LAIC COHORT 2025

Jeannie Fu

Waywoo Law, APC

Jeannie founded Waywoo Law, APC in 2025 with a dual mission: (1) to support entrepreneurs and startups as they develop, launch and grow their businesses strategically and in compliance with changing laws; and (2) to help individuals safeguard the well-being of their families now and into the future with customized estate plans.

Jeannie’s background affords her unique problem-solving skills: from representing parties in court to working as in-house counsel, counsel, drafting and negotiating ironclad agreements to prevent lawsuits.

Fluent in Mandarin, Jeannie enjoys interpreting American culture and California law with Chinese and Chinese-American clients. She serves on the boards of the Orange County Asian Americans Bar Association and Orange County Korean American Bar Association.

Jeannie earned her B.S. degree in international business and her law degree from Chapman University, and is located in Orange County. She can be reached at jeannie.fu91@gmail.com or 714-794-9040. She is fluent in Mandarin.

Crystal Goodwin

Goodwin Law Group

Crystal launched Goodwin Law Group to protect the legal rights of musicians, producers, performing artists, tv/film production companies and entrepreneurs.

She does this through contract drafting and/or review, tough negotiating, and designing plans using intellectual property laws to prevent her clients’ work from being stolen.

Crystal also helps her clients future-proof their success with trust and estate planning.

As a former college and professional basketball player, Crystal knows that her clients need to focus on their work – not on legal problems. She goes above and beyond for her clients, providing tailored guidance and counsel that precisely meets their needs.

Crystal earned her B.A. degree in economics from Occidental College and her law degree from Southwestern Law School. She is based in Los Angeles, and can be reached at Crystal.goodwin4@gmail.com or 310-908-0643. Her website is: Goodwinlawgroup.co.

Jesse Lucas

Attorney at Law

In line with his belief that access to legal services is a fundamental right, Jesse launched his solo practice in Compton to help those who are confused trying to navigate the complex legal system.

Currently, Jesse is focused on representing defendants in criminal court and honing his trial skills. He aims to expand his firm to offer services in the areas of greatest legal need in his community including family law, immigration, landlord tenant law and legal advice for small businesses.

An entrepreneur and business owner himself, Jesse has expertise in accounting, contract negotiations and labor and employment. He is an active member of the community in his hometown of Compton, and served previously on the Watts Neighborhood Council member.

Jesse earned his Bachelor’s degree from California State University Los Angeles in Business Administration and Accounting, and a law degree from Southwestern Law School. Jesse can be reached at jesselucasesq@gmail.com or 213-700-8355.

Jacqueline Mejia

Attorney at Law

Before launching her firm, Jacqueline spent years in the courtroom, first as a judicial clerk and then as a dynamic civil litigator. Now, she helps small businesses avoid legal troubles by providing information, advice and training on establishing workplace policies that keep them in compliance with changing laws.

As a native Spanish speaker, Jacqueline is in the unique position of being able to offer bilingual trainings and written policies. While in law school, Jacqueline served as a Board Member of La Raza Law Students Association, and she volunteered as a translator for a legal aid program, the Legal Advice and Referral Clinic (“LARC”).

Before attending law school at University of San Francisco School of Law (formerly, UC Hastings), Jacqueline earned her Bachelor’s degree from UCLA, from which she graduated Magna Cum Laude within the Chicana/o Studies Department.

Jaqueline resides in San Diego, and can be reached at jacquelinemejialaw@gmail.com or 510-303-4648. She speaks fluent Spanish.

Negar Nosrat

Attorney at Law

Negar provides compassionate, dignified and accessible legal services to underserved communities, and is a passionate advocate for the rights of women and girls. Her three areas of focus are immigration law (refugees and asylum seekers); family law (uncontested divorces, assisted reproduction, surrogacy agreements, and issues related to intended parents), and pro bono work.

Negar’s legal expertise and commitment to social justice is combined with an entrepreneurial spirit. Before starting her law firm, she owned a successful chain of retail clothing stores where she served as general counsel for over a decade. Her experience lend her a blend of pragmatic problem-solving with heart, which is especially powerful when working with clients in crisis.

Negar earned a B.A. in political science from UCLA, and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law. She also holds a Master’s Degree in psychology, and considers herself to be a lifelong learner.

Negar is located in greater Los Angeles and can be reached at negarnosrat@lawyer.com or 818-616-3091. She is fluent in Farsi.

Gloria Perez-Stewart

Attorney at Law

Gloria provides a wide array of legal services for children and adults with disabilities and those who care for them. This work spans school settings (e.g., testing for disabilities; IEP process; etc.); special needs planning (e.g., public benefits; working with regional centers; supported decision-making; conservatorships; etc.) and drafting special needs trusts.

As the mother of a son with autism, Gloria entered the legal profession after having fought tremendous battles on behalf of her son, and as a community organizer helping other families do the same. She remains grounded in her belief that disability rights are civil rights.

Gloria studied organizational community at St. Edward’s University in Texas before earning her law degree from People’s College of Law in Los Angeles. She has won numerous awards for her community service and leadership.

Gloria serves clients through Southern California. She can be reached at gloria@gpslaw.net, 818-590-2839 or on her website: www.gpslaw.net.

Michelle Roseway-Peart

Attorney at Law

Michelle’s passion for the law stems from growing up in Jamaica, where she saw social injustice and was determined to be a force for good. As an immigrant herself, she has a special link with lawful permanent residents from the Caribbean who are trying to acquire citizenship.

Michelle currently practices business immigration law. She also provides pro bono immigration services to help keep families together and to protect those who are fleeing deadly conditions in their countries of origin. .

In addition to practicing law, Michelle has years of experience as a middle-school science teacher. She enjoys working with students from a variety of cultures and backgrounds.

Michelle earned her Bachelor of Education degree with a major in physics from University of the West Indies, Mona. She earned her law degree from Purdue Global Law School.

Michelle currently lives in Florida and is licensed to practice law in the State of California. She can be reached at mrosewaypeart@yahoo.com or 323-270-9151.

Violeta Schultz

Attorney at Law

With a background in public interest law and as an immigrant from Mexico, Violeta helps others achieve the American dream: to work hard and find a livelihood that can provide for one’s family and future generations.

Violeta provides bilingual legal guidance for entrepreneurs and startups, so they can grow their business in a sustainable manner. She also equips clients with estate planning tools, such as wills and living trusts, so they can prepare for the future.

Before becoming a public interest lawyer, Violeta worked at Orange County Superior Court's Self-Help Center. Her professional Spanish earned her a critical role in the Spanish-speaking community.

Violeta serves on the board of Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County and is an adjunct professor in the Legal Studies Dept. of Rancho Santiago Community College.

Violeta earned her Law Degree from the University of Guadalajara, and her LLM in Int'l Business and Economics from the USC Gould School of Law. She is located in Orange County and can be reached at schultzsamanthaedu@yahoo.com or 714-585-6494. She is fluent in Spanish and is licensed to practice law in both California and in Mexico.

Namita Thakker

Manzanita Law

Namita strives to be the first point of contact for entrepreneurs and small-to-midsized businesses and nonprofits, from startup (e.g., entity selection; formation documents, etc.) throughout the business life-cycle (e.g., negotiating agreements; drafting employment policies; trademark protection; triage for legal crises; etc.) and all the way through to the end: if and when it comes time to merge, sell or wind down the business. For matters that require more specialized legal support, Namita has a vast network of other lawyers to whom she refers.

Namita is committed to improving the legal profession and serves as the Co-Chair of the Diverse Women’s Committee of the Lawyers Club of San Diego and is an active member of the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program.

Namita earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in English with a concentration in cinema studies, and obtained her law degree from UC Irvine School of Law. She teaches business law at Mira Costa College in Oceanside.

Namita is located in San Diego. She can be reached at namita@manzanitalaw.com or 619-320-4462, or on her website: www.manzanitalaw.com. She speaks Spanish and Gujarati, and basic Hindi.

Thanh Tam "Tammie" Ton

Ton Law Office

Tammie enjoys civil litigation, where she can help her clients understand and navigate the court process, and advocate for the best possible resolution. With her heart in education and empowerment, she also prioritizes offering free legal workshops and Q&A sessions to the community. She is currently pursuing an LLM degree in Tax law, and intends to add tax assistance and small business counseling and formation to her menu of legal services.

Tammie entered the legal profession with an attention to detail, ethos and compassion that was honed over years as a successful pediatric dentist and public health advocate. In both the legal and medical professions, she provides critical help to those who are most vulnerable, both on individual and societal levels.

Tammie has earned multiple degrees including Doctor of Dental Surgery from USC; a Master in Medical Research from Wayne State University; a Master in Public Health from Cal State University Northridge, and a law degree from St. Francis School of Law.

Tammie is located in Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley and can be reached at tttonlaw@gmail.com or 323-538-4481. Her website is https://www.tonlawoffice.com/.

Nancy Vernon

Vernon Law Group, APC

Nancy brings a rare blend of hands-on business experience and legal expertise to her law practice. Before becoming an attorney, she spent decades as a CEO, CFO and entrepreneur, negotiating high-stakes contracts across national and international markets. Her experience has guided businesses through complex crisis and re-growth cycles including the aftermath of September 11th and the housing bubble recession of 2008, in addition to resolving clients’ personal financial emergencies brought on by sudden death, illness or divorce. Her global experience taught her how to problem-solve under pressure—and how to turn obstacles into opportunities for her clients.

Now, Nancy focuses her legal practice on helping individuals and business owners, particularly women, navigate financial distress with clarity and confidence. Her services include strategic consultations, debt negotiation and restructuring, business reorganizations, landlord/tenant and mortgage issues, including civil litigation and bankruptcy filings to protect her clients’ assets when necessary. Clients value her direct, solution-oriented approach and ability to translate legal tools into actionable business strategy.

Nancy earned her B.S. in Business and Marketing from California State University, Northridge, and her law degree from Glendale University College of Law. She is based in the South Bay and works with clients across Southern California. She can be reached at nancyvernon@vernonlawgrp.com or directly at 310-918-6257.

Maria A. M. Zavaleta

Attorney at Law

Maria is passionate about immigration law and handles a range of matters including family-based, humanitarian-based and naturalization. When she was a child, Maria migrated with her mother from El Salvador to the U.S., seeking a better life. A year later, her older half-brother was granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS). She traces her passion for immigration law to her fight to ensure TPS holders retain their legal status.

Maria is an active member of her community. She continues to volunteer with the National TPS Alliance, and mentors law students and undergraduates interested in pursuing a career in law. She serves in leadership roles for American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Northern California Chapter and Alameda County Bar Association.

Maria earned her B.A. from the UC Irvine in Criminology, Law & Society and Psychology and Social Behavior, with a minor in Political Science. She earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law (formerly, UC Hastings). Maria practices throughout California and can be reached at attorneyzavaleta@gmail.com. She is fluent in Spanish.