This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Taryn Druge, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.
Our erstwhile Managing Attorney is taking some well-deserved time off this week, which means he is gazing out at some version of the above vista, while fending off mosquitoes, snakes, or possibly, bears. Meanwhile, since it has clearly been a slow news week in the field of immigration law, we thought we would take a break from the usual legal insights, and instead introduce you to the new member of our team. Meet our summer law clerk: Ava Lansbury!
Ava started with us just after Memorial Day, and she has already proved herself indispensable in helping to make sure that the associates don’t burn down the place down in the boss’ absence. We asked her a few questions to find out what she’s making of the experience so far.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I’m from Arlington!
Q: Ahh. A bona fide local. Are there any fun facts about your name that you would like our readers to know?
A: Hmmm. My parents picked the name Ava because they liked it (which is a good reason, but not a very interesting one). Lansbury got changed from Landesberger when my grandfather came over from Austria.
Q: That is actually very interesting! There’s probably a whole untold story there. What drew you to want to try out this work in immigration law?
A: I want to help people! Although I’m not totally sure of what my future career will be, I know I want to do something where I can make a positive impact on other people’s lives. I’m also very interested in the way the law operates. One of my favorite classes I’ve taken so far in college was Philosophy of Law. I also wanted an opportunity to work on my Spanish over the summer.
Q: Did you have any prior experience or contact with the immigration system prior to starting here?
A: Not really. A lot of my Spanish classes in both high school and college have had some kind of focus on immigration and related issues, but I have a lot to learn!
Q: Well, you’ve picked quite a time to get into this. You have been with us for a whole seven days now. What is one thing that has surprised you so far?
A: One thing that has surprised me is how many different countries our clients represent. Over the last week, I have gotten to learn so much about other countries and cultures.
Q: What’s the most annoying task that you’ve been asked to do in your time here?
A: This is hard because everything I’ve done has been new and interesting to me! But I have to say filling out a whole new form because only one question got changed, that was pretty tedious.
Q: What are your plans for the remainder of your time in school?
A: In the fall I’ll be studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina! My classes will be focused on social movements and human rights. After that, I’ll finish up my last three semesters as a Sociology and Spanish double major while playing for the Smith Softball team.
Welcome aboard, Ava! We are excited to have you with us through the summer. And I’m sure you can’t wait to discover all the new form versions that USCIS will be forcing us to redo during this time.
As always, we are grateful for your questions and comments, and will do our best to respond.
