Maria Theresa Pavino
Glendale,CA
Summary
19 years of work experience in U.S. Immigration; Twenty-five (25) years in the law profession. I am a highly organized senior paralegal having extensive knowledge and experience in the legal field specifically in Immigration. I was also involved in managing the office and works very closely with the clients. I highly observe accuracy and thorough commitment with regards to the cases that I am handling. Law ethics is always practiced, discretion and confidentiality as well in all cases. I am proficient in maintaining and processing client records, files and legal documentation with precise and efficient manner. Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and advanced multi-tasking skills. Experienced with managing complex immigration cases, ensuring compliance with legal regulations. Utilizes strong research abilities and organizational skills to maintain detailed case files and support legal processes. Track record of effective communication with clients and government agencies, ensuring smooth and timely case resolution.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Immigration Paralegal
Arnaout Law Firm
Los Angeles, CA
06.2026 - Current
- Prepared and filed immigration petitions, ensuring compliance with legal requirements.
- Conducted legal research to support case strategies and advise clients on immigration processes.
- Managed case documentation, maintaining accurate records and organizing client files efficiently.
- Collaborated with attorney to develop effective strategies for complex immigration cases.
- Streamlined case management processes, improving workflow efficiency and reducing turnaround times.
- Analyzed case outcomes to identify trends and inform strategic recommendations for future cases.
- Met with clients to gather information, prepare documentation, and determine necessary actions.
- Maintained immigration attorneys' schedules to enable timely client service delivery and promote firm's income growth.
CASE MANAGER / SENIOR PARALEGAL
Per Diem Paralegal
Los Angeles, CA
06.2010 - Current
- IMMIGRATION – Filing and Prepare filing packets for I-130; I-485 & Supplements; I-140; I-129; I-129F; I-589; I-539; I-131; I-765; I-864; I-865; I-751; I-90; AR-11; I-134; I-690; I-824; N-400 and H-600; concurrent filings; EB cases; L1, L2, F1-Student Visa; Consular Processing; FAMILY LAW – Uncontested Divorce, Responses to a Divorce, Declaration, Marital Settlement Agreement, etc.
- Supervisor: Lily Hsu (909) 468-2165
CASE MANAGER / SENIOR PARALEGAL
LIU LAW INC
City of Industry, CA, USA
06.2023 - 06.2024
- CIVIL LITIGATION – Prepared Discovery Requests, Discovery Responses, Filing online and in Court; Pleadings.
- DIVORCE – Preparing Divorce Packets from start to finish, Uncontested and Contested Divorce.
- IMMIGRATION – I-130; I-129F; N-400; I-485 (concurrent/combined processing); I-765; I-131; I-864 & I-864A; Consular Processing
- Communicate and assist with initial client interview to obtain relevant case information.
- Discuss, analyze, conference and assist the attorney in determining case issues and planning case strategy.
- Arrange, compile, investigate and digest facts of the case. Analyze and summarize all data. Review & organize client documents.
- Draft, develop and prepare appropriate forms, pleadings, affidavits, briefs and declaration; exhibits and index for cases.
- Maintain communication with client for gathering relevant facts for the development of the case.
- Gather necessary supporting documentation to demonstrate eligibility for benefit sought; Monitor progress of case.
- Facilitated communication between clients, attorneys, and service providers for effective resolution of cases.
IMMIGRATION PARALEGAL Temp Contract
The Matian Firm (La Liga Defensora)
Los Angeles, CA, USA
05.2023 - 06.2023
- IMMIGRATION – Prepare filing packets for I-130; I-485 with I-485A, I-765, I-131, I-864 with I-864A, Consular Processing, I-290B, EOIR, DACA, independently preparing for letters for filing to the USCIS, and a whole lot more.
- Case Management - Updating CLIO, Airtable, BlueDot for the proper information and updates of the cases.
- Prepare, review & file civil cases to the court w/ proper documentation & accurate info.
- Maintenance of Database of Clients, updating the records and files.
- Follow up on client inquiries, new clients, deadline of RFEs (request for evidence), responses to NTA (Notice to Appear)
- Review of tasks from Customer Service and Virtual Assistants on documentation and updates of clients.
Office Manager/Senior Paralegal
Law Offices of Haresh Jambusaria Inc.
L.A., CA, USA
07.2013 - 05.2019
- IMMIGRATION – Prepare filing packets for I-130; I-485 & Supplements; I-140; I-129; I-129F; I-589; I-539; I-131; I-765; I-864; I-865; I-751; I-90; AR-11; I-134; I-690; I-824; N-400 and H-600; concurrent filings; H1B, EB cases; L1, L2, F1-Student Visa; Consular Processing, Asylum, Business Immigration.
- Monitored case progress, identifying potential issues and implementing resolutions.
- Conducted thorough assessments of clients'' situations, identifying issues, goals, and necessary interventions.
- Educated clients on available programs, benefits, and services, empowering them to make informed decisions about their care needs.
- Enhanced communication between clients and providers through consistent follow-ups and progress updates.
- Coordinated services with other agencies, community-based organizations, and healthcare professionals to provide useful benefits to clients.
- CORPORATE – Filing of Application; Articles of Incorporation (Domestic) 04158; LABOR CERTIFICATION, (PERM)
- FAMILY – Dissolution of Divorce; Uncontested; Child Custody, Child support, Child visitation; Pre-Nuptial & Marital Agreement.
- ESTATE PLANNING – preparation/proof reading wills, living will; living trust; Power of Attorney, Discovery Responses, Requests.
- Case Management, improving overall efficiency in preparation of documents to be filed.
- Prepare, review & file civil cases to the court w/ proper documentation & accurate info.
- Maintenance of Database of Clients, updating the records and files and also the law office website with the current news and Monthly visa bulletin, AILA, USCIS, U.S. Department of Justice; responded to USCIS, BIA, EOIR.
- Correspond with office functions, including calendar management, client appointments, schedule meetings or conferences.
- Follow up on client inquiries, new clients, deadline of RFEs (request for evidence), responses to NTA (Notice to Appear)
- Extensive legal research and analyze legal issues requiring the utmost discretion and secrecy to the other party.
- Developed the database for faster name recognition of the system for client profiles.
- Training incoming secretaries/legal personnel.
PARALEGAL & Office Manager
Law Offices of Roland M. Abes
L.A., CA, USA
07.2011 - 06.2013
- PERSONAL INJURY – Index Info; report to insurances; SR1 (DMV);
- SMALL CLAIMS/MEDIATION/LITIGATION – exhibit preparation; investigation and research; filing of motions and summons online
- IMMIGRATION – I-130; I-129F; N-400; I-485 (concurrent/combined processing); I-765; I-131; I-864 & I-864A; Consular Processing
- Maintain the order and reputation of the law office by making ongoing communications with other attorneys, clients & the public.
- Opening Insurance Claims, preparing DMV Forms, processing property damage & bodily injury claims, obtaining liens.
- Assisting Clients for medical appointments, obtaining their medical records, gathering info and preparing the demand package.
- IMMIGRATION – I-130; I-129F; N-400; I-485 (concurrent/combined processing); I-765; I-131; I-864 & I-864A; Consular Processing; U Visa, Asylum, deportation; EOR (motions; pleadings); DACA; replies to RFE; Immigration Court, EOIR, etc...
- CIVIL – Personal Injury, Domestic Violence, Family Law
- Communicate and assist with initial client interview to obtain relevant case information.
- Discuss, analyze, conference and assist the attorney in determining case issues and planning case strategy.
- Arrange, compile, investigate and digest facts of the case. Analyze and summarize all data. Review & organize client documents.
- Draft, develop and prepare appropriate forms, pleadings, affidavits, briefs and declaration; exhibits and index for cases.
- Maintain communication with client for gathering relevant facts for the development of the case.
- Gather necessary supporting documentation to demonstrate eligibility for benefit sought; Monitor progress of case.
- Prepare and review cases with proper documentation and accurate information & preparing Small Claims filing and online filings.
- Report directly to the attorney the daily broad range responsibilities from telephone conferences to the tasks of the day.
- Doing investigative research on the cases and facilitating and expediting case settlements for the benefit of the clients.
- Coordinate multifaceted office functions encompassing court calendar management, proper documentation of court reports and scheduling of conference rooms for deposition proceedings and coordination of schedules for all parties.
- Liaison between attorneys, clients, clinics, healthcare providers, insurance carriers and government agencies.
- Writing requests for medical reports and police reports; sending out authorizations and index info to insurances etc.
- Prepare content-specific interviews for clients and writing representation letters to involved parties.
- Created new law office forms, authorization forms and record filing for easier documentation.
- Assisted attorneys in trial preparation by compiling evidence and coordinating witness schedules.
- Implemented process improvements that streamlined document review workflow, increasing efficiency in case handling.
PARALEGAL
Law Offices of Haresh Jambusaria Inc.
L.A., CA, USA
06.2007 - 07.2011
- IMMIGRATION – Prepare filing packets for I-130; I-485 & Supplements; I-140; I-129; I-129F; I-589; I-539; I-131; I-765; I-864; I-865; I-751; I-90; AR-11; I-134; I-690; I-824; N-400 and H-600; concurrent filings; EB cases; L1, L2, F1-Student Visa; Consular Processing.
- CORPORATE – Filing of Application; Articles of Incorporation (Domestic) 04158; LABOR CERTIFICATION, (PERM)
- FAMILY – Dissolution of Divorce; Uncontested; Child Custody, Child support, Child visitation; Pre-Nuptial & Marital Agreement.
- ESTATE PLANNING – preparation/proof reading wills, living will; living trust; Power of Attorney, Discovery Responses, Requests.
- Case Management, improving overall efficiency in preparation of documents to be filed.
- Prepare, review & file civil cases to the court w/ proper documentation & accurate info.
- Maintenance of Database of Clients, updating the records and files and also the law office website with the current news and Monthly visa bulletin, AILA, USCIS, U.S. Department of Justice; responded to USCIS, BIA, EOIR.
- Correspond with office functions, including calendar management, client appointments, schedule meetings or conferences.
- Follow up on client inquiries, new clients, deadline of RFEs (request for evidence), responses to NTA (Notice to Appear)
- Extensive legal research and analyze legal issues requiring the utmost discretion and secrecy to the other party.
- Developed the database for faster name recognition of the system for client profiles.
- Training incoming secretaries/legal personnel.
LEGAL APPRENTICE
J.D. and Associates and GGVV Law Office
05.2000 - 02.2007
- Review prepared documents before filing, ensuring correct documentation attachments and accuracy of information.
- Performing extensive case related legal research obtained from digested old cases, law library and the internet.
- Making a report of all the research done for the cases on file for future reference.
- Management of schedules of court hearings and trials and interview of clients and other involved parties.
- Help train secretaries and law apprentice and Proctor in law school classes for examinations.
- Implement training efficiency in the law office by gathering data information and keeping a daily task sheet everyday.
- Training in Court Hearings, Mock Trials in Philippine Court Setting.
- Prepare Pleadings, affidavits and other content-specific letter formats supporting cases on file or to be filed.
- Integrated database system files to gather account histories and case-sensitive documentation for case management.
- Documentation of the court hearings and mock trials for review and conference of judgment, for purposes of explaining to the Clients and to the summary of judgment of every case.
- Supervisor: Atty. Joel G. Dojillo / Atty. Gina Grace Villanueva
Education
No Degree - International Justice (Modular Course)
Harvard Online
01-2016
Bachelor of Science - Law
University of St. La Salle
Bacolod City, Philippines03-2005
Bachelor of Science - Biology
De La Salle University-Philippines
01-1999
High School Diploma -
ST. JOHN’S INSTITUTE
Bacolod City, Philippines03-1995
Skills
- Legal Writing
- Legal research
- Case analysis
- Case Management
- Office Management
- Deadline compliant
- Proofreading
- Document preparation
- Global immigration filings
- Visa processing
- Immigration law
Timeline
Immigration Paralegal
Arnaout Law Firm
06.2026 - Current
CASE MANAGER / SENIOR PARALEGAL
LIU LAW INC
06.2023 - 06.2024
IMMIGRATION PARALEGAL Temp Contract
The Matian Firm (La Liga Defensora)
05.2023 - 06.2023
Office Manager/Senior Paralegal
Law Offices of Haresh Jambusaria Inc.
07.2013 - 05.2019
PARALEGAL & Office Manager
Law Offices of Roland M. Abes
07.2011 - 06.2013
CASE MANAGER / SENIOR PARALEGAL
Per Diem Paralegal
06.2010 - Current
PARALEGAL
Law Offices of Haresh Jambusaria Inc.
06.2007 - 07.2011
LEGAL APPRENTICE
J.D. and Associates and GGVV Law Office
05.2000 - 02.2007
Bachelor of Science - Biology
De La Salle University-Philippines
No Degree - International Justice (Modular Course)
Harvard Online
Bachelor of Science - Law
University of St. La Salle
High School Diploma -
ST. JOHN’S INSTITUTE