DACA Beneficiaries

DACA Renewal Assistance Grant

Manuel Diaz Law Firm, PC, is a leading law firm in the State of Texas with offices in Dallas, Ft. Worth, and San Antonio. As a law firm, we have successfully helped thousands of families navigate the legal system. Our attorneys advocate for those who do not have a voice and guide them through the complexities of the legal system.

Somos LOUD is an AIDS Healthcare Foundation affinity group that seeks to address the social and health disparities that remain a threat to Latino communities through innovative strategies and community mobilization.

As leaders in the Hispanic/Latino community, Manuel Diaz Law Firm, PC, and Somos LOUD are partnering, in response to the recent decision to limit applications and renewals of deferred action and employment authorizations under DACA, by offering eight (8) grants for DACA renewals (which includes the DACA work authorization I-765) to individuals in need of financial assistance. Eight (8) eligible recipients will be selected and will be provided with representation by Manuel Diaz Law Firm, PC for the DACA renewal and $495 for the I-765 USCIS filing fees.* The winners of this grants will be announced on Monday, November 9, 2020 via social media and will receive official notification by e-mail.

*The recipients will be financially responsible for any additional fees, including but not limited to mailing/postage fees and fees for courier services. Attorney representation and fees will only be provided by Manuel Diaz Law Firm, PC. Financial assistance will not be provided to any individual(s) with outside legal representation.

Recipients must be able to come to an in person consultation to our Dallas or San Antonio office to start the renewal process.

MANUEL DÍAZ

Attorney

Attorney Diaz is a native of Mexico City and was raised in Brownsville, Texas. Before founding the Diaz Law Firm, PC in Dallas, attorney Diaz worked as a corporate attorney with a top U.S.-based international law firm and was a partner at a boutique litigation firm in Dallas. Attorney Diaz earned his Juris Doctor Degree at the SMU Dedman School of Law and received his undergraduate degree cum laude from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business. Attorney Diaz also earned an Associate Degree in Spanish and English Translation from the University of Texas at Brownsville.

EDUCATION

Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Dallas, Texas
J.D., 2007

HONORS:

Hispanic Law Students Association (HLSA)
President 2006-2007

Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business
Dallas, Texas
B.B.A., 2004 (Cum Laude)

University of Texas at Brownsville
Brownsville, Texas
A.A., Spanish/English Translation, 2002

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

Dallas Bar Association

Texas DWI Defense Lawyers Association, Director

Dallas CASA, Board of Directors

Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, Fellow

Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, Term-Member

Mexican-American Bar Association

Dallas Hispanic Bar Association

LANGUAGES

English
Spanish

JEFFERY MORROW

Attorney

Attorney Jeff Morrow was born and raised in Geneva, NY. He graduated with honors from LeMoyne College in 2000. Attorney Morrow completed his bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Spanish. Attorney Morrow then attended the University Of Miami School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2004.

Attorney Morrow has committed his career to protecting and defending the rights of those accused of committing a crime. He began his career as a criminal defense attorney in New York in 2005, handling DWI cases exclusively. He became an Assistant Public Defender in Monroe County, New York in 2006. He represented more than a thousand clients in his time there and tried cases ranging from misdemeanors to felonies. He became an Assistant Public Defender for the newly formed Ontario County Office of the Public Defender in 2010. In 2011 he was appointed as the First Assistant Public Defender.

Attorney Morrow has experience trying all types of criminal cases. He tried his first murder case in 2013, winning an acquittal for his client on the charge of Murder in the 2nd Degree. Attorney Morrow relocated to Dallas in 2014 with his wife and daughter. Attorney Morrow’s practice is focused exclusively on criminal defense.

EDUCATION

LeMoyne College
Syracuse, NY
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, minor in Spanish, with Honors
2000

University of Miami School of Law
Coral Gables, FL
Juris Doctor
2004

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

Texas State Bar

New York State Bar

U.S. District Court, Western District of New York

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

LANGUAGES

English
Spanish

JOHN HELMS

Attorney

Attorney Helms has been a trial lawyer for over 20 years. As a formal federal prosecutor who never lost a trial, Attorney Helms brings a great deal of knowledge and legal expertise to the firm. Along his career Attorney Helms has worked on Criminal Defense, Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Securities Fraud and Drug Crime cases, among others. Attorney Helms has also represented some of the country’s largest corporations, including Microsoft, Bank of America, ACE Cash Express, and Philip Morris.

EDUCATION

University of Texas School of Law
Ithaca, NY
JD, 1990

Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
B.A. English, 1987

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

Dallas Bar Foundation

Texas Bar Foundation

LANGUAGES

English

JODI COPENAHAVER-LIUKKONEN

Attorney

Attorney Jodi D. Copenahaver-Liukkonen was born in Ohio and raised in Colorado. Attorney Copenahaven-Liukkonen graducated from the University of Southern Colorado in 1997, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. Her passion in helping families led attorney Copenahaven-Liukkonen to pursue law school. In 2004, attorney Copenahaven-Liukkonen obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Attorney Copenahaven-Liukkonen helps her clients obtain the best possible resultson a wide variety of Family Law cases.

EDUCATION

Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Lansing, Michigan
J.D., 2004

University of Southern Colorado
Pueblo, Colorado
BASW, 1997

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

Family Law Section

Criminal Law Section

Juvenile Law Section

State Bar of Minnesota

Certified Civil and Family Law Mediator, State of Texas

Trained Custody Evaluator

LANGUAGES

English

TIFFANY DUONG

Attorney

Attorney Tiffany M. Duong is a native of Vietnam and raised in Dallas, Texas. She is currently an Associate Judge for the cities of Colleyville and Keller, Texas. In 2004, she graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a minor in Business. Thereafter, she attended St. Mary’s University School of Law and graduated in 2008. During law school she received the Dean’s Scholarship Award and the Texas Young Lawyers Association Minority Scholarship. She spent many years of her legal career as counsel for the Civil District Judges of Bexar County before becoming a member of the judiciary in 2017. At Diaz Law Firm, Attorney Duong handles a variety of Family Law cases.

EDUCATION

St. Mary’s University, School of Law
San Antonio, Texas
J.D., 2008

University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas
B.A., 2004

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity

LANGUAGES

English

Vietnamese

MARCO LERMA

Attorney

Attorney Marco Lerma was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He received his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law and received his Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from Santa Clara University.

While at Santa Clara University School of Law, Marco shifted his focus to Intellectual Property and Business Law. After obtaining his license, Marco worked as an attorney in an immigration firm in San Francisco, representing clients involved in difficult asylum and deportation proceedings.

In January 2019 he joined the Abogado Manuel Diaz Law Firm.

EDUCATION

Santa Clara University School of Law
Santa Clara, California
J.D., 2016

Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California
B.S. Biology, 2012

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of California

LANGUAGE

English

Spanish

ANDREA AGUILAR

Attorney

Attorney Andrea Aguilar obtained her Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary’s School of Law in 2010. She also attended Baylor University where she graduated magna cum laude and received a Bachelor of Business Administration.

During her career, she opened our own practice for a year and then joined the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), a non-profit immigration legal aid firm. While working as the Managing Attorney in for them, she helped establish the Dallas and Fort Worth branch offices. Since then Andrea has worked as private-practice attorney.

In 2010, she was licensed by the State Bar of Texas and is currently part of the Abogado Manuel Diaz Law Firm were her primary focus is Immigration Law.

EDUCATION

St. Mary’s School of Law
San Antonio, TX,
J.D., 2010

Baylor University
Waco, TX,
Business Administration B.S., 2005

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA)

LANGUAGE

English

Spanish

DANIEL BARNES

Attorney

Attorney Daniel Barnes is native to Fort Worth, Texas. He earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas Wesleyan Law School and received his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Texas Wesleyan College.

During his career, he has worked in criminal law both as a prosecutor and defense attorney, family law and civil litigation.

He is currently part of the Abogado Manuel Diaz Law Firm were his primary focus is Family Law.

EDUCATION

Texas Wesleyan Law School
Fort Worth, TX
J.D. 1997

Texas Wesleyan College
Fort Worth, TX
B.S., Chemistry

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

LANGUAGE

English

BIJU PILLAI

Attorney

Attorney Biju Pillai is native of Dallas, Texas. He earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Thomas University and received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State Polytechnic University.

While in law school he volunteered at the Legal Services of Greater Miami researching legal issues which helped the attorneys with their goals of providing free civil legal services for the low income communities.

During his career he has worked with Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, where he was able to gain valuable experience in family law.

He is currently part of the Abogado Manuel Diaz Law Firm were his primary focus is Family Law.

EDUCATION

St. Thomas University School of Law
Miami Gardens, FL
J.D., 2006

California State Polytechnic University Pomona
Pomona, CA
B.S., Business Administration

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

LANGUAGE

English

Jazzmond Turner

Attorney

Attorney Jazzmond J. Turner is a native of Dallas, Texas. She earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Thurgood Marshall School of Law with honors and received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology and a minor in Political Science from Louisiana State University.

While in law school, she participated in the Thurgood Marshall School of Law Legal Clinic where she acted as an associate criminal defense attorney under the supervision of licensed attorneys.

In 2019, Attorney Turner joined the Manuel Diaz Law Firm where she continues to work in criminal defense.

EDUCATION:

Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Houston, Texas
J.D., 2019

Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
B.A., 2015

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

LANGUAGES

English

Juan Gacia

Attorney

Attorney Juan Garcia is native of Grand Prairie, Texas. He earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University Of North Texas Dallas College Of Law and received his bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington.

While in law school, he interned for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office and Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, and he has also volunteered for the annual Dallas County Expunction Expo.

He is currently part of the legal team at Manuel Diaz Law, and his primary focus is civil law.

EDUCATION
University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas
B.A., Criminology and Criminal Justice

UNT Dallas College of Law
Dallas, TX
J.D., 2019

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

American Bar Association

LANGUAGE

English and Spanish

Krista Harvey

Attorney

Attorney Krista Harvey is native of Belton, Texas. She earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Oklahoma City University, she completed her bachelor’s degree from Texas State University in Healthcare Administration in three years.

While in law school, she developed a passion in civil and human rights, which led to a career in immigration law.

She is currently part of the legal team at Manuel Diaz Law Firm, and her primary focus is on immigration law.

EDUCATION
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas
B.H.A., Healthcare Administration

Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
J.D., 2018

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

American Bar Association

American Immigration Law Association

Dallas Bar Association

LANGUAGE

English

Rebeccah Tejada

Attorney

Attorney Rebeccah Tejada was born and raised in Floresville, Texas. She graduated from Baylor University in 2013 with her Bachelors in Speech Communication. Thereafter, she earned her Juris Doctor from Texas A & M University School of Law in 2016. During law school, Attorney Tejada worked at a criminal defense firm located in Fort Worth, Texas and was also on the mock trial team for two years. Attorney Tejada was license to practice law in May 2017.
In June 2017, Attorney Tejada became an Assistant Criminal District Attorney for the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. During her time as an Assistant Criminal District Attorney, Attorney Tejada had over forty misdemeanor jury trials. She has tried various types of cases, such as DWI’s, Assault-Family Violence, Resisting Arrest, and Theft.
In August 2019, Attorney Tejada joined the Manuel Diaz Law Firm where her main focus in Criminal Defense.

EDUCATION
Texas A&M School of Law
Fort Worth, Texas
J.D. 2016

Baylor University
Waco, Texas
B.A., Speech Communication, 2013

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

Tarrant County Bar Association
Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association
Texas Aggie Bar Association

LANGUAGE

English

MITCHELL DOOLEY

Attorney

Attorney Mitchell Dooley earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Arkansas where he graduated magna cum laude and received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

He has worked as a former prosecutor where he led the auto-theft task force before beginning his criminal-defense career. He has tried over 100 cases and has vast experience in both misdemeanor and felony cases.

He is currently part of the Abogado Manuel Diaz Law Firm team where his main focus is Criminal Defense.

EDUCATION

University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
J.D. 1994

University of California at Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
B.S., Economics 1986

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

American Bar Association

LANGUAGE

English

MICHAEL POOL

Attorney

Attorney Michael Pool was born and raised in Arlington, Texas. He graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington after completing his Bachelor’s degree in History (Pre-Law). Attorney Pool then attended St. Mary’s University School of Law, in San Antonio, Texas, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2001.
Attorney Pool has a vast array of experience having been an Assistant City Attorney in Arlington, Texas, prosecuting Class C Misdemeanors; an Assistant County Attorney in Laredo, Texas, handling prosecution of child protective services cases; an Assistant District Attorney in Victoria, Texas, prosecuting all levels of felonies, including capital murder; and a criminal defense attorney defending all levels of misdemeanors and felonies across the state of Texas.
He is currently part of the Abogado Manuel Diaz Law Firm team where his main focus is Criminal Defense.

EDUCATION
University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas
B.A. 1997
St. Mary’s University School of Law
San Antonio, Texas
J.D. 2001

Professional Associations and Memberships

State Bar of Texas
American Bar Association

Language

English

JEREMY HOBBS

Attorney

Attorney Jeremy Hobbs is native to Dallas, TX. He earned his Juris Doctor from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law and received his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in criminal justice from the University of North Texas where he graduated with cum laude honors.

During his career he has dedicated himself to defending clients charged with misdemeanors of any class in the Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties.

He is currently part of the Abogado Manuel Diaz Law Firm team where his main focus is Criminal Defense.

EDUCATION

Texas Wesleyan University School of Law
Ft. Worth, TX
J.D., 2011

University of North Texas
Denton, TX
Political Science, 2008

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas

LANGUAGE

English

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the DACA Renewal Assistance, you need to meet the following requirements:

Applicants must eligible to renew Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Eligible applicants must reside in Dallas – Fort Worth metroplex or San Antonio.
(Eligible counties are: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, Wise & Bexar Counties.)
Eligible applicants must be from a low-income socioeconomic status.

Application

All eligible applicants must complete an online application by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 30^st, 2020. In addition, applicants must submit a 500-word essay which outlines his or her professional and/or academic achievements, volunteer work that he or she has completed and why he or she is applying for this grant. Recipients will be announced on Monday, November 9^th, 2020 via email and social media and will be provided with a free consultation at Manuel Diaz Law Firm, PC to begin the process of the DACA renewal.

Supplemental Documentation :

Online Application
500 Word Essay
Proof of Income (2020 Tax Returns, 2 months of Pay check stubs, Unemployment Benefits Letter, etc.)