American Immigration Lawyers Association New York Chapter
101 CLE on Immigration Hearings and Interviews
November 14, 2016
Speaker Biographies
Elizabeth Barna- Elizabeth is past chair of the NY Chapter of AILA, and past member of AILA’s Board of Governors. She serves as an AILA National Asylum Mentor, and on several NY AILA committees. She is a volunteer for the Justice Action Center’s Safe Passage Project at NYLS, and has served on the NYC Bar Association’s Immigration and Nationality Law Committee. Elizabeth lectures on Asylum, Convention Against Torture, Employment Authorization Clock, VAWA, T and U Visas, and Adjustment of Status and Stokes Interviews. She is a graduate of New York Law School (JD) and the George Washington University (BA).
Matthew L. Guadagno- Matthew has been practicing immigration law since 1997. He is a solo practitioner in Manhattan. Mr. Guadagno’s practice focuses on deportation defense and federal litigation relating to immigration. He has argued numerous cases in the federal courts that have resulted in precedent decisions. In September 2016, Mr. Guadagno was listed in the publication Super Lawyers of New York for the ninth year in a row. He is also AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He has been an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School and Fordham University School of Law. He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University School of Law (JD), and Fordham University (BA).
Myriam Sanchez Hildenbrand- Myriam is the principal attorney at The Law Office of Myriam Sanchez Hildenbrand, LLC located in New York City. Ms. Hildenbrandhas been practicing immigration law for over thirteen years. The Law Office of Myriam Sanchez Hildenbrand is a full-service immigration law firm which handles employment and family based immigration cases, removal defense, asylum, and naturalization cases. Ms. Hildenbrand has taught graduate level courses on immigration law at the CUNY School for Professional Studies in New York City. She has been interviewed by NBC 4 News, Telemundo and Radio WADO on various immigration topics. She is fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian. Ms. Hildenbrand is an active member of the AILA NY Chapter, currently serving as the Co-Chair for the EOIR/ASYLUM/OPLA Liaison Committee and Co-Chair for the NY District Director Liaison Committee. Ms. Hildenbrand is a graduate of New York University and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Bridget Kessler- Bridget graduated from American University, Washington College of Law in 2009. She worked for two years as a Clinical Teaching Fellow at the Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic at Cardozo Law School. While at the Clinic, Bridget supervised second and third year law students in their clinic case work representing immigrants in removal proceedings and representing community-based organizations in impact litigation and policy advocacy projects. She also co-taught a weekly seminar on immigration law and lawyering skills. Bridget then joined the law firm Mayer Brown LLP as a litigation associate, where she represented clients in connection with a range of litigation matters and government investigations. At the clinic and later at Mayer Brown, along with co-counsel at the Center for Constitutional Rights, Bridget represented the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in the Southern District of New York seeking records related to the immigration enforcement program “Secure Communities” or S-Comm. She also worked on a corresponding national “Uncover the Truth” advocacy campaign to push back against S-Comm and other state/federal collaborations on immigration enforcement.
Bridget joined Brooklyn Defender Services as an Immigration Staff Attorney in 2014. She first worked with the Padilla Unit consulting with criminal defenders and their non-citizen clients regarding the immigration consequences of criminal convictions. Since July 2014, she has been a Staff Attorney with the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), an assigned counsel program for detained New Yorkers facing deportation. In that role, she represents non-citizens in their removal proceedings in New York Immigration Courts and before the Board of Immigration Appeals.
David Kim- David practices exclusively in all matters related to immigration and nationality law, with special emphasis on complex agency cases, deportation defense and federal court litigation. He frequently litigates in immigration courts across the country, BIA, and federal courts. He has been active with AILA, and served as Co-Chair, New York Chapter Federal Practice Committee, (2007–2010) and AILA National EOIR Liaison Committee (2008–2010). He also served as speaker and panelist at various AILA and other bar organization CLE conferences. He is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School (JD), West Virginia University (MPA), and Emory University (BA).
Victoria Nielson- Victoriais the Legal Director of Immigrant Justice Corps, an immigration legal fellowship program that seeks to expand the quality and quantity of immigration legal services. Ms. Neilson has also worked in the Office of Chief Counsel of USCIS, as the legal director of Immigration Equality, and as the legal director of the HIV Law Project. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) where she serves on the National and Local Ethics Committees and is a member of the New York City Bar Association. She is the editor and co-author of AILA's only LGBT-themed book, Immigration Law and the Transgender Client, and is a contributing author to AILA's Guide to U.S. Citizenship & Naturalization Law. She is a graduate of CUNY School of Law and Harvard University and has taught as an adjunct professor at NYU School of Law. She is admitted to the New York Bar.
Benjamin Simpson- Ben is a senior associate at Cohen Forman Barone, having joined the firm in 2009. Ben is a passionate criminal defense attorney and an experienced immigration lawyer focusing on removal defense and family based petitions.
As a criminal defense attorney he has represented clients in proceedings in all five boroughs of New York City, Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester and many other upstate counties. A student of both the nuances of the law and human nature, Ben has garnered numerous dismissals on procedural grounds as well as jury trial victories in felony and misdemeanor cases.
Ben is also a seasoned litigator in immigration courts and administrative contexts. His representation includes a relentless dedication to all firm clients and a “stop at nothing” philosophy in protecting their rights both in and outside of the courtroom. A bitter opponent of unlawful police conduct, Ben has also successfully settled many civil claims against the New York Police Department for clients who have been falsely arrested. Providing vital research and analytical skills as well as diversified real world experience, Ben brings his acumen to each case whether as lead attorney or co-counsel with CFB’s partners.
In the calendar year of 2015 Ben has been counsel on two full jury trial acquittals in Manhattan, saved several firm clients from imminent deportation and secured a host of visas and other immigration benefits for CFB clients including release on bond from incarceration by Immigration officials.
Ben is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the Suffolk County Bar Association (SCBA). A former professional tennis instructor on the East End of Long Island, Ben has been making his home in Brooklyn for many years. He is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School (JD) and Skidmore College (BA).