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Elora Andrade Ortego always knew she wanted to be a lawyer. She was inspired by her father, the late Professor Attila de Souza Leão Andrade Jr., a Yale graduate and a leading legal scholar in Brazil, who taught International Law in the United States. Following her father’s footsteps, Elora graduated with a juris doctor degree from the very prestigious University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville, Florida. Previously, she obtained her bachelor’s in arts degree, Cum Laude, with a major in English and a minor in Criminal Justice and Education from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Her professional career started as a law clerk in a prestigious immigration law firm in Miami, Florida, where she was eventually hired as an attorney after graduation providing legal immigration services to clients of multiple nationalities. In 2011, Elora opened her practice as a solo practitioner, and in 2017 she joined attorney Andrea Canona and founded Andrade Canona.
Elora is American, Brazilian, and Italian. She born and raised in the city of São Paulo, Brazil and she immigrated to the United States with her family in 1998. From the moment Elora first came to this country, she had the opportunity to experience each step of the immigration process, along with all of the feelings and worries involved. Her legal practice of immigration law is born of her own immigration process, which has lasted over eighteen years
Elora is highly skilled in business immigration and has assisted numerous entrepreneurs and investors in their immigration cases. Furthermore, she has extensive experience in cases of individuals of extraordinary and exceptional ability, as well as complex family and naturalization cases. A fierce negotiator and advocate, Elora has successfully negotiated with attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice satisfactory decisions for her clients in federal court. Importantly, Elora empathizes with her clients and shares in their worries and uncertainties which naturally derive from the immigration experience.
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Andrea Mattar Canona, born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, earned her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Florida International University College of Law, where she graduated number six in her class. While in law school, Andrea worked as a student attorney at the Immigration Law Clinic, representing detained immigrants in removal proceedings. Andrea also served as a research assistant to Professor Thomas E. Baker, a renowned constitutional scholar, and worked as a law clerk intern to Judge Frank A. Shepherd at the Third District Court of Appeals in Florida.
After graduation, Andrea was selected through the prestigious U.S. Department of Justice’s Attorney General’s Honors Program to work as an Attorney Advisor at the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Miami Immigration Court. Her responsibilities included preparation of written decisions involving complex immigration issues for 14 judges. Andrea provided presentations and summaries to judges regarding novel areas of the law, as well as analysis of criminal convictions in the immigration context.
Andrea also worked at a prestigious boutique immigration law firm, where she focused her practice on employment-based visas, investor visas and extraordinary ability petitions, as well as on asylum, waivers, motions to reopen and reconsider, and appeals. In 2017 she joined Elora Andrade and founded Andrade Canona, where she continues to dedicate herself to ensuring the best legal representation to her clients.
Andrea is a sought-after lecturer and is often invited to speak about immigration law to audiences in the United States and Brazil. Andrea is passionate about finding creative legal solutions for her clients, and she enjoys researching complex issues in the law. Andrea also dedicates her time to educating people about immigration law through videos, radio shows, lectures and articles. Andrea is actively involved with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
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Book Awards: LSV III, Administrative Law and Florida Constitutional Law
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Renata Keller Duran is from Salvador, Brazil. In Brazil, Renata obtained her law degree from Faculdade Unime in 2008 and began her career as a legal advisor to the Appellate Court in the state of Bahia. She was responsible for advising the judges and drafting judicial opinions involving issues in various areas of law. She went on to join a respectable law firm, where she focused on consulting services and civil litigation involving consumer law, real estate law, corporate law, and taxation.
In the U.S., Renata obtained a master’s degree in law (LL.M.) from the Florida International University College of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in February 2022. In Florida, her practice is limited to Immigration Law. As an immigration attorney, she may represent clients all over the United States and at U.S. Consulates worldwide.
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Associations and Admissions:
• The Missouri Bar, 2022
• Brazilian Bar Association, State of Bahia (OAB), 2010 (voluntarily inactive)
• Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
Natacha Garcia is an attorney from Venezuela, very passionate about immigration law. In 2016, she graduated from Law School and obtained a second degree in Liberal Studies from Universidad Metropolitana, in Caracas, Venezuela. Natacha came to the United States in 2016 to pursue a Master of Laws (LLM) degree, which she obtained in 2017 from the University of Minnesota. Once she finished her LLM studies, she decided she wanted to continue her journey as an attorney in the United States and transferred to the Juris Doctor program of the University of Minnesota, graduating in 2019. After graduation, Natacha became licensed to practice law in Minnesota. Natacha finds joy in practicing immigration law because it allows her to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives and create positive change for them.
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Associations and Admissions:
• The Minnesota State Bar, 2019
• Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)
• Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
• Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Caracas, 2016
Leah Shadle earned her Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from Creighton University School of Law in 2007. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Creighton University in 2003, with a major in Justice and Society and a co-major in Political Science. Leah is licensed to practice law in Florida and the District of Columbia. She is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. As an immigration attorney, she may represent clients all over the United States and at U.S. Consulates around the world.
Leah previously worked at an immigration firm in Miami, Florida where she handled a variety of employment and family-based immigration matters. She assists clients with petitions based on extraordinary ability, national interest waivers, provisional waivers, writs of mandamus and investment visas. Prior to the practice of immigration law, Leah served as in-house counsel to One Laptop Per Child, Inc., a non-profit organization created to provide children around the world with a quality, innovative educational program.
She has experience with commercial contract negotiation and regulatory compliance matters. Leah served as Co-Director of New Leaders Council (NLC) Miami, a chapter of a national non-partisan organization that connects the next generation of leaders in Miami. She was selected as an NLC Fellow in 2014 and as a member of the 2016 Dade Legal Aid Leadership Academy.
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Camila Conte is a licensed attorney in both Brazil and the United States (Virginia), offering a unique perspective on immigration law. As a Brazilian native, she experienced U.S. immigration procedures firsthand before attaining her U.S. citizenship. Her personal life experiences, combined with her legal expertise, have laid the foundation for her fulfilling career as an immigration attorney, a role she has embraced since 2019.
Specializing in business immigration, Camila assists companies with the cross-border movement of personnel, navigating the complexities of U.S. immigration law and related employment and corporate compliance matters. Her practice encompasses both immigrant and non-immigrant visas, allowing her to fulfill her clients’ needs and long-term objectives. She handles applications directly with U.S. Embassies/Consulates abroad, change of status, and adjustment of status applications related to a wide range of visas, including EB-2, NIW, EB-3, EB-4, H-1B, E-2, E-3, TN, L-1A, L-1B, and R-1. She also has in-depth expertise with the entire PERM application process with the Department of Labor and has a successful track record with appeals at the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) level.
Camila’s collaboration with a diverse range of organizations, including national physical therapy centers, global consulting companies, security firms, tech start-ups, and greenhouse builders, has given her an invaluable insight into her clients’ core businesses. This enables her to anticipate their legal needs and provide comprehensive analyses, actively contributing to her clients’ legal solutions. She takes great pride in fostering strong, lasting partnerships built on trust and mutual success.
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Adriana Harris was born in Bogota, Colombia and raised in Queens, New York. She graduated from St. John’s University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in paralegal studies. Adriana has worked in the immigration field for over 23 years and strives to provide a high level of service to clients to meet their needs and expectations. She enjoys interacting and assisting clients who are going through the immigration process.
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Nagila de Oliveira is originally from Brazil, and she is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish. She has obtained her bachelor’s degree in law from Universidade Salgado Filho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She moved to the United States shortly after her graduation, and has held administrative and customer service roles over the years. She joined Andrade Canona in 2021, and she is responsible for all appointments and calendaring. She is the first “hello” you hear at Andrade Canona!
Katia Cabrera, a Brazilian and American citizen, has extensive experience in advertising and marketing, as she worked for several advertising agencies in Brazil before coming to the United States over than 20 years ago. Prior to joining Andrade Canona, she worked for many years for Globo TV International, in Miami, Florida. Katia is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish and is responsible for the office’s internal communications and event planning.
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Bachelor of Communication & Advertising, 1993
Claudia Rojter is a dedicated professional who was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. In 1992, she made the life-changing decision to immigrate to the United States. For the past 25 years, Claudia has worked as a passionate pre-school teacher, honing her skills in providing exceptional care and education to young children. Throughout her career, she has gained extensive experience in customer service and maintaining positive relationships with both children and their parents.
Now, Claudia is embarking on a new chapter in her professional journey as she joins Andrade Canona, an immigration law firm. With her background in education, Claudia brings a unique perspective and understanding to her role, especially when it comes to the needs and concerns of immigrant families. Her wealth of experience in customer service and relations will undoubtedly be an asset in her work, allowing her to communicate and support clients during the immigration process effectively.
With her compassionate nature, dedication, and ability to build strong connections, Claudia Rojter is poised to make a meaningful contribution to Andrade Canona and the clients she serves.
Cristina Obara, originally from Brazil, has obtained her doctoral degree in psychology from the prestigious IPUSP-USP (University of São Paulo). She received her master’s degree in clinical psychology from UNIFESP-EPM. Cristina is in charge of all client’s files, documentation, and immigration appointments. Cristina is also responsible for the purchasing of materials and equipment at Andrade Canona, and she makes sure that our office is operating in a very efficient and smooth manner.
ANDRADE CANONA, PLLC | 2024
