DAVID MELIK TELFER, ESQ.  |  FOUNDER

Education:  UCLA School of Law J.D., 2008  |  UNC- Chapel Hill, B.A. 2003 Magna Cum Laude & Highest Honors

Admissions:  California, United States District Court for the Central District of California, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Languages:  English (native), Portuguese (fluent), Spanish (fluent)

David Telfer is the founder and managing attorney at DMT Law Firm.  Mr. Telfer graduated magna cum laude with highest honors from the University of North Carolina with a degree in Romance Languages and from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law with his Juris Doctorate.  At UCLA, Mr. Telfer focused on international law and spent a semester studying law in Florianopolis, Brazil at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Mr. Telfer has also lived and/or studied in many cities and countries across the globe including Sao Paulo, Brazil; Florianopolis, Brazil; Seville, Spain; and Panama City, Panama.

Upon graduating from UCLA School of Law, Mr. Telfer worked at one of the nation's most prominent entertainment law firms, Greenberg Glusker in Century City.  Subsequently, Mr. Telfer worked on a series of entrepreneurial and consulting projects including founding and operating one of Los Angeles’s largest Mixed Martial Art (MMA) gyms and consulting for import/export companies in Latin America. He also founded a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu clothing brand that provides underprivileged children in Latin America with equipment and funds for training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and other martial arts. 

Mr. Telfer truly enjoys working directly with clients to resolve family and business immigration matters as well as legal issues facing entrepreneurs and small businesses. Mr. Telfer speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese and conversational French.  His long list of clients includes myriad GRAMMY Award winners, BAFTA winners, UFC Champions, start-ups, and families from hundreds of countries around the world. 

UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS

• BigSound Australia:  September 4-8th, 2023, US Immigration for Entertainers, Brisbane, Australia
• AILA ACES Conference: September, 29, 2023, US Immigration for the Music Industry, Scottsdale, Arizona

PAST PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS

• Presenter: O-1A and O-1B: Extraordinary Ability and Entertainers, June 2023, AILA National Conference, Orlando, FL
• Published: O-1A and O-1B: Extraordinary Ability and Entertainers, June 2023, AILA National Conference Handbook
• Presenter:  Creative Solutions For Complex O-1 And EB-1A Extraordinary Ability Petitions, November 2022, 35th Annual AILA California Chapters Conference
• Published:  Creative Solutions For Complex O-1 And EB-1A Extraordinary Ability Petitions, November 2022, 35th Annual AILA California Chapters Conference Handbook
• Presenter:  O/P Visas for Musicians (Intermediate to Expert), 2023. Immigration Lawyers Toolbox® Panel. Link

PATSY BARRON MARTINEZ, ESQ.  |  SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY

Education:  Loyola Law School, J.D. 2016, Transactional Entertainment and New Media Concentration | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, B.A. 2011, summa cum laude

Admissions: California & United States District Court for the Central District of California

Languages:  English (native), Spanish (native)

Patsy Barron Martinez is a senior associate attorney at DMT Law Firm and was admitted to practice law in the State of California in 2016. Patsy immigrated from Mexico to the United States when she was one (1) year old and is therefore very passionate about helping immigrants like her overcome barriers and obtain non-immigrant and immigrant status.  While attending law school, Patsy was the co-chair of the Immigration Law Society, Vice President of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society, and Secretary of La Raza de Loyola. During her time at Loyola she received several awards, including being named the Mexican American Bar Foundation Scholar in 2014 and 2015, the Mabel W. Richards Foundation Scholar in 2014, and the Los Defensores Scholar in 2015.

Patsy has dedicated her practice to immigration law. She has successfully filed hundreds of nonimmigrant visa petitions with USCIS for entertainers ranging from musicians, singer-songwriters, variety artists, comedians, actors, directors, writers, and producers from Europe, South America, Australia and Mexico. She has also successfully obtained permanent residency and citizenship for numerous clients. Patsy finds creative ways to obtain successful results for not just entertainers with substantial acclaim but also entertainers just starting their career.Patsy’s mission in representing her clients is to address their immediate needs, while focusing on long-term effects. Patsy is a zealous advocate and is committed to providing her clients with honesty, integrity, fairness, compassion, courtesy and diligence. Patsy grew up in Los Angeles, California, loves traveling and trying new foods. She can often be found at Disneyland with her daughters and husband. Patsy is the oldest of three siblings and has a dog named rocket.

LAURA ROMERO, ESQ.  |  ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY

Education:  UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, J.D. 2020, Summa Cum Laude | Florida International University, B.A. 2012

Admissions:  District of Columbia

Languages:  English (native), Spanish (native)

Laura Romero is an Associate Attorney at DMT Law Firm where her practice focuses on employment-based U.S. immigration matters in the entertainment industry. She specializes in preparing complex immigrant and non-immigrant petitions for athletes and individuals with extraordinary ability, including artists, actors, musicians, tattoo artists, and designers.

Laura was admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia in 2021. Prior to this, she worked as a senior immigration paralegal for nearly ten years, during which time she primarily worked in removal defense; employment and family-based immigration; applications for affirmative benefits before federal agencies; and immigrant and non-immigrant waivers of inadmissibility.

ANA VICTORIA HERNANDEZ, ESQ.  |  ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY

Education:  Loyola Law School, Los Angeles J.D. 2021, Immigrant Advocacy Concentration |

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) B.A. 2016, Departmental Honors

Admissions:  California

Languages:  English (native), Spanish (native), French (Advanced)

Ana attained her bachelor’s degree with departmental honors from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She majored in Chicana/o Studies (Labor, Law, and Policy) and minored in Global Studies. Ana’s education at UCLA was fully funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation after she earned their Gates Millenium Scholarship. While at UCLA, Ana studied abroad in Mexico City and Paris. In 2021, she received her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, with a concentration in Immigrant Advocacy, and was admitted to the California Bar the same year. During law school, Ana studied international human rights law in Costa Rica and was part of Loyola’s International Human Rights Clinic, advocating before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Ana was also part of the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic where she assisted in representing individuals before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Prior to joining DMT Law, Ana was an attorney at one of the largest immigrant rights organizations in the country, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). 

At DMT Law, Ana’s primary focus is securing visas for creative professionals in the arts. Her work at DMT melds her love for entertainment mediums, particularly film and music, with her passions for traveling and the right to migrate. Ana’s personal background is reflective of her interest in immigration law. Although she was born and raised in Los Angeles County she has lived in different countries around the world like France, Mexico, Israel, and Costa Rica. She is the proud daughter of immigrants from Mexico and wife to a French foreign national. She is also the mother of a Franco-American child (and the family dog, Bonbon).

BRANDEE ROSE MCDERMOTT, ESQ. | ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY

Education: Brooklyn Law School, J.D. 2022 | The Catholic University of America, B.A. 2016

Admissions: New Mexico

Languages: English (native)

Brandee Rose McDermott is an Associate Attorney at DMT Law Firm where her practice focuses on employment-based U.S. immigration in the entertainment industry. She specializes in non-immigrant and immigrant petitions for individuals of extraordinary ability in the arts, film & television, sciences, education, business, and athletics. Brandee is admitted to practice law in the State of New Mexico, and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). 

Brandee earned her Bachelor of Arts in Politics with a concentration in American Government from The Catholic University of America. While at CUA, she spent a semester abroad studying European History and Politics at Freie Universität Berlin in Germany. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School, where she served as the Co-Chair of the Brooklyn Law Immigration Society (BLIS). In addition, she was the recipient of the Brooklyn Law School Pro-Bono Award for her work on Department of Defense Review Board and Department of Veterans Affairs discharge upgrade applications for low-income veterans, as well as her work advocating for children in abuse and neglect proceedings at The Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice, and as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable David B. Katz, P.J.F.P. at the New Jersey Superior Court, Essex County Vicinage. She is originally from Long Island, New York and has a passion for human rights and immigration law, music, history, and traveling. 

VICTOR HUGO GONCALVES DA SILVA SILVEIRA, J.D.  |  FOREIGN ATTORNEY/LAW CLERK 

Education:  Northwestern School of Law

Languages:  English (fluent), Portuguese (native)

Victor Hugo Silveira is a law clerk and foreign associate attorney at DMT Law Firm, admitted to practice law in Brazil.  Victor joined DMT Law Firm after obtaining a master’s degree in law from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and has been with DMT Law in Los Angeles since that time. In Brazil, Victor attended the prestigious Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.  Victor has represented clients in income tax and civil law appeals before Brazilian state and federal courts, counseled farm companies in the acquisition of agricultural landscape properties in the Amazon region, and managed real estate litigation.

Victor has always been passionate about immigration affairs. As a volunteer attorney of the Brazilian Ministry of Defense, he counseled Operação Acolhida, a humanitarian task force created to address the Venezuelan displacement issue. Within this role, Victor represented over 200 immigrants in court claims related to civil and immigration law and counseled over 100 immigrants with refugee status adjustments in Brazil. Victor grew up in Rio de Janeiro, has lived in the Amazon region of Brazil and loves books, tennis and American classic cars.

CATHY GARCIA, ESQ.  | ATTORNEY OF COUNSEL

Education: Whittier Law School - JD  |  University of California, Riverside- B.A.

Admissions: New Jersey Supreme Court, United States District of New Jersey

Languages:  English (native) and Tagalog (native)

Memberships:  American Bar Association

Ms. Garcia has extensive experience in the field of immigration law and handles all types of immigration cases on behalf of immigrants. Ms. Garcia has represented individuals in deportation/removal proceedings before the Immigration Court, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for adjustment of status, naturalization, asylum, and various waivers. She also has experience in EB-5 investments, E treaty-trade visas, and corporate structuring for immigration purposes.

Ms. Garcia has also handled issues pertaining to H-1B, E investor visas, EB-5 investor visas, F-1 student visas, J-1 Waivers, Waivers of admissibility, B-1/B-2 business/pleasure tourist visas, and appeals of any adverse decisions in these areas.

NATASHA TELFER  |  CASE DIRECTOR

Focus:  Business & Entertainment Immigration

Education:  UNC-Greensboro

Natasha was born in Montreal and grew up in North Carolina.  A lifelong dancer and writer, she attended UNC-Greensboro and the Ailey School at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York.  Natasha is an expert in O and P visas as well as EB-1 petitions.  She has worked with some of the worlds biggest acts to bring their talents to the USA.

STEFANE HORNG  |  CASE DIRECTOR

Focus:  Family and Humanitarian Immigration

Education:  UCLA  - BA Linguistics

Stefane Horng is originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She earned a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Stefane hopes to pursue her law degree in the near future with emphasis in immigration and family law. She is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish.    

ELMY MARTINEZ-ESQUEDA  |  LEGAL WRITER

Focus:  Entertainment Immigration

Education:  UCLA  - BA Sociology

Elmy was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She earned her BA in Sociology from the University of California Los Angeles and hopes to pursue a law degree with a focus in immigration law in the future. In her free time, she loves attending concerts (especially her clients' concerts!) and traveling around the world. Elmy is fluent in both English and Spanish. 

RENEE BRIANA RODRIGUEZ  |  CASE MANAGER

Focus:  Entertainment Immigration

Education:  LMU - Political Science & Psychology, UCLA - Paralegal Certificate with Distinction 

Renee was born and raised in Orange County, CA. She earned her BA in Political Science and Psychology from Loyola Marymount University and received her Paralegal Certificate with Distinction at the University of California, Los Angeles. She hopes to pursue a law degree with a focus in immigration law in the future. In her free time, she loves discovering new music, attending music festivals, and spending time with her family and friends. Renee is fluent in English and speaks conversational Tagalog. 

YESSENIA VALADEZ |  CASE MANAGER

Focus:  Entertainment Immigration

Education:  UC Irvine - Criminology, Law & Society

Yessenia was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She earned her BA in Criminology, Law and Society from the University of California Irvine. Yessenia plans on pursuing a law degree with an emphasis in intellectual property law.  In her free time she enjoys traveling, fishing, and watching movies.  Yessenia is fluent in both English and Spanish.

ALYSSA STEINFELD  |  LEGAL WRITER

Focus:  Business & Entertainment Immigration

Education: Chapman University, B.S. Business Administration

Alyssa was born and raised in Orange County, California. She earned her BS in Business Administration from Chapman University and plans to further her education by pursuing a law degree with an emphasis in entertainment law. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys music, traveling, and trying new restaurants!

CARISSA MARTINEZ | CASE MANAGER

Focus: Entertainment Immigration

Education: University of La Verne – B.S. Business Administration, UCLA – Paralegal Certificate

Carissa was born and raised in Southern California. She earned her B.S. in Business Administration from the University of La Verne and her Paralegal Certificate from the University of Los Angeles. She hopes to pursue a law degree with a focus on public policy and immigration in the future. In her free time, she loves attending concerts, flea markets and upcycling clothes!