Maria Isabel Cueva

Attorney at Law

Isabel Cueva is a U.S. Immigration Lawyer who represents clients in all 50 states and around the world. She has extensive experience in deportation defense, family visas, waivers, and employment-based visas. Currently her main focus are family-based affirmative petitions. 

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Ms. Cueva is a first generation immigrant who migrated to the U.S. when she was eight years old. She received her Bachelor's degree at the age of 19 from the University of Utah where she was awarded a full-ride scholarship. Ms. Cueva graduated Magna Cum Laude and with honors from the Psi Chi National Honors Society and PHI KAPPA PHI Honors Society.

She received her Juris Doctorate degree from the reputable S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. As a student she clerked for the Honorable William Nixon in the United States Executive Office for Immigration Review in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ms. Cueva was the youngest in her graduating class at age 22. Upon graduating Ms. Cueva practiced immigration law in Seattle and in British Columbia, where she gained a reputation handling highly complex cases. Ms. Cueva was recruited by a national law firm in Orange County, California to start an immigration division. She spent two years in California, building a client base of more than 600 clients, and then moved to her native Utah in 2015 to start her own law firm.

Ms. Cueva believes in honest representation and in empowering her clients with information and knowledge so that they can make an informed decision. She believes in transparency and high-quality work. She is dedicated to her community and is passionate in keeping families united. 

Ms. Cueva is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyer's Association and is licensed to practice law in the State of Washington. Due to the federal nature of U.S. immigration law, Ms. Cueva is able to represent clients nationwide.

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Susana Maldonado, Senior Paralegal

Susana was born and raised in Los Angeles. Both of her parents are first-generation immigrants from Mexico. Susana is an expert in family-based immigration petitions. In her decade of work in the immigration field, she has helped thousands of people gain residency and citizenship, including members of her own family. Susana is smart, driven, compassionate, and loves working with her clients. Susana is bilingual and travels to Mexico annually with her family. Her extensive experience, firsthand knowledge of the immigration system, and genuine friendly disposition make her a wonderful asset to our firm.

Favorite part of the job: “Our work can be very stressful, but extremely rewarding. There is nothing better than getting the good news of an approval and being able to call my client and being able to share that amazing moment. Sometimes they can’t believe it. But you can feel the stress and fear they’ve held on for so many years disappear and replaced with hope and happiness.”

Miriam Sanchez, Legal Assistant

Miriam Sanchez was born in Los Angeles, California. She’s lived in Mexico, CA, ID and UT. Living in different countries and states has enabled her to learn about different cultures, master communication and language skills, and enjoy the benefits of personal growth. Miriam’s parents both immigrated to the United States and encountered many discouraging attorney consultations to legalize their status. Miriam understands the importance of having a good attorney on your side. She remembers her parent’s long immigration journey finally coming to an end when they were able to naturalize when she was in High School. Miriam is highly driven and has a wonderful work ethic. We love her positive up-beat attitude and the energy she brings to the office.

Miriam enjoys spending time with her life partner, who also immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan, and her children. Together they like to explore the outdoors, try new foods and restaurants, and spend the evening cooking together.

Favorite part of the job: “I love the sense of community we have with our clients. They are so happy they have found someone who they can trust and they feel confident in referring their friends and loved ones to us to help them. It feels good to make a difference in our community.”

Maria “Mami” Isabel Cueva, Payments Coordinator

Mami handles the office’s payments and accounting. She makes sure our clients are set up on monthly payments their family can afford and adjusts client’s payments when they are experiencing financial hardship. She is also our office Mom who loves cooking lunch for the staff. Mami was born and raised in Mexico, and immigrated to the United States in 1994 with her husband and 4 children. She knows what it’s like to leave everything you know behind for the opportunity of a better life for your children. She left behind her mom, dad, and siblings and came to a country where she did not understand the language without any support system. Mami explains “We have to be proud of who we are. It takes an incredible amount of courage, strength and determination to immigrate to a new country and leave behind everything you know. It makes you appreciate all of the little things in life. Our kids understand the sacrifices that were made and has pushed them to take advantage of every opportunity. I am so proud of what we have accomplished as a family and so happy we made that very difficult decision.”

Mami has been very involved in her community. She worked for the Utah Health Department visiting new moms and their babies to make sure they had the tools to properly take care of their babies. She then became a Realtor and has focused on helping immigrant families apply for mortgages. She loves seeing immigrant families accomplish their goals of purchasing their first homes and sharing in their happiness.