Our Attorneys

Michele Contreras, Esq. is the founder and managing attorney at the Law Office. She has been practicing immigration law since 2007 and has been representing H-2B employers since 2009. Prior to becoming an attorney in 2007, she worked as a legal assistant in various immigration law offices since 2001, when she began her career in Immigration Law by working as a full-time volunteer for two years through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps as the Asylum Coordinator at Catholic Charities in Houston, TX.
 

Ms. Contreras is a Mentor in the area of H-2B Visas for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), serves on the Department of Labor Liaison Committee for the American Immigration Lawyers Association National Office, serves as the Co-Coordinator and Founder of the National H-2 Attorney Interest Group Listserve, and served on the AILA Fundamentals CLE planning committee. She has spoken at Legal Education Conferences to other immigration attorneys educating them about H-2 visas and other areas of immigration law. 

Ms. Contreras worked both in private law firms and non-profit legal services prior to founding The Law Office of Michele Contreras, LLC, in 2009. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in History and Urban Studies from Fordham University and her law degree from Rutgers University School of Law. She is fluent in Spanish and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 

Molly Marte, Esq. is the Senior Associate Attorney at the Law Office. She joined the team in 2022 after working for a private immigration law firm in Pennsylvania. Ms. Marte has family, business, naturalization, and humanitarian immigration law experience. She has a law degree from The Villanova Charles Widger School of Law and a Bachelor's Degree in political science from The University of Miami. Ms. Marte also gained sports law experience as a clerk for Rainmaker Sports & Entertainment Group, where she served athletes' and sports and entertainment corporations' needs. 

Ms. Marte is fluent in Spanish and a board member for the Our Baseball Life foundation, a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity, and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, The Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Ms. Marte was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2022-2023. 

Emily Carria, Esq. is an associate attorney at the Law Office. She joined the team in 2021 after earning her law degree from Baylor University School of Law. Before that she earned her Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from the University of New Haven and worked as a legal assistant in criminal law. During law school she turned her interest to immigration law. She gained experience in naturalization as well as immigration issues through both immigration clinics and an internship with a private immigration firm in Texas.

Ms. Carria has extensive experience with the labor certification process for both temporary and permanent workers. She handles a high volume of H-2B cases from seasonal clients nationwide. She also guides clients through the process of obtaining green cards for their employees through Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) filings and subsequent Immigrant Petition and Adjustment of Status filings. Additionally, her work includes assisting clients through audit examinations from both DOL and USCIS.

Ms. Carria is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She is licensed under the Texas State Bar and the New Jersey State Bar.

Deena Leonetti, Esq. is an associate attorney at the Law Office who joined the team in 2021. She graduated from Villanova University in 2017 with a double BA in Philosophy and Gender & Women’s Studies. She earned her JD from Rutgers Law School in 2020.

During law school, she worked as a legal assistant in a foreclosure & bankruptcy firm, and had a summer internship with a family law judge in Camden. She also participated in the law school’s domestic violence clinic. She developed a passion for immigration law when witnessing the unique legal challenges that immigrant victims faced.

Ms. Leonetti manages a high volume of H-2B cases with our firm, and has some experience with H-2A as well. She also manages PERM cases for those who are interested in employment-based green cards.

Ms. Leonetti is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She is licensed under the New Jersey State Bar.