Chavez & Valko, LLP

Focus and practice areas

The firm works only on U.S. immigration and citizenship law. That single focus shapes how it takes on cases. Its attorneys handle family immigration, business immigration, deferred action under DACA, deportation defense and litigation, and asylum and humanitarian relief. Green cards, naturalization, and work visas fall within the same body of law.

Immigration work splits along a few clear lines, and the firm covers several of them. Some cases are built on paperwork and petitions. Others turn into hearings and appeals. The team works on both kinds.

Family and employment cases

Family immigration usually starts with a petition that ties a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to a relative. A case may then move to adjustment of status inside the country or to consular processing at a post abroad. Business immigration runs on a separate track. It can cover temporary work visas and permanent employment-based green cards, and it often brings in an employer as the sponsoring party. The firm handles employment-based cases and family petitions alike.

Humanitarian relief and DACA

Asylum and humanitarian relief involve people who fear harm in their home country. An asylum claim can be filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or it can be raised as a defense once a person is already in removal proceedings. Deferred action under DACA gives certain people who came to the country as children a temporary reprieve from removal and permission to work, renewed on a set cycle. The firm takes on both types of matter.

Deportation defense and appeals

Removal proceedings run through the immigration courts under the Department of Justice. A case there can turn on filing deadlines, evidence of hardship, or eligibility for relief such as cancellation of removal. The firm represents clients in these hearings and files appeals when a decision goes against them. An appeal in this area goes first to the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the record from the original hearing usually sets the limits of what that appeal can argue.

Citizenship and green cards

Green cards and citizenship come at the later stages of many immigration paths. A lawful permanent resident who meets the residency and other requirements can apply to naturalize, a process that includes an English and civics test and an interview. The firm handles naturalization applications along with the green card cases that often come first. Work visas round out this part of the practice for clients who need to live and work in the United States lawfully.

How the team is built

The firm runs two offices, one in Dallas and one in Fort Worth, each led by a managing partner. Nicolas Chavez leads the Fort Worth office. He is board certified in immigration and nationality law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Martin Valko leads the Dallas office and is Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic to Texas.

Past the two partners, the roster includes senior attorneys, associates, a managing attorney, and an of counsel. Ann Kelleher Miller, the managing attorney, is certified in immigration and nationality law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Senior attorneys Patricia Conkright, Miriam Garza-Lee, and Valeria Montalvo carry casework alongside associates Samantha Davis and Sachika Denham-Hand. Jose I. Sanchez works with the firm of counsel.

Who the firm represents

The client base runs wide. The firm works with individuals and families, and it also works with small businesses, startups, and multinational companies. Those groups bring different needs. A family case often centers on a petition and a personal history. A business case tends to center on a role, a worker, and the terms of employment.

The firm represents people across the United States and abroad. Immigration law is federal, so a Texas firm can file and argue matters for clients who live in other states or outside the country. As a reviewer, I see that national reach as consistent with how immigration practice actually works.

Added services and access

The firm provides a Lawpilot Guardian emergency notification service to its clients. A tool like this is built to reach a lawyer quickly if someone is detained, which matters in enforcement and deportation cases where timing is tight. The firm also offers initial consultations for people weighing whether to bring a case.

What the credentials show

In my opinion, the clearest signal here is the pairing of two board-certified attorneys with a practice kept to a single field. Board certification in immigration and nationality law is a formal credential granted by a state specialization board after a review of a lawyer's experience and a written examination. The firm carries two such certifications, one issued in Texas and one in California, along with a partner who holds a consular appointment.