MARGARET W - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Cleveland, Ohio / Head, Waivers Department / Head, Trauma Unit
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner at Margaret W. Wong & Associates
Allison Chan is an immigration attorney and Partner at Margaret W. Wong & Associates, LLC. She is Managing Attorney at the law firm's Raleigh, NC Immigration Law office. Her practice includes representing clients in all aspects of immigration with a focus on asylum, removal and deportation defense, complex family-based visa issues, motion practice before the Board of Immigration Appeals, and federal judicial review. She has successfully reopened final orders of removal/deportation, and represented hundreds of clients at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offices around the country for visa petition, adjustment of status and naturalization interviews. She is passionate about the rights of undocumented people and committed to helping individuals seek and maintain lawful status and citizenship in the U.S.
Prior to opening and managing the law firm's Raleigh, NC office, Ms. Chan worked in the firm's Cleveland, Ohio headquarters for several years and then went on to manage the law firm's Chicago office.
Ms. Chan obtained her J.D. from the University of Buffalo Law School, SUNY. She was awarded the Barbara and Thomas Wolfe Human Rights Fellowship in 2009, which sponsored her work at the Kenya Human Rights Institute in Nairobi, Kenya. She was a submissions editor on the Human Rights Law Review. Prior to joining Margaret W. Wong & Associates, LLC, Ms. Chan clerked for Hon. Michael A. Telesca at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, and interned at the Federal Public Defender in Cleveland, Ohio. Ms. Chan worked as an assistant editor of "Criminal Law Slanguage of New York," Glen Edward Murary and Gary Muldoon (5th Ed. 2012).
Ms. Chan is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey, and before the U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey.
In her spare time, Ms. Chan enjoys spending time with her husband, their dog, and her horses.
Education
University at Buffalo Law School, Buffalo, New York
J.D. - 2011
Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
Ana was born in Venezuela, where she got a psychology degree in 2017. She has been living in Cleveland, Ohio, for four years. In 2020, Ana studied English as a second language at Cuyahoga Community College. She assists attorneys and paralegals.
Anas Saleh Esq., a top-rated attorney from Syracuse, New York, provides legal representation in immigration. Anas Saleh was selected to Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2016 - 2022. He is admitted to practice before the courts in New York.
After completing undergraduate studies, Anas Saleh attended law school at Syracuse University College of Law, where he earned a juris doctor degree in 2011. Anas Saleh was admitted to the practice of law in 2012.
Education
Syracuse University College of Law, Syracuse, New York
J.D. - 2011
Bethany assists the legal department in Cleveland. Bethany studied theology at Instituto Biblico Palabra de Vida, in Argentina, and lived in Ciudad Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. Bethany speaks Spanish and English.
Brian Marek is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University where he obtained a BA in philosophy. Joining the Cleveland Immigration Law Office in 2002, he is employed as a paralegal. He works on non-immigrant petitions and visas such as H-1B and B-1/B-2 extensions. Brian also prepares and files N-400's, US Passport applications, Permanent labor certifications, J-1 Waivers, I-601 Waivers, and I-212 Applications.
Cecilia Wong holds an MBA, and is in the accounting department in our Cleveland Immigration Law office.
Chunli Wu works in the New York immigration Law office and handles packet 3 and 4 cases and I-130's. She is fluent in Chinese and English.
Claudia works in Columbus Immigration Law office. as a bilingual paralegal (Spanish-English), she works closely with our attorneys preparing different applications and petitions and helps Ms. Wong with clients during their consultation. Claudia graduated from CENHIES Law School in Mexico and practiced law in several jobs in Mexico such as Public Ministry Agent at the Attorney General Office of the Hidalgo State, she also worked as Litigation Attorney in agrarian law, and she worked for the Superior Court of Justice of the State of Hidalgo. Here in the US she worked as a Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Specialist for The Ohio Hispanic Coalition. Since her passion is helping to the Latino Community who lives in the United States, she has performed professional speeches to prevent child sexual abuse, and on April 2019 founded Ámate Training LLC, providing human development workshops in Spanish. She loves spending time with her little daughter Katherine and her family.
Delitza Nieves joins our Cleveland office as a translator. A native of Westlake, Ohio, Delitza obtained her BA in Spanish with a minor in Political Science at the College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio, and an MA in interpreting and translation services at Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC, where she also worked as a medical translator and interpreter at the Community Care Center. Delitza is fluent in Spanish and English.
Emily Mark is fluent in Cantonese and English. Emily assists attorneys in our Cleveland Immigration Law office.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner at Margaret W. Wong & Associates
Fabiola Cini, a Partner at Margaret W. Wong & Associates, LLC, received her Law Degree from The University of Tirana Law School in Tirana, Albania in 1997, and her Master's Degree from the Magistrates' School in Tirana in 2000. She served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Court of First Instance in Tirana, Albania from 1998-1999 and was thereafter appointed as a judge for the Fier Court of First Instance in Albania where she worked for about three years before she and her family moved to the United States. While attending the Magistrates' School and working as a Judge in Albania, Mrs. Cini completed several training courses offered by various organizations in Europe such as the European Council of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France; Judicial institutions in Stuttgart, Germany; Zurich, Switzerland; the Legionowo Academy in Poland and the Superior International Institute of Criminal Sciences in Syracuse, Italy with focus on Human Rights, judicial system and fighting against organized crimes. In addition, she participated in professional enhancement programs and obtained certifications in the field of International Secured Transactions, International Public and Trade Law.
Mrs. Cini joined the firm and became part of our litigation support team in 2005. Having completed an LL.M law degree at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 2013, she passed the Ohio Bar in 2014, and joined the firm as an associate attorney. Long familiar with Fabiola Cini's excellence in case management and client communications, Margaret W. Wong was pleased to invite her to shareholder status in 2016. Ms. Cini represents clients in asylum cases, family-based applications, she is part of the litigation team and office management.
She is an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Mrs. Cini serves as Treasurer for AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association) Ohio Chapter Executive Committee and as Ohio Chapter AILA asylum liaison.
Education
University of Tirana School of Law
Law Degree - 1997
Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland, Ohio
LL.M. - 05/2013
Various training seminars and certifications
Florence Vigneau is a paralegal in our Atlanta Immigration Law office with 15 years' experience with the firm. She has a Masters in Law, Business, and International Affairs from Toulouse, France, and is fluent in French, Spanish, and English.
Gargi is a Paralegal in our New York immigration Law office. Gargi is fluent in English, Gujarati, and Hindi, and conversational in Punjabi. She has a background in financial software analysis.
Gordon Landefeld manages the firm's marketing, IT, and security, and responds to online customer requests through social media, and complaints as ombudsman. He writes press releases and blogs; negotiates and places print, online, and radio ads; coordinates IT support; and oversees SEO, reputation management, and online services for the firm. Gordon works out of our Cleveland Immigration Law office.
Grecia Robles is a legal assistant and translator. Grecia is fluent in Spanish and English. Grecia assists in other offices as needed in our Cleveland Immigration Law office.
Hannie works part time in our Cleveland Intake Department and assists with the Mail Team. Hannie is bilingual in Spanish.
Haydee Murillo helps in our Cleveland Immigration Law office. She is fluent in Tagalog and English.
Hilary was born in China and attended Xi'an International Studies University. She currently is in our Columbus Immigration Law office where she updates our Chinese web site, answers our on-line messages, schedules consultations and does intake. She is fluent in Chinese and English.
Illona works in our accounts receivable and billing department for all of our offices. She also oversees the day to day operations in the Cleveland Immigration Law office. She studied accounting at Cuyahoga Community College and has been working for our firm for 15 years. Ilona was born in Poland and is fluent in Polish and English.
Jessica works in the reception area handling client telephone calls and intake in our Cleveland Immigration Law office. She is fluent in both Spanish and English.
Jesus works in our accounting department in our Cleveland Immigration Law office. He is fluent in Spanish and English.
Joe speaks Spanish and English and works on the Cleveland Intake team.
Job Titles:
- Partner in Charge - New York Office
Joyce has practiced public accounting in the Cleveland immigration Law office area for 30 years, specializing in professional and high net worth individuals. Joyce has been the CPA for Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC, since its inception. She has watched and aided the firm in its growth and expansion and maintained a deep relationship with Ms. Wong and her entire family. Thus, the opportunity to become the CFO of the corporation was an easy step.
Jury speaks Russian and English and helps the attorneys in the Cleveland Immigration Law office.
Kathy is our HR and General Manager. With bachelor's degrees in business administration and human resources from David N. Myers College, Kathy achieved her MBA at Lake Erie College. Kathy has two dogs and enjoys reading.
Kwasi Bediako is an immigration attorney at Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC. Born and raised in Ghana, Kwasi attended Achimota Senior High and spent a year studying Political Science in the University of Ghana in Accra. In Ghana, Kwasi worked as Financial Advisor at African Wealth Ltd. Kwasi moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he pursued an Accounting degree at Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State University. While in Cuyahoga Community College, Kwasi served as the Treasurer for the Phi Tetha Kappa Honors Society and was awarded the Student Leadership Award. While working on his associates degree in accounting in Cleveland, he joined Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC as an accountant in 2014. As his responsibilities expanded at the law firm to include assisting with assembling legal documents for attorneys, Kwasi entered Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law to pursue a joint JD and MBA degree, which he completed in May 2022. Kwasi immediately undertook studying for the State of Ohio Bar examination, which he took in July 2022. He passed the bar examination and was admitted to the Bar of Ohio on November 14, 2022.
With interests in business and entrepreneurship, and experience in Immigration and Family law, Kwasi is eager to work as an attorney helping clients with immigration needs and at immigration court. Kwasi is fluent in English and Twi.
Education
Cleveland State University
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Accounting - 2017
University of Ghana
Associate of Arts Degree - Political Science - 2012
Cuyahoga Community College
Lani works in the reception area in our Cleveland Immigration Law office and handles client telephone calls. She is fluent in Chinese and English.
Leo Shipcka is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University where he obtained a BA in Business Administration / Finance and earned an MBA with an emphasis in Finance in 2004. Joining the Firm in 2005 he has worked directly with Ms. Wong in assisting our clients in the Cleveland, Nashville, Chicago Immigration Law offices as needed. Leo was born in Tirana, Albania, and is fluent in Albanian and English.
Leslie Tejada works in reception and as a legal assistant and translator. She is fluent in Spanish and English. Based in our Cleveland Immigration Law office, Leslie assists in other offices as needed.
Liliana works in our Columbus Immigration Law Office in the reception area as legal assistant and translator. Liliana is fluent in Spanish and English.
Lily works in Reception handling client telephone calls and intake in our Cleveland Immigration Law office. She is fluent in English and Chinese.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Leader
- Managing Partner
- Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law at Case Western Reserve University Law School
Margaret W. Wong, an award-winning practicing immigration lawyer, born in Hong Kong, is founder and managing partner of Margaret W. Wong & Associates, LLC, with offices in nine cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Nashville, New York, and Raleigh. Margaret W. Wong is celebrating her fortieth year and the beginning of her fifth decade in immigration and nationality law, and legal practice management.
Author of the book The Immigrant's Way, which is available in English, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish; on Kindle and in paperback, and with more than 40,000 copies in print, Margaret Wong built her immigration law firm from one desk and no secretary to a nationally recognized force with offices in nine cities and over 60 employees.
Adjunct professor of immigration law at Case Western Reserve University Law School, Margaret Wong is also a National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Trailblazer, was listed in US News & World Reports' Best Lawyers, enjoys a "Preeminent AV" rating by Martindale Hubbell, and was appointed by The Ohio Supreme Court as charter member of the Continuing Legal Education Commission for Attorneys.
She is life member of the Federal US 6th Circuit, 8th Judicial Ohio District, is a board member of the State of New York at Buffalo Foundation and the Law School Board, her alma mater, board member of the Cleveland State University Foundation, and of the Tri-C Foundation Board; and is a life member of the Ohio State Bar Foundation and the Federal Bar Association. She sits on Senator Sherrod Brown's Ad Hoc Committee on Selecting US Marshals and US Attorneys in the Southern District of Ohio. She has helped hundreds and thousands of foreign born obtain their Green Cards and US citizenship, and fight deportation. She is past President of the Federal Bar Association Northern District of Ohio.
For decades, Margaret Wong has helped employers obtain work permits for their executives and has assisted thousands of people in coming to the United States to become permanent residents, advance their educations, work, and pursue opportunities. Her clients come from every country around the world, from every walk of life, and range from governmental and corporate to ordinary people. The law firm's talented team handles every kind of immigration problem; its staff is multilingual, with proficiency in languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Spanish, Russian and Albanian. Executives and large law firms seek her help when they have tough immigration problems. She is known for speed, quality, honesty, and persistence.
She has won numerous awards, including two for philanthropy - the Margaret Ireland Award from the Cleveland Women's City Club and the 1997 Creative Philanthropy Award from the Women's Community Foundation. Crain's Cleveland Business has named her to their "Women of Influence" list and Cleveland Magazine has included her with its "Most Interesting People." Margaret Wong also received the highly coveted Ellis Island Medal of Honor in May 1998 for her outstanding achievements and contributions to the multicultural fabric of the United States. She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 2000. Other honors and awards include an Outstanding Alumni Award from State University of New York at Buffalo, Kent State University's Social Responsibility Award, and the Leadership Award from the United Black Fund. Her work has also earned her recognition in books such as Profiles of Ohio Women 1803-2003 and People: Cleveland's Most Valuable Resource, Millennium Edition. Margaret is also an Urban League Board Member and VP.
Margaret Wong is a civic leader who educates and inspires others. While she was serving as the first Asian-American president of the Cleveland Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the Cleveland chapter won the coveted Chapter Activity Award. She has presented numerous seminars on immigration and naturalization law for bar associations and the public.
Committed to giving something back to the community and to mentoring young professionals, Ms. Wong has volunteered her time and expertise on boards of diverse organizations, including Notre Dame College, Cuyahoga Community College Foundation, Northeast Ohio Commission on Higher Education, Cleveland Bar Foundation, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Asian Bar Association, Town Hall, University Hospitals Health System, St. Vincent Hospital Health Care System, United Way Services, and the Cleveland State University and Case Western Reserve University Law School Advisory Boards. Ms. Wong is also a life member of both the Eighth Judicial District Court and the Federal Sixth Circuit Court.
Ms. Wong is admitted for practice in Ohio, New York, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
Education
State University of New York, Buffalo School of Law, Buffalo, New York
J.D. - 1976
Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois
B.S. - 1973
Mary Kay is our document management specialist. Based in our Cleveland Immigraiton Law office, she also coordinates executive transportation.
Michael is our community liaison. He attends and writes about various ethnic festivals and chambers of commerce and community events for our Out & About blog for our Cleveland Immigration Law Office
Nour Chammas is an immigration attorney at Margaret W. Wong & Associates, LLC. Based out of the Cleveland, Ohio office, Mr. Chammas handles different types of immigration cases with a focus on removal defense, appearing in immigration court in various different locations, including Cleveland, Detroit, and Atlanta.
Mr. Chammas brings with him 13 years of immigration law experience, having practiced in Ohio, Michigan, and California. Prior to joining Margaret W. Wong & Associates, LLC, Mr. Chammas ran his own practice, handling cases in Cleveland and Detroit.
In Detroit, he represented members of the Hamama vs. Adducci class, successfully reopening immigration court cases for Iraqi nationals who were under imminent threat of deportation. In California, Mr. Chammas provided free immigration legal services to low-income members of the community while working at the Arab Resource and Organizing Center in San Francisco. He also practiced in Los Angeles where he gained invaluable experience in immigration court litigation. Mr. Chammas has successfully helped numerous clients obtain relief from deportation in the form of asylum, cancellation of removal, adjustment of status, and other applications before the immigration court.
As an immigrant himself, Mr. Chammas is passionate about immigration law with a strong desire to offer help to immigrant families that would have to go through the same struggles his family did.
Education
Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California
Juris Doctor - 2005
Job Titles:
- Charter Member, Continuing Legal Education Commission for Attorneys
Regina works in our accounting department and helps as a translator in our Cleveland Immigration Law office. She is fluent in Spanish and English.
Job Titles:
- Senior Litigation Associate
Job Titles:
- Senior Litigation Associate
Rosa works in the reception area handling client telephone calls and intake in our Cleveland Immigration Law office. She is fluent in both Spanish and English.
Within a few years of arriving in the USA, Sanjay was managing businesses in New York. Today, a business owner with a portfolio of holdings in southern Ohio and Kentucky, Sanjay has joined Margaret W. Wong & Associates as Community Liaison. Sanjay is very passionate about helping people, and works directly under Ms. Wong to identify and sign immigration clients from around the world.
Stella works in our accounts payables department in our Cleveland Immigration Law office.
Job Titles:
- Attorney and Partner at Margaret
- Partner, Director of Strategy and Operations
Steven Chan, attorney and Partner at Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC, is the Director of Strategy and Operations. He supports various aspects of the firm's operations, including marketing, technology, finance, and analytics. He is responsible for the firm's systems and processes and ensures that all associates and staff have the tools and support they need to serve the firm's clients.
Steven has over a decade of experience in strategy and operations. He was a consultant at Ernst & Young in their Advisory and Performance Improvement group. He was also a Manager at Deloitte in the Consulting practice, focusing on Strategy and Operations. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies in the media, technology, and pharmaceutical industries.
Education
Case Western Reserve University Law School, Cleveland, Ohio
With a Bachelor of Law from Shatt Al Arab University College, Basrah, Iraq, Tahani was Partner in two law offices in Iraq, representing civilians in civil and criminal proceedings, and Kuwaiti and Emirati businesses expanding into Syria. Before moving to the USA in 2014, Tahani was Court Appointed Attorney to the Basrah State Courts. In the US, Tahani has been an interpreter, family advocate and paralegal for numerous immigration matters. Tahani is bilingual in Arabic.
Tatiana works in the reception area handling client telephone calls and intake in our Cleveland Immigration Law office. She is fluent in both Spanish and English.
Vicky works in the reception area handling client telephone calls and intake in our Cleveland Immigration Law office. She is fluent in both Chinese and English.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Managing Partner - New York Office
William Low is an attorney practicing in our New York Immigration Law office. William works closely with clients, writing briefs for their cases, filing motions, preparing clients for court, and attending court either with the client or on their behalf.
Xiomara works in the reception area handling client telephone calls and intake in our Cleveland Immigration Law office. She is fluent in Spanish and English.
Cleveland, Ohio
Ying Bei is from Taiwan and studied American Culture at Bowling Green State University. She was a foreign student advisor at the University of Oregon. She speaks English, Mandarin, and Hokkien.