Kristin D Figueroa-Contreras

Experienced federal criminal defense and immigration attorney.  Florida Bar board-certified specialist, immigration & nationality law.  Representing clients in all 50 states and worldwide.

Attorney Kristy Figueroa-Contreras practices exclusively in the areas of criminal defense and immigration.  She is a board-certified expert in immigration and handles matters involving all aspects of U.S. immigration, nationality, and consular law. The other half of her practice is devoted to the aggressive criminal defense of persons accused of a wide range of federal and Florida felony and misdemeanor offenses.  The combination of her immigration expertise with her criminal trial experience makes her particularly well-versed in the complex and ever-changing interplay between criminal law and U.S. immigration law and procedure.

Much of Ms. Figueroa-Contreras' practice is devoted to representing non-citizens facing criminal charges in both federal and Florida criminal courts, as well as those with criminal convictions in their immigration and consular proceedings (deportation defense and waivers).  She also handles U.S. immigration and consular matters for students, artists, professionals, investors, and entrepreneurs.  Her law firm, Figueroa-Contreras Law Group, has offices in Coral Gables (Miami), Florida.

Ms. Figueroa-Contreras is board certified by the Florida Bar in the area of immigration & nationality law. Board certification is the Florida Bar’s highest evaluation of an attorney‘s competency, experience, and professionalism in one of 26 distinct areas of law approved for specialization. Only board certified attorneys are permitted to call themselves “experts” or “specialists” when referring to their legal credentials in their respective field.  Of all lawyers currently practicing immigration law in Florida, under 2% have earned board certification in immigration.  Attorney Figueroa currently sits on the immigration and nationality law board certification committee for the Florida Bar. 

Ms. Figueroa-Contreras is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice in all Florida state courts, where she handles felony and misdemeanor matters for clients.  She is also admitted to practice in federal court in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.  She also represents clients in a Pro Hac Vice capacity in federal criminal matters in federal district courts across the United States.

Attorney Figueroa-Contreras is also admitted to practice in every immigration court in the United States.  She also represents clients in matters before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), the Admissibility Review Office (ARO), the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO), and the Board of Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA).  

The attorney received her Juris Doctor (law degree) in 2002 from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. Following law school, Ms. Figueroa-Contreras completed an overseas judicial clerkship with federal criminal trial judge Jorge L. Ballestero, Juzgado de Instrucción No. 24 en lo Criminal y Correccional in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  While in Buenos Aires, she studied Latin American Legal Systems and Comparative Criminal Law at the Universidad del Salvador, Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas.  Ms. Figueroa-Contreras also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English (1997) as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Modern Languages (French) (1998) from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. 

The attorney’s professional memberships include the Federal Bar Association (FBA), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL), and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) (South Florida Chapter, Bangkok District Chapter, Latin America and Caribbean Chapter, and Rome District Chapter).  She is also a member of AILA´s Federal Court Litigation Section.

Attorney Figueroa-Contreras is a frequent legal and political commentator on Spanish-language media, and has appeared on Telemundo, Univisión, América Tevé, Mega TV, Radio Caracol, Radio CVCLAVOZ, and Radio Mambí, among others.  She also hosts a weekly Spanish-language informational program at the Diario Las Américas newspaper called “Hablemos de Inmigración,” where she updates viewers on a myriad of topics relating to U.S. immigration law and answers questions from the public.

Ms. Figueroa-Contreras is the recipient of multiple awards and recognitions, including, most recently, the National Association of Distinguished Counsel's Top One Percent in Criminal Law for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, the National Advocates' Top 100 Trial Lawyers (Criminal Defense) for 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, and Acquisition International's Global Mobility, Immigration and Logistics Award for Immigration Lawyer of the Year and Immigration Law Firm of the Year (Florida) in 2014, 2015, and 2016.  

Ms. Figueroa-Contreras offers case evaluation consultations in person at her Miami office, telephonically, via Skype/videoconferencing, and via e-mail.  She is also available for consultation in Spanish, Portuguese or French.  Español/Português/Français.