Arvin Saenz,
Attorney
Arvin Saenz is a first-generation Mexican-American. He was born and raised in the border town of El Paso, Texas. Before working in immigration and deportation defense, Arvin joined the nation’s most elite military branch (United States Marine Corps) at the tender age of 17. As a field radio operator, military policeman, and corrections specialist, Arvin has visited and lived in countries abroad. After returning from combat deployment (Ramadi, Iraq 2005) he decided to put his mental faculties to work and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at El Paso with a major in Accounting. After earning his bachelor degree, he worked the business private sector in various management positions before working civil service for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Arvin’s devotion and empathy for others inspired him to seek a profession in the legal field. Namely, working in deportation defense. In just two and a half years, he earned a law degree from Charlotte School of Law along with Pro Bono honors gained from immigration-related work. During his tenure as a law school student, Arvin volunteered over a hundred fifty hours of his time—he helped clients accused of crimes by co-authoring appellate briefs in the Texas 8th Court of Appeals as well as assisting central American immigrants with their applications for asylum relief.
As an attorney, Arvin has obtained litigation experience (over 50 contested cases in Administrative Court) and has authored many appellate briefs. Arvin is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and is fluent in Spanish. He is active in community events that aim to empower and embolden immigrants. He has volunteered legal services for various agencies such as Catholic Charities, Juntos Podemos, North Texas Dream Team, and the Dallas Mexican Consulate. Arvin has volunteered deportation defense services traveling to Mexico in order to help immigrants get out in the highly controversial “wait-in-Mexico” program.
Arvin’s other interests aside from immigration are chess and tax preparation
Mark Lee,
Attorney
Mark Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Texas at Austin and a doctorate in law at Baylor University School of Law in Waco, Texas. Before settling on immigration law as the focus of his practice, he worked as a prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, and a civil litigator in both state and federal trial courts. His broad litigation experience provides a strong underpinning for his immigration practice.
Mr. Lee became interested in immigration law by volunteering his services to a Dallas non-profit organization. Soon he took a position in a small Dallas firm where he focused on asylum and brought suits against the government in immigration-related cases. He has since served as a staff immigration attorney for Catholic Charities in Houston, supervising its battered women and crime victim programs and litigating cases for asylum-seekers and unaccompanied juvenile immigrant detainees.
Before joining Saenz-Garcia Law, LLP, Mr. Lee practiced in a medium-sized Dallas area immigration firm, focusing on all manner of deportation defense, family petitions, consular processing with waivers, naturalization, and appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals and USCIS Immigration Appeals Office. Mr. Lee is a native Texan. Outside work he most enjoys music, travel, and fatherhood.
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Judicial Circuit
Education
- Baylor University School of Law
- Juris Doctor (JD)
University of Texas at Austin - Bachelor of Arts (BA), With Honors
Professional Associations and Memberships
- American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) (2000-Present)
Languages
- Spanish
- English
Greg Stephenson,
Attorney
Greg Stephenson practices immigration law exclusively. His passion for helping immigrants began at a young age through bilingual education in grade school; foreign exchange to Mexico during High School and a two year mission in Chile before College. With an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University, Mr. Stephenson was involved in a series of entrepreneurial ventures before deciding to return to school at the University of Idaho College of Law.
While in Idaho, Mr Stephenson participated in the Immgration Clinic. Through service at the clinic Mr Stephenson found his calling serving the immigration community and has been dedicating his energies to helping immigrants ever since. When not focused on the law, Greg enjoys reading novels and spending time with his wife and five children.
Arzoo Rajani Connor,
Attorney
Arzoo Rajani Connor practices immigration law exclusively. She has extensive experience in deportation defense as well as family-based immigration. Arzoo is a 2011 graduate of St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. During law school, Arzoo distinguished herself as a Staff Writer with The Scholar, St. Mary’s Law Review on Minority Issues. She also worked as a law clerk for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on a variety of immigration cases including asylum, marriage-based petitions, and fiancé visas.
Arzoo previously worked as a commissioned officer and a Judge Advocate General (JAG) in the United States Air Force. She has extensive trial experience as a federal prosecutor in felony and misdemeanor cases. As a JAG, Arzoo gained extensive immigration experience assisting military members, retirees, and dependents to obtain various immigration benefits.
Arzoo is fluent in Urdu and Hindi.
Education
- J.D. St Mary’s University School of Law, 2011
- M.A. in International Relations, St. Mary’s University, 2011
- B.S. in Business Administration, University of Texas at Dallas, 2005
Professional Affiliations
- Member, State Bar of Texas
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association
Publication and Recognition
- Article, Islamism and the Democratic State of Pakistan, The Academia, St. Mary’s University Journal for Graduate School (2011)
- Note, Remedies for Detainees: The Impact of the Ninth Circuit’s Decision on Medical Negligent Cases, 5 U. MASS. ROUNDTABLE SYMP. L. J. (2010)
- Mary’s University School of Law External Negotiations Team
- The Scholar, St. Mary’s Law Review on Minority Issues, Staff Writer
Michael Spychalski,
Attorney
Mr. Spychalski was born and raised in Michigan City, Indiana. In 1999, he received his Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Finance with an emphasis in Management Information Systems and French from Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana. In 2002, Mr. Spychalski earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tulsa, College of Law and was a member of the Honorary Delta Theta Phi Legal Fraternity for International Law. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 2010, Oklahoma in 2003, and to the District of Columbia Bar in 2007.
Mr. Spychalski has made it his mission to protect immigrants’ rights in virtually any immigration case. He strives to stay current with the ever-changing immigration law. He is a trial lawyer and has been advocating his clients’ cases in the courtroom since he tried his first case as a licensed legal intern at the age of 23. Since then, he has tried numerous trials in both criminal and immigration court, successfully defending illegal aliens and permanent residents from being removed from the United States. His criminal experience has proven invaluable in dealing with immigration law. Whether it is a person who is trying to gain permanent residency or citizenship, or a person trying to stay in the United States, Mr. Spychalski is a zealous advocate for all aliens.
Mr. Spychalski was voted by peers as a Top Attorney in Fort Worth Magazine 2015. Also, he has a chapter titled “Investigating an Immigration Law Case and Developing a Litigation Strategy” published by Aspatore Books, a Thomson Reuters business, in the book titled “The Minds: Litigation Strategies for Immigration Issues.” Mr. Spychalski has a published Board of Immigration Appeals Decision in which he successfully argued keeping his client’s green card after being convicted of kidnapping. See Matter of A. Vasquez, 27 I&N Dec. 503 (BIA 2019).
Mr. Spychalski is also very active in the community. He is a member of the Men’s Club (former president) and Knights of Columbus at St. Ann Parish in Coppell, Texas, doing volunteer work. Also, he is an avid sports fan. He played hockey while attending Indiana State University and also currently plays softball.
Mr. Spychalski is a member of the Texas State Bar Association. Moreover, while at Bailey and Galyen, he grew the Immigration Department from one attorney to three. He oversees and serves as lead counsel on immigration files and handles trials for the firm’s clients statewide and nationally.
Kymberly Renaud,
Attorney
Kymberly Renaud practices immigration, criminal and family law. She has experience in deportation defense, family-based immigration, post-conviction writs of habeas corpus, expunctions, and SAPCRs.
Kymberly Renaud attended Texas Tech University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations, a Bachelor of Arts in History, and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in war, diplomacy and public policy. In 2014, Mrs. Renaud earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence from New England Law Boston. She was admitted to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bar in 2014, District of Columbia Bar in 2016 and State Bar of Texas in 2018.
Mrs. Renaud began her legal career working in federal lobbying in Washington D.C. Her work in politics and her passion for international travel led her to a career in immigration law. Before joining Saenz-Garcia Law, LLP, Mrs. Renaud practiced in a medium-sized Dallas firm and was also the Supervising Attorney for the immigration department at Catholic Charities Dallas.
Edward Castillo,
Attorney
Attorney Edward Castillo was born and raised in the Texas Panhandle where he learned the work ethic passed down in his family and compassion for those around him. Edward has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration from West Texas A&M University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law. Prior to law school, Edward worked as a juvenile probation officer.
Edward has spent the twenty years since law school working nearly exclusively as a criminal law practitioner as both an Assistant District Attorney and criminal defense advocate. He has tried over 130 jury trials ranging from class C citations to felonies. These cases include juveniles and adults accused of all types of offenses.
Edward has passionate about helping those in need of a voice while in a difficult situation. He has volunteered for programs which aid veterans in need of legal services and various other charitable organizations.
Claudia Hernández
Claudia was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and immigrated to the United States as a child. After graduating high school with honors, she attended Baylor University on a full scholarship where she graduated from in 2006. While at Baylor, she studied abroad at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico. She was also a member of Sigma Iota Rho National Honors Society.
After graduation, Ms. Hernández began working in the immigration law field. She became fully accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and successfully litigated cases in immigration court. As a BIA representative, Ms. Hernández represented clients in a wide array of cases including removal proceedings, family-based cases, appeals, consular visas, and victims of crime. Ms. Hernández has extensive knowledge and experience in immigration law and procedure. She has held management positions at several organizations.
During her spare time, Ms. Hernández has volunteered as an event coordinator for the Mexican Consulate of Austin, and has taught civics courses to immigrants interested in naturalizing. Ms. Hernández is also a member of the Community Race Relations Coalition.
Ms. Hernández takes pride in helping immigrants due to her own personal journey in the immigration system.
Flora Alarcon
Flora was born in North Texas to immigrant parents. After graduating from high school, Flora continued her education at the University of Texas in Arlington. She completed her Bachelor’s in Social Work in 2017, and went on to obtain her Master’s Degree in the field of Social Work with a specialization in Medical in 2018. She was introduced into the immigration field in early 2018.
Flora is a paralegal in the immigration practice group. Although Flora is experienced with all types of immigration cases, her main focus at Saenz Garcia Law is deportation defense. She assists with document examination and management, drafting motions, fact development, research and merits hearing preparation. Flora is compassionate toward each and every one of her cases, and strives to educate all on proper immigration procedures.