Our People
Providing superior and attentive personalized service.
It is important to choose a firm whose immigration attorneys have an in-depth understanding of complex U.S. immigration laws and processes.
Mindful of the high stakes involved, our immigration attorneys pride themselves on being proactive, knowledgeable, and organized. Whether you are an individual client or a corporate client with a large portfolio of foreign national staff, we provide timely notification of visa deadlines, changes in laws and regulations, and periodic updates that impact your U.S. immigration future. We create a comprehensive immigration plan for our business clients, with an emphasis on consistency and quality of filings. We do our best to ensure that the visa process is as seamless and unobtrusive as possible for you.
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Paula Bafaro
Senior Paralegal
pbafaro@cmlseattle.com
206-340-1033 ext. 107Paula joined CML in 2023. She has worked in the immigration field since 1989. She started her immigration career as a Paralegal in Guam for ten years, and transferred to a mid-sized Seattle firm for the next 23 years. Paula works on all types of employment and family-based cases, VAWA, and DACA related cases. Paula graduated from Western Washington University with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and a minor in Psychology. She has volunteered for several AILA National Citizenship Days.
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Lauren Culley
Senior Paralegal
lculley@cmlseattle.com
206-923-8441Lauren joined CML in 2007. She has worked in the immigration field since 2001 as a paralegal at a Seattle immigration law firm and as an Immigration Consultant for a Fortune 500 company. Lauren works on all types of employment-based cases and has handled VAWA related cases. Lauren graduated from Loyola College with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology/Writing. She spent a year studying abroad in Leuven, Belgium. Prior to specializing in immigration, Lauren worked in the business department of a law firm and for a USAID funded project by the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Kissy Gaston
Senior Paralegal
kgaston@cmlseattle.com
206-340-1033 ext. 111Kissy joined CML in 2012 after working in the nonprofit field for six years focused on advocacy and social justice work. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Behavioral Science and hopes to attend law school in the future. Kissy has more than 15 years of expertise working internationally and nationally with Spanish–speaking and immigrant communities.
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Hisako Matsumoto
Senior Paralegal
hmatsumoto@cmlseattle.com
206-340-1033 ext. 105Hisako joined CML in 2015 with 15 years of experience as an immigration paralegal at a Seattle law firm. She has worked on both employment-based and family-based cases. She immigrated to the US from Japan after completing two years of service as a JOC volunteer (Seinen Kaigai Kyoryokutai / Japan's Peace Corps) in the Federated States of Micronesia. Her personal experience with the immigration process brought her to the immigration field. She loves working with people from different cultures and different life paths. She graduated from Yokohama City University in Yokohama, Japan.
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Christine Nienstedt
Senior Paralegal
cnienstedt@cmlseattle.com
208-344-5719Christine joined CML in 1998 and has over 22 years of immigration experience. She graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s Degree in Russian Language and Literature and is conversational in both Russian and German. Christine works on all types of employment-related visas, and especially enjoys extraordinary ability and outstanding researcher petitions. She is a founding partner of Nuu-Muu, a company devoted to women feeling good and being active.
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Judy Scarcia
Senior Paralegal
jscarcia@cmlseattle.com
206-340-1033 x 108Judy graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations. After graduating she travelled in Europe, eventually settling in Prague, Czech Republic for 3 years. Judy was initiated into the realm of immigration law after she and her husband navigated the family-based green card process. Judy has worked as an immigration paralegal in various Seattle firms for over ten years. Judy joined CML in 2012 and enjoys working on a variety of immigration cases.
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Brian Tang
Paralegal
btang@cmlseattle.com
206-340-1033 ext. 127Brian joined CML in 2021. He spent his youth living in between South Florida and Lima, Peru. He graduated from New College, the honors college of Florida, with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology in 2005. He is a native Spanish speaker and experienced paralegal, who has over 15 years of experience in immigration law. He also has personal experience with the U.S. immigration system, having successfully petitioned for his own family members in the past. Brian is passionate about helping immigrants and truly enjoys his work. When not in the office, Brian enjoys spending time with his family and eating his way around the world.
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Gina Yim
Senior Paralegal
Gina joined CML in 2010 after graduating from the University of Washington with a Bachelor's Degree in Women's Studies. Gina has personal experience with the immigration process and is fluent in American Sign Language. She specializes in employment based and family based petitions and citizenship applications.