M. GABRIELA UNGO

M. Gabriela Ungo (former M. Gabriela Gonzalez Casafont) was born in San Jose , Costa Rica on August 29, 1970 and is admitted to practice in New York State and Costa Rica . She has personally been involved in the complexities of the immigration process and paperwork, since her husband is a physician who has adjusted his visa status from J-1 to H-1B.

Gabriela practices exclusively US immigration and law, with emphasis in employment-based immigration. She represents U.S. employers and individuals domiciled in all States of the US or any other country, in cases of family-based immigration, and represents corporate employers and foreign professionals in the processing of employment related nonimmigrant and immigrant visa cases. Gabriela has succesfully obtained legal permanent residency status for nannies, researchers, college/university professors and other professionals. She also represents health care facilities and foreign physicians in J-1 waiver cases.

Gabriela received her law degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Centroamerica in Costa Rica, and a Masters Degree in Comparative Law from the University of Miami. She is licensed in Costa Rica and New York. Prior to immigrating to the US, Gabriela practiced business and investment law in Costa Rica. While in Miami, Florida, she was hired as a law clerk of MTV Networks Latin America, Inc. to handled matters related to intellectual property, telecommunications and advertisement law in Latin America.  She is fluent in Spanish, English and French and is conversant in Italian.

Gabriela authors and is the editor of Walker & Ungo Immigration Update, a quaterly immigration newsletter with hundreds of subscribers. She has been invited as a speaker at immigration law forums and universities. Gabriela is also an active member of the community. She is vice-chair of El Centro Link Center of Northeast Mississippi, a hispanic community assistance organization and serves on the Board of the Lee County Medical Alliance as legislative chair. 

 She is married to Dr. Jaime R. Ungo, from El Salvador , and has three children. When she has any spare time, she enjoys biking, reading and traveling. 

Bar Admissions:

• New York State (2001)
• U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit (2001)
• Costa Rican Bar (1995)
• Costa Rican Supreme Court (admitted as Notary Public)

Education:

• University of Miami , Miami , Florida (LL.M. in Comparative Law, 1995)
• Universidad Autonoma de Centroamerica (Licenciatura en Derecho, Summa Cum Laude Probatus and Corona Académica 1994)
• Universidad Autonoma de Centroamerica (Baccalaureat in Law, Cum Laude Probatus, 1993)

Professional Memberships:

• American Immigration Lawyers Association
• American Bar Association 
• New York State Bar Association
• Federal Bar Association
• Costa Rican Bar Association

Publications:

• “Chapter 20: Immigration & Naturalization Issues”, Mississippi Employment Law Practice Handbook , University of Mississippi (2003).