Bios

Claire De Gerin-Ricard, Immigration lawyer

Claire
De Gerin-Ricard

Ms. de Gerin-Ricard provides representation to corporations and foreign nationals in the area of employment-based immigration. Throughout her career, she has managed high-volume, complex, and time sensitive immigration matters for large multinational enterprises as well as small to mid-sized companies.

In addition to her employment-based immigration practice, Ms. de Gerin-Ricard represents foreign nationals in family-based immigration matters, citizenship and naturalization and asylum and related claims, waivers, and litigation before the Executive Office of Immigration Appeals and Board of Immigration Appeals.

Ms. de Gerin-Ricard has given presentations on various immigration topics to conferences, non-profit organizations, and international student associations. She continues to be at the forefront of immigration issues and contributes to immigration forums on a regular basis.

Education:

The George Washington University Law School, LLM Law, 2003-2004
Universitetet i Oslo, Postgraduate Degree in International Law, 1994
Université de la Méditerranée, Master in Corporate/Business Law, Corporate/Business Law, 1993

Professional Memberships:

American Immigration Lawyers Association

New York Bar Association

Languages:

English, French and Spanish

Maureen Johnson, Senior Attorney

Maureen Johnson

Senior Attorney

Maureen Johnson has a wide range of expertise in supporting both corporate and individual immigrant clients. She specializes in the filing of O-1 and EB-1A petitions for individuals who possess extraordinary ability in the arts, entertainment, business sector, sciences, and athletics. She has also successfully represented clients in family- and employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant petitions, naturalization, waivers of inadmissibility, U visas, asylum and VAWA applications.

Prior to joining The Immigration Law Offices of Claire Degerin in 2013, Maureen worked as Of Counsel and Associate Attorney with Beach-Oswald Immigration Law Associates in D.C., representing individuals facing removal before the Immigration Courts. She wrote dozens of successful legal briefs, appeals, and motions for cases before the Immigration Courts, BIA, and U.S. Courts of Appeals. Maureen earned her J.D. from American University's Washington College of Law in D.C., where she graduated Magna Cum Laude, ranked in the top 5% of her graduating class, and was honored with the Mussey Award as well as membership in the Order of the Coif. Maureen holds a B.A. in International & Area Studies from UC Berkeley, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with high honors and was awarded Phi Beta Kappa.

Education:

American University, The Washington College of Law, J.D. (2005-2008)
University of California, Berkeley, B.A. (1999-2003)

Professional Memberships:

American Immigration Lawyers Association

New York Bar Association

Languages:

English and Spanish

Emilie Minette, Litigation Team

Emilie Minette, Litigation Team

Litigation Team

Titulaire d’un Master en Droit et Pratique des Relations du Travail (Paris XI), d’un Master en Droit Processuel (Paris XI) et du Certificat d’Aptitude à la Profession d’Avocat, Emily Minette a travaillé au sein du Cabinet Capstan à Paris pendant 4 ans dans une équipe dédiée au contentieux. Après s’être installée à San Francisco, Emily a obtenu un diplôme de Paralegal à San Francisco State University. Avant de rejoindre le cabinet de Claire Degerin-Ricard, Emily a travaillé dans un cabinet d’avocats dédié au droit de l’immigration à San Francisco. Depuis plus de 4 ans, son activité est dédiée aux visas de travail, en particulier le visa E. Elle supervise aujourd’hui le département « E visas » du Cabinet.

Emily Minette holds a Master Degree in Employment Law and a Master Degree in Procedural Law. Emily passed the French Bar Examination and worked as an Attorney in large law firm in Paris, Capstan Avocats, on contentious matters for 4 years. In 2011, she moved to San Francisco and passed the Paralegal Certificate at San Francisco State University. Prior to joining Law Offices of Claire Degerin-Ricard, Emily worked in an Immigration Law Firm in San Francisco. Since more than 4 years, she is dedicated to business immigration matters, especially E visas. She is currently our Head of Department E-2.

Education:

SFSU - Paralegal Certificate 2012-2013
HEDAC (Versailles) - French Bar Exam - 2005
University Paris XI - Law School, Master in Procedural Law 2005-2006
University Paris XI - Law School, Master in Employment Law 2004-2005

Languages:

English, French

Melissa Mullan, Attorney

Attorney

Melissa Mullan is an Immigration Attorney with expertise filing petitions for all major nonimmigrant visa categories and permanent residence matters, including employment and marriage-based visa petitions for individuals and corporate clients.

Melissa began her career as an Associate Attorney with Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP in New York, representing multinational corporate clients in a wide range of industries, such as science and engineering, information technology consulting, business and management consulting, financial services, healthcare, transportation technology, and entertainment and media. Melissa also has specialized expertise in high-volume and time-sensitive visa petitions for entertainers, musicians, artists, and entrepreneurs.

During law school, Melissa interned with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, Newark Immigration Court, and (Magistrate) Judge Kristen Mix in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. She also has extensive experience regarding the intersection between criminal law and immigration (“crimmigration”).

Melissa Johnson, Attorney

Education:

University of Colorado School of Law
University of Iowa

Languages:

English, Spanish

Publications:

Co-author, Michael D. Patrick, Immigration Benefits under Windsor, N.Y.L.J., July 18, 2013
Presentation, Immigration Update, U.S. Department of Justice EOIR judges and Chief Immigration Judge, July 2012

Professional Memberships:

New York, New Jersey

925 386 7078

Contact us

Message us