Home » Professionals

Professionals

Ismail T. Shahtakhtinski
Regina Kroran
Hildana Nega
Melissa Huasasquiche
Itzel Garcia
Furkan Bayraktar
Dawit Shiferaw
YOUCEF SELLAMI
Ismail Shahtakhtinski IS Law Firm PLLC lawyer serving DC VA MD area immigration attorney personal injury

Ismail T. Shahtakhtinski

Attorney Ismail T. Shahtakhtinski is the founder and principal attorney at I.S. Law Firm, PLLC. He focuses his practice primarily in the areas of immigration law, personal injury and business law. Prior to founding his firm, Attorney Shahtakhtinski worked with other firms on major civil matters and worked as of counsel for a New Orleans based law firm. Mr. Shahtakhtinski has developed experience in a broad range of civil matters including personal injury, insurance coverage, as well as immigration law and commercial litigation. In the past, Mr. Shahtakhtinski represented number of Washington, DC area businesses, international corporations, foreign governments, and individuals in their legal matters.

Through over a decade of his legal practice, Ismail represented numerous asylum seekers from various parts of the world, including dissidents whose government’s issued false Interpol Red Notices on account of their political opinions. Attorney Shahtakhtinski is frequently invited as a panelist to forums and conferences on matters involving US immigration laws, international laws and human rights. He is often interviewed by various US and international media outlets on developments in US laws. Mr. Shahtakhtinski is a member of American Immigration Lawyers Association, holds a Certificate in International Law and Practice, and is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and the states of Virginia, Maryland and New York.

Regina Kroran, Esq

Driven by her passion for international affairs and love for humanity, Regina earned her Juris Doctor degree from American University, Washington College of Law. During law school, Regina was a Student Attorney in the Human Rights Clinic, where she successfully represented clients seeking asylum. The past few years have seen her gain experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors related to humanitarian and corporate immigration. Her professional focal points include humanitarian and corporate immigration, U.S. trade laws, corporate accountability, and proficiency in Russian and Mandarin. 

Hildana Nega

Hildana is an immigration specialist with over 5 years of progressive experience handling wide variety of immigration cases, including family-based petitions, business immigration, consular processing, naturalization, and asylum cases.

Hildana is a graduate of Addis Ababa University with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and International Relations. She speaks both English and Amharic fluently.

IS Law Firm Staff Melissa Huasasquiche

Melissa Huasasquiche

Melissa assists the firm with personal injury cases by processing claims, gathering supporting documentation, drafting demand letters, communicating with insurance companies, drafting complaints, pleadings, and motions, and scheduling important litigation deadlines.

Melissa was born in Lima, Peru but grew up in the United States. Melissa is dedicated to learning and growing within the firm and is always up for a challenge. In her free time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

She loves attending D.C. sports games and going to the beach. Melissa speaks fluent Spanish.

Furkan Bayraktar

Furkan has recently graduated from the Master of Laws (LL.M.) program at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and he is set to take the bar exam in 2023. Furkan has a strong interest in human rights and immigration law with a focus on asylum, removal defense, and Interpol Red Notice defense. At the law school, Furkan took classes in immigration and asylum law, and participated in voluntary projects where he helped clients with their humanitarian relief applications. He had further opportunities to test his knowledge and skills when he was selected to represent his university at the 2022 International Migration and Refugee Law Moot Court Competition, at which his team was granted the Best Written Pleading Award.

Furkan obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Fatih University in Turkey, and two Master’s degrees in Political Science from University of Central Florida and Pennsylvania State University, respectively. At the graduate school, Furkan’s research focused on authoritarian regimes. As an immigrant himself, Furkan is enthusiastic to use his knowledge and skills to help people achieve their dreams in the United States. Furkan is a native speaker of Turkish.

Youcef-Sellami
Dawit-Shiferaw

Dawit Shiferaw

An immigration paralegal for over 3 years, Dawit Joined I.S Law Firm PLLC in August 2022. As an immigration paralegal among other things, he will be focusing on non-immigrant visa applications, employment-based immigrant visa applications and family-based immigrant visa applications. Prior to joining I.S law Firm PLLC, he worked for Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. as a paralegal in the Religious Immigration Services Section.

A native Amharic speaker, Dawit obtained his law degree in 2007 from Addis Ababa University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He also has a Paralegal certification from Nairobi Kenya.

He is a diehard Liverpool Football Cub fun who one day would love to visit Anfield football stadium in the United Kingdom.

An immigration paralegal for over 3 years, Dawit Joined I.S Law Firm PLLC in August 2022. As an immigration paralegal among other things, he will be focusing on non-immigrant visa applications, employment-based immigrant visa applications and family-based immigrant visa applications. Prior to joining I.S law Firm PLLC, he worked for Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. as a paralegal in the Religious Immigration Services Section.

A native Amharic speaker, Dawit obtained his law degree in 2007 from Addis Ababa University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He also has a Paralegal certification from Nairobi Kenya.

He is a diehard Liverpool Football Cub fun who one day would love to visit Anfield football stadium in the United Kingdom.

Itzel Garcia

Itzel is our Office Manager and a “Dreamer” (DACA Recipient)! She is usually the first point of contact for clients calling our office and coming to see us. Itzel supports the office staff by undertaking a wide range of administrative duties, including, managing appointments, updating calendars, bookkeeping and communicating with clients.

Being a Dreamer, Itzel grew up in the United States, but she is also a native Spanish-speaker.

Awards and Affiliations