluent in Italian, French, English, and Spanish.

Diane Biron-Newsome

Santa Ana, CA

Diane Biron Newsome received her Juris Doctorate Degree from Western State University in 1992. Prior to becoming an attorney she was in banking, thereafter and while in law school she and her husband owned a retail family business. She has been with the Law Offices of Gene J. Goldsman for over twenty years and has experience in all phases of civil litigation including arbitrations and trials. She is fluent in French. She has very strong negotiations and mediations skills. Diane has brought hundreds of cases to successful settlements.

H. Xavier Carrera

Orlando, FL

H. Xavier Carrera is originally from Quito, Ecuador. He completed his undergraduate studies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. He then moved to Orlando to attend Barry University School of Law, where he was an active member of the Moot Court Honors Board. After graduating and being admitted to the Florida Bar, Xavier embarked on his legal career, practicing in immigration, foreclosure defense, family law, civil litigation, and for the past nine years, insurance law. Fluent in both Spanish and French, Xavier enjoys spending his free time with his wife and their three dogs, reading, and playing soccer.

Kate Mazdzer

Utica, NY

Kate Mazdzer, a Saranac Lake native, first joined the firm in 2025 to work with the criminal defense team as well as assist in building out the firms Real Estate Practice. Kate graduated cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law in May 2023 as a member of the Justinian Honor Society and completed the Estate Planning Curricular Program. During her last year, she practiced as a student-attorney in the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic providing critical legal representation for underserved communities. She also presented a continuing education lecture for Onondaga County planning and zoning board members on the intricate relationship between zoning codes and affordable housing. Before Law School, Kate attended St. Lawrence University, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2014. She pursued a double major in Global Studies (Political Economy concentration) and French and studied abroad in France, Senegal, Washington D.C., and Ghana. Beyond her legal pursuits, Kate enjoys spending her free time hiking, canoeing, and cross-country skiing with her partner, Dalton, and beloved golden retriever, Bindi.