WHO WE ARE
Open Immigration Legal Services ("Open Immigration”) is a nonprofit legal services organization working at the intersection of human rights and immigration law. Most of our clients must show they meet the federal definition of a refugee to remain here. We offer high quality service at prices each client can afford. We work closely with clients to understand their stories and goals. We provide compassionate and responsive customer service to each client and strive to help clients achieve their goals.
Our Team
Bonita Gutierrez, Founding Attorney
Bonita S. Gutierrez is from the Bay Area. She focuses on deportation defense and humanitarian relief including asylum, visas for crime victims, and special immigrant juvenile visas. She has appeared on Spanish language radio multiple times. She has appeared on local television speaking with an investigative reporter for Telemundo.
In 2009, she graduated from Columbia Law School. At Columbia, she focused on moot court and pro bono tax services at the law school's Harlem clinic. After graduating, she was a litigation associate at a large law firm and then served as an attorney with the New York State Office of the Attorney General, where she focused on administrative law and class actions. Her experience in federal and state trial courts across New York City has made her a well rounded advocate.
Ms. Gutierrez speaks fluent Spanish and conversational Farsi. She has lived in Mexico and Venezuela. During her undergraduate years at UCLA, she studied Iranian language and history.
From 2015 to 2017, she was Of Counsel with the Law Office of Helen Lawrence.
In 2017, she started Open Immigration to serve clients on a non-profit basis.
She is a member of the California and New York bars, and the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association. She is the past chair of the Immigration Executive Committee of the Alameda County Bar Association.
She enjoys kickboxing, horseback riding, and standup comedy.
Talia Lepson,
Law Fellow
Talia Lepson holds a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a B.A. in Politics from Brandeis University. Talia is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
During law school, Talia gained meaningful experience working in immigration law as a Legal Intern with Open Immigration Legal Services. She continued to hone her skills as a clinical student with the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies' Refugee and Human Rights Clinic where she successfully assisted a queer, Mexican client secure asylum before the San Francisco Asylum Office. Talia also served as a Law Clerk with Centro Legal de la Raza's Immigrants' Rights team where she supported detained and non-detained clients obtain immigration relief before EOIR, USCIS, and the San Francisco Asylum Office. During her last semester, Talia joined the ICE Out of California Coalition where she bolstered the group's legislative advocacy efforts to pass AB 937, a bill that aims to end ICE transfers in California.
Prior to attending law school, Talia worked in government, political advocacy organizations, and electoral politics. During the 2016 election cycle, Talia helped consult for 10 parcel tax and bond campaigns, helping to add over $500 million in funding for public school districts and municipalities across California.
Talia speaks fluent Spanish and conversational Hebrew. In 2015, Talia moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina where she studied social movements and human rights in modern Argentinian history. She authored a thesis in Spanish, for which she conducted her own research, on the politicization of motherhood within the organization, Madres contra el paco.
In her spare time, Talia enjoys kickboxing, exploring the Bay Area restaurant scene, and spending time with her partner and two cats.
Board Members
Shawn Shaffie
Shawn Shaffie is a partner at Parker Shaffie, LLP whose practice involves all aspects of litigation, business, and deal making. Mr. Shaffie believes that now, more than ever, there is the need for next generation immigration reform that defends and provides due process to immigrant communities, so that people from all walks of life can continue to realize the American Dream.
Andrea Hattemer
Andrea Hattemer is Of Counsel at the law firm Garcia, Rainey, Blank & Bowerbank LLP and handles a range of civil litigation matters, with a focus on general business litigation. Throughout law school, she worked at the University of Southern California Law Immigration Clinic representing Spanish-speaking clients seeking asylum based on persecution. Ms. Hattemer continues to represent asylum seekers on a pro bono basis as her schedule allows, and she is a part of the Open Immigration board because of her interest in issues relating to immigration.
