About Us

Stanley P. Walker graduated from Auburn University in 1992, where he majored in Political Science. He then moved to Virginia where he attended Washington and Lee School of Law, earning his J.D. in 1996. At Washington and Lee, Stanley joined Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity, and he was a member of the 1996 National Mock Trial Team. Stanley returned to Alabama starting his legal career with a small, general practice firm, and had the opportunity to serve as the city attorney for his hometown. In 2003, he opened his own law firm in Enterprise, Alabama, where he began practicing immigration law. During the summer of 2006, Stanley opened a branch office in Panama City, Florida and has maintained an immigration practice in both Alabama and Florida since then, focusing on family based immigration and representing individuals in Immigration Court proceedings. He moved his Florida practice to Fort Walton Beach in the summer of 2008 where he eventually merged with his business partner to form Southern Star Immigration, P.A. Stanley has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 2006, and serves on the Central Florida Chapter DMV Committee. He currently resides in Mary Esther, Florida and New Brockton, Alabama.

Nahomi Ortiz, Administrative Assistant in the Chattanooga office, is a native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. After moving to Tennessee at a young age, Nahomi graduated from Red Bank High School with honors in 2011, where she placed in the top 10 in her class, earned an academic scholarship, and served as the student representative to the Hamilton County School Board. Nahomi is currently enrolled in the Paralegal Studies program at Chattanooga State, and was recently inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society in recognition of her academic achievements in college. Upon graduation from college, Nahomi hopes to attend law school. She is committed to working closely with the Chattanooga community and looks forward to opportunities to serve in the future.

Michelle L. Lassey was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and raised in Arlington, Texas, where she graduated from Arlington High School. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in legal studies in May of 2006, and her master’s degree in criminal justice administration in June 2008. Currently, she is working on her doctorate degree in criminal justice. In 2006, Michelle was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, and she is still an active member. For the past two years, she has been working in the Enterprise, Alabama office as a legal assistant, and for seven years before that, she was a Customer Service Manager at Convergys. Michelle is currently stationed at Ft. Rucker, Alabama with her husband of 15 years and three children, ages 13, 7, and 18 months.

Martin W. Lester heads the firm’s practice in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Martin graduated from Yale Law School in 1990, where he served as Executive Editor of the Yale Journal of International Law and as a Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Martin received Honors grades in both Immigration and Refugee Studies and International Business Transactions. Martin graduated from Brown University magna cum laude in 1987, where he majored in International Relations and was selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa. While at Brown, Martin competed at the intercollegiate level on the Men’s Fencing Team. Martin has represented both individuals and businesses in immigration matters, and has appeared in immigration courts throughout the southeastern United States (including Memphis, New Orleans, Oakdale, and Orlando). He has authored articles for local publications and spoken before various professional groups on immigration topics. Martin’s articles on immigration topics appear twice a month in Noticias Libres, a Spanish-language publication of the Chattanooga Times-Free Press. Martin also authored the chapter “Advising the Small Business Client: Needs, Expectations, and Reality” in Employing International Workers (Aspatore Books, 2011 ed.). Martin is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (Mid-South and Central Florida Chapters), where he has worked to protect the public from “notarios” and other unlicensed practitioners. He served on AILA’s 2011-12 national committee on Consumer Protection and Unauthorized Practice of Law, and currently serves as the Chair of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee for the Central Florida Chapter and a member of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee for the Mid-South Chapter. He is the past chair of the American Citizenship Committee for the Escambia - Santa Rosa Bar Association and a past president of the Okaloosa - Walton Bar Association. Martin is also a member of International Business Council of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. Martin is married to Lori Lester, a social worker. Their daughter Lindsay is a junior in high school.

Mariana Muñoz-Parsons, a native of Mexico, moved to Chicago, Illinois with her family when she was six years old. Mariana attended Pomfret College Preparatory School in Connecticut where she graduated in 1999, and thereafter attended The University of Chicago where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies. While at The University of Chicago, Mariana was an active member of Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE), a mentoring program for middle school students in the Little Village community where she grew up. Mariana subsequently co-chaired the WYSE program from 2002 to 2003. Mariana has worked as a paralegal for approximately 10 years and has focused on commercial and civil litigation, personal injury, federal and state indigent criminal defense, and immigration law. Mariana moved to the Fort Walton Beach, Florida, area with her husband due to his military reassignment. Mariana is fluent in English and Spanish, enjoys reading Spanish literature, is an avid runner, and is passionate about immigration law and policy.

Lori Lester was born and raised in Olean, New York. Following high school, Lori served in the United States Marine Corps, where she was meritoriously promoted to Sergeant (E-5) and awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal. After discharge, Lori worked in several administrative capacities at law firms in Washington, D.C. while attending college part-time in the evening, and further serving six years as a Reservist with the United States Air Force. Lori received her B. A. in Psychology from George Mason University in 1994 and her Master of Social Work from the Virginia Commonwealth University in 1998 with a concentration in Advocacy, Administration, and Policy. During and since that time, Lori worked in numerous professional capacities, most of which focused on child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and interpersonal and social trauma. Some of the roles she filled included Mental Health Therapist, Child Protective Services Investigator, Court-Appointed Special Advocate for Children, and Crisis Counselor and Team Leader for post Hurricane Katrina survivors. Lori lobbied the Virginia General Assembly in the mid-1990s for improved funding for children’s mental health, and was selected to be one of the first trained advocates for the nationally-based grassroots movement Stand For Children, a part of the Children’s Defense Fund, in the late 1990s. Lori has been extensively published in the social work field. Her publications with her co-author Robert L. Schneider include Social Work Advocacy: A New Framework For Action, (Brooks/Cole, Thompson Learning: Belmont, CA), three editions of Entitlement Policies and Programs: Internet Access for Social Work Professionals and Students in the Commonwealth of Virginia, , and the article entry on Advocacy in the Encyclopedia of Social Work ( Oxford University Press: New York, 20th Edition (2008). Lori also authored Why We Can’t Always Help, (Washington Post,February 4, 2001), which addressed the difficulties child protective services investigators face in attempting to function effectively under a maze of oppressive legislative and administrative policies. Lori currently lives with her husband Martin and daughter Lindsay, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Lori and Martin were foster and adoptive parents in the Commonwealth of Virginia prior to moving to Florida in 2003.

Katy Krueger graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications in 1998. She then continued her education and graduated from the Paralegal Studies program at the Professional Career Development Institute in Norcross, Georgia in 2004. Katy has over four years of legal experience and is passionate about immigration law. In Katy’s spare time she volunteers with the Junior League of the Emerald Coast, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and Toastmasters International.

Carolina Asmus, a native of Colombia, was born in 1980 in Bogotá where she lived and worked until November 2007, when she traveled to the United States and settled in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Carolina holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Communication and Journalism from the Central University in Bogotá, and a Master of Arts Degree in Human Resources from the Rosary University in Bogotá. Following her education, Carolina worked in the human resources and internal communications fields in Bogotá for approximately five years. Carolina met her husband, Jason, in Bogotá, and subsequently travelled to North Carolina, where they married in 2009. During her early years in the United States, Carolina attended an “English as a Second Language” program at the Fayetteville Technical Community College. Carolina’s husband was transferred to Florida in 2011 as part of a military move. Since this relocation, Carolina has begun classes at the University of West Florida in human resources management, and plans to continue her education in this field. Carolina is fluent in both English and Spanish.