Jill graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in 1985, and began practicing immigration law in San Francisco. She co-authored manuals on various aspects of immigration law for the Bar Association’s HIV/AIDS immigration project, and the Immigration Legal Resource Center (ILRC). Over the years, she taught legal seminars and workshops on asylum fundamentals and case preparation, fraud waivers, the political landscape of Afghanistan, and the “anti-terrorist” immigration laws. She served as a Board member and as ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) liaison with the Northern California Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She also earned numerous awards and commendations for pro bono services. Jill is retired.
Mary Beth Kaufman, Owner and Principal Attorney
Mary Beth received her B.A. from Columbia University in 1992 and her J.D. from the University of California’s Berkeley School of Law (formerly Boalt Hall) in 2003. Prior to her study of law, she worked with the United Nations-sponsored Truth Commission in Guatemala, which investigated human rights abuses committed during four decades of armed conflict. Through her affiliation with the International Human Rights Clinic at Boalt Hall, and later as a post-graduate fellow, Mary Beth worked with the Center for Justice and Accountability on international human rights litigation in U.S. courts. She was also a post-graduate fellow with the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a Past Chair of the Northern California Chapter of the American Immigration Law Association (AILA), past Chair of AILA National’s VAWA U and T Task Force Committee, and a past member of AILA National’s USCIS Assistance Committee. She is a member of the National Lawyers Guild, and has volunteered regularly with Centro Legal de La Raza, International Institute of the Bay Area, and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. She was a 2016 recipient of AILA’s Michael Maggio pro bono service award for her work related to detained asylum seekers. She has been interviewed on several occasions on UNIVISION and other television and radio outlets, and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Christina (Tina) received her J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law. Prior to joining the Law Offices of Stanton & Kaufman, Tina interned at the San Francisco Immigration Court and served as a law clerk at several small immigration law firms in the San Francisco Bay Area. She also participated in the Equal Justice Works Summer Corps and received an Equal Justice America summer fellowship for her work at the Immigration Center for Women and Children. During law school, Tina participated in Hastings’ social justice concentration program and the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. Prior to law school, she graduated from UCLA, cum laude, with a major in International Development Studies and a minor in Spanish language. During college, she interned at United Farm Workers’ political legislative office and with the CLEAN Carwash Campaign in Los Angeles. Tina speaks English and Spanish.
Caroline Donohue is Of Counsel at the Law Offices of Stanton & Kaufman. Prior to joining the firm, Caroline worked as an immigration attorney for Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & Nightingale, LLP, The International Institute of the Bay Area, and the Law Offices of Robert B. Jobe. While studying at U.C. Davis School of Law, Caroline participated in the Immigration Law Clinic. Caroline grew up in Haiti, Morocco and the United States. She speaks English, Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole.
Maritza is originally from Zacatecas, Mexico. She graduated from UC Berkeley in May 2017. At Berkeley, Maritza discovered her passion in for fighting for social justice. During her studies, Maritza interned at the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant for over three years. Maritza joined our team as a paralegal in 2017. She is fluent in English and Spanish.
Berenice is from Puebla, Mexico. She graduated from San Francisco State University in May 2015, and became interested in learning about immigration law following her own personal immigration experience. Berenice joined our office in August 2017. She is an experienced paralegal and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Claudia graduated from UC Berkeley in December 2005, with a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies, Spanish, and Portuguese. After graduation, she volunteered at Centro Legal de la Raza for over a decade and volunteered as an interpreter for the East Bay Naturalization Collaborative. She previously worked as a paralegal, but in recent years, was an interpreter for law firms, nonprofits, organizations, and schools throughout the state of California. Claudia speaks English and Spanish.
Mary has been with our office since July 2019 and is our office manager. She assists with scheduling consultations and follow up appointments, and handles reception and billing matters.
Bijan was our office manager for over 30 years before transitioning to an advisor role. He has extensive experience in assisting with immigration of family members from abroad, asylum, and a wide range other immigration issues. Mr. Tabrizi is bilingual in English and Farsi.
