About Our Team
Julie C. Ferguson
Founding Attorney
(305) 358-0155
Julie Ferguson has practiced immigration law exclusively for the past 10 years. She handles a wide variety of services from employment and family-based immigration to representation of individuals in removal proceedings. Her clients include multinational corporations and business organizations that employ foreign nationals on a temporary and permanent basis in the United States. She also represents individuals, including professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, entertainers and athletes seeking either temporary or permanent residence. Ms. Ferguson has been particularly successful representing individuals seeking political asylum and defending non-citizens with criminal convictions.
Court Admissions. Ms. Ferguson is admitted to practice law in the states of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia. She has been admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Florida, the United States District Court for the District of Colombia, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and to the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Ratings and recognition. Ms. Ferguson is listed in Martindale Hubbell with an AV rating, the highest ratings for both legal ability and ethical standards. She has received recent recognition for her success in a suit filed in the Southern District of Florida against the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to force decisions on residency applications that had been unreasonably delayed for years. The District Court held that "no agency responsible for resolving matters of public interest should be free to let those matters pend in perpetuity." The Court remanded the plaintiffs’ cases to the USCIS for prompt adjudication of their applications. Jones v. Gonzales, June 21, 2007.
Publications. Ms. Ferguson recently wrote a guide on the most commonly used waivers. The book titled AILA’s Focus on Waivers was published by the American Immigration Lawyers Association in 2008.
Education. Ms. Ferguson holds a Bachelor’s degree from De Pauw University, in Greencastle, Indiana, a Juris Doctor degree from The American University, The Washington College of Law in Washington, DC and a Master’s degree in International Affairs from The American University in Washington, DC.
Affiliations. Ms. Ferguson is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. She is a panel member of Miami Dade County’s Independent Review Panel, which addresses serious complaints about Miami-Dade Police of other County employees or departments. She also volunteers for the Alternatives to Violence Project which is an international association of volunteer groups offering experiential workshops on non-violent conflict resolution in prisons and communities through the world.
Languages. Ms. Ferguson speaks English, Spanish and French and she has a working knowledge of Italian and Portuguese.
Sasha Westerman
Law Clerk
(305) 358-0155
Sasha Westerman was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She is in her final year of law school at the University of Miami. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and Hispanic studies from Boston College, in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. She has experience preparing a wide variety of immigration cases including petitions for individuals with extraordinary ability, I-601 hardship waivers, applications for adjustment of status and preparation of asylum applications and motions for immigration court proceedings. Ms. Westerman also volunteers her time for the University of Miami Health Rights Education Clinic where she assists clients with immigration services and social security and disability claims. She is a student member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
Ms. Westerman is fluent in English and Spanish.
Valerie Vanni-Godoy was born in Santa Fe, Argentina and raised in Miami, Florida. She has extensive experience in immigration, criminal and family law matters having worked for the law office of Wilfredo Allen in Miami, Florida for more than 7 years. She has developed a special focus on labor certifications, employment-based residency petitions, marriage-based adjustment applications and VAWA petitions. Ms. Vanni-Godoy is fluent in English and Spanish.
Lizzie Rodriguez
Firm Manager and Legal Assistant
(305) 358-0155
Lizzie Rodriguez was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico and in Miami, Florida. She has extensive experience in the criminal defense field having worked for the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office for more than 9 years. She also worked as a legal assistant for NeJame, LaFay, Jancha, Barker & Joshi, PA in Orlando, FL. She earned a Paralegal Certificate and an Administrative Support Staff Certificate from Florida International University. Ms. Rodriguez is fluent in English and Spanish.