OUR COLLABORATORS National American Outreach Foundation

Ms. Dina Castillo Ward

Ms. Dina Castillo Ward was born and raised in the United States and is proud of her Mexican-American heritage. Although her paternal grandfather immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a young man, Ms. Castillo Ward did not realize the impact of this country’s immigration system until she interned with the former Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS), now U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, while working toward her bachelor’s degree.

That internship awakened Ms. Castillo Ward’s appreciation and passion for immigration law and began her journey through many aspects of the immigration process. Following the internship with INS/USCIS, Ms. Castillo Ward also worked as an Immigration Information Officer with INS/USCIS. Thereafter, Ms. Castillo Ward spent 8 years working for an immigration attorney in private practice. Finally, Ms. Castillo Ward also served as a judicial intern with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Orlando Immigration Court. This multi-faceted experience from various aspects of the immigration process provides Ms. Castillo Ward with a unique depth of understanding in representing her clients through all immigration matters.

Ms. Castillo Ward is dedicated to community involvement and maintains an active schedule of volunteer and pro bono activities. She spends time volunteering for organizations such as the UCF Community Volunteers, Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, and AILA Military Assistance Program (MAP). In 2013, Ms. Castillo Ward was honored to be a recipient of an Exceptional Pro Bono Service Award, issued by the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association. Ms. Castillo Ward is a member of the Florida Bar, American Immigration Lawyers Association, American Bar Association and Orange County Bar Association. In her spare time, Ms. Castillo Ward enjoys a regular regimen of running, working out and stand up paddle boarding (SUP).

Education

Bachelor of Arts, Interpersonal Communications – University of Central Florida

Juris Doctorate – Barry University School of Law

Please contact Astera Law Group at 407-392-0209 for a free in-person consultation with Ms. Castillo Ward.

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Michael Mendez

Michael Mendez, is a partner at the immigration law firm of Colombo & Hurd, PL., where he leads the firm’s deportation defense practice in cases involving Requests for Asylum, Withholding of Removal, Cancellation of Removal and Waivers of Grounds of Removability. Since Mr. Mendez worked for the Public Defender’s Office of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, where he obtained valuable skills with regard to criminal defense law, Mr. Mendez specifically has an abundant amount of experience concerning immigration cases involving criminal matters. Throughout his years of practice, Mr. Mendez has had the privilege to successfully litigate deportation cases throughout the state of Florida and the United States. He has notably won deportation cases before all currently presiding Immigration Judges in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Mendez believes that in life sometimes we make bad choices; however, we all deserve a second chance no matter where we come from. Such is the case of one of Mr. Mendez’s clients who had a 20 year old drug conviction, which made him deportable. Other attorneys had told his client he did not have a winnable case; however, Mr. Mendez carefully reviewed the case and found a way to avoid his deportation.

Mr. Mendez is equally qualified to represent clients in appeals and other immigration matters such as family based petitions, fiancé visas, naturalizations, and adjustment petitions. Mr. Mendez will go to any length to try and obtain the best results for his clients, including international travel. Mr. Mendez once had a visa case he was handling where his client had been denied a visa four consecutive times in Mexico. He personally traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico and persistently advocated for his client resulting in the granting of her visa after years of failed attempts.

Mr. Mendez’s fluency in Spanish and his experience with not only the Immigration Court, but also immigration enforcement authorities such as Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs & Border Protection (CBP) and ICE Investigations Unit has resulted in the successful representation of clients while being investigated by the foregoing authorities.

Mr. Mendez was born in Queens, N.Y. of parents who migrated from the Dominican Republic. Throughout his youth he witnessed the struggles his parents made to remain in this country and achieve the American dream. Seeing his immediate and extended family go through complications with the immigration process has provided Mr. Mendez with the ability to relate to his clients on a personal level. Aside from other speaking engagements, Mr. Mendez had the honor of serving as a panelist at the Florida College of Advanced Judicial Studies Conference, where he educated judges throughout the state of Florida on the legal technicalities of U.S. immigration law.

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Rusten C. Hurd

Rusten C. Hurd is a founding partner at the law firm of Colombo & Hurd, PL. Mr. Hurd has over 16 years of legal experience and practices in the field of Immigration Law exclusively.

As a result of his quality legal service, Mr. Hurd has been awarded an AV rating by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. An AV rating is the highest such rating available to any single lawyer for skill and integrity and the rating is reserved for attorneys designated as outstanding in their field. Mr. Hurd is also honored to have been recognized by Super Lawyers, a rating service of outstanding attorneys who have obtained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Mr. Hurd’s immigration practice has been focused in the following primary areas:

I. Business and Investor Visas:

Mr. Hurd has experience representing clients from throughout the world with all types of business-based temporary and permanent immigration status, including Intracompany Transferees (L-1), Treaty traders and investors (E-1/E-2 & EB-5), specialty occupations (H-1B & TN), labor certification, aliens of extraordinary ability as well as internationally recognized athletes and entertainers.

II. Asylum and Removal:

Mr. Hurd has practiced in every Immigration Court in Florida and many Courts throughout the United States utilizing a variety of defenses to protect his clients including Requests for Asylum, Withholding of Removal, Cancellation of Removal and Waivers of Grounds of Removability. Over the years, Mr. Hurd has represented a multitude of asylum applicants both in affirmative filings as well as in Immigration Court. In particular, since 2011 Mr. Hurd has represented a great number of nationals of Syria seeking asylum in the United States as a result of the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

III. Immigration Appeals and Federal Litigation:

Mr. Hurd also devotes a substantial portion of his practice to performing appellate work before courts throughout Florida as well as the Board of Immigration Appeals and United States Courts of Appeals and Federal Appellate Courts. Mr. Hurd has had notable appellate success both with the Board of Immigration Appeals and with Florida Appellate Courts. Mr. Hurd is a member of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.

IV. Family Immigration and Fiancé Visas:

As the husband of an immigrant, Mr. Hurd is fully cognizant of the importance of this process to his clients. Over the years, Mr. Hurd has filed applications for family members and fiancés in dozens of countries around the world and has dealt with a variety of issues arising at consular posts. Mr. Hurd also frequently represents clients at the Orlando USCIS office in connection with adjustment of status and other immigration benefits.

Mr. Hurd is a frequent contributor to Orlando’s WOFL Fox 35 newscast where he appears to provide guidance on immigration issues. Mr. Hurd has also received a “superb” 10.0 rating from AVVO lawyers rating service. AVVO rates lawyers on a scale from 1.0 – 10.0 based on lawyer’s years in practice, disciplinary history, professional achievements, discipline history and industry recognition – all factors that, in AVVO’s opinion, are relevant to assessing a lawyer’s qualifications.

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Nishad Khan, Esq.

Nishad Khan is a Central Florida based real estate attorney, who established his own firm in 2007, Nishad Khan, PL. Nishad and his firm’s main focuses are all forms of real estate and business transactions, as well as the formation of business entities like corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, the structuring of debt and equity investments, and the negotiation and preparation of corporate agreements. Before opening his own practice, Nishad practiced at several commercial law firms advising businesses and individuals of wealth preservation strategies, advanced estate planning techniques, and innovative tax and financial planning.

Nishad is deeply rooted in the Central Florida area where he spent his childhood, attended Lake Highland Preparatory School and later graduated from the University of Central Florida. Not long after graduation, he left the Sunshine State for New Jersey where he obtained his law degree from Seton Hall University.

He also enjoys assisting others and serves on several Central Florida Organization Boards, such as the Florida Literacy Coalition, Central Florida Real Estate Attorneys Council, Better Business Bureau & Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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