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Christine Marie Contreras

Immigration Attorney at Chicago, IL

5.0   7 reviews
  • Licensed for 20 years
    State IL
    Acquired 2003
    Status
    Active and Authorized to Practice Law No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

About Christine

Learn Christine’s areas of practice.

1
Practice area
  1. Immigration
    100%
    Family based immigration matters including: residency; consular processing; marriage based and fiancée visas; U visas; citizenship and naturalization; VAWA petitions for victims of domestic violence; deferred action; waivers - for unlawful presence, fraud, smuggling, and criminal; provisional waivers and appeals,

    21 years

I have practiced law for over fourteen years and am certified to practice before the state and federal courts in Illinois. I have handled hundreds of different types of family based immigration matters, successfully advocating on behalf of my clients primarily with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as well as the Department of State and U.S. consulates abroad. I have presented and successfully argued hundreds of extreme hardship waivers of different types (unlawful presence, fraud, smuggling, criminal) with USCIS. I continue expanding my knowledge in immigration law and am an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and having personally experienced the immigration process from an immigrants perspective, I am extremely dedicated and committed to assisting the immigrant community in a compassionate and professional manner while providing quality legal representation.

 

My current caseload is focused on handling family based immigration matters including residency cases, adjustment of status and consular processing, marriage based and fiancee visas, visas for victims of domestic violence (VAWA), U visas for victims of certain crimes, citizenship and naturalization, deferred action, waivers for unlawful presence, fraud, smuggling, and criminal, provisional waivers, motions to reopen, and appeals.

 

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Law Office of Christine Contreras
3058 W. Belmont Avenue
Chicago, IL, 60618

Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
  7 customer reviews
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Posted by Angelica | September 23, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Totalmente agradecida
Primero agradecer a Dios por aver puesto en nuestro camino a una abogada maravillosa Christine Contreras, gracias a ella logramos odtener la Visa "U" y ahora la recidencia, mi esposo y yo estamos muy agradecidos por que lucho por lograrlo a pezar de tantos ostaculos que se presentaban,es una persona maravillosa,muy profecional y comprometida en su trabajo,siempre nos mantenia al tanto de todo nuestro caso,Siempre fue honesta nunca nos mintio y es algo que no todos los abogados tienen nunca hubo cargos por llamadas o hidas a su despacho si pudiera marcar 10 estrellas en esta pagina lo haria y si la recomiendo y la seguire recomendando por que ya hay muy pocos abogados como ella,Gracias Christine Contreras.
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Posted by Melissa | January 11, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Couldn’t ask for a better Immigration lawyer! A+++
Hiring a lawyer to help us handle our immigration process was the best decision we made! Christine was very professional, knowledgeable, thorough and helpful. She made everything easier considering the distance we had and the time zone difference. She’s always available when we needed her, prompt to answer enquiries no matter how small, communicates constantly and was simply there every step of the way. You need a lawyer of her caliber to your side. She was overall outstanding and is now a family friend. We’re extremely grateful to have worked with her. We absolutely recommend her to anyone seeking immigration assistance. Oh and she’s beautiful too!
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Posted by Mr. Bernal | June 12, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Very Happy and Satisfied Client with A++++++ Service
First of all I want to thank God for guide me to immigration attorney Christine Contreras, getting the right attorney is not an easy task as you may know, specially when there are so many. Mrs. Contreras is very professional, knowledgeable and up to date with the constantly changing immigration laws and procedures, she handled my case which by the way was complicated because of my entry and stay in the U.S. I was basically banned from getting a change of status, I knew I needed to go through the provisional waiver applications process but I also knew my chances of getting approved were low, luckily Mrs. Contreras has a lot of experience in this field, she used everything she could find in my favor, always kept me informed and answer every question I had, she helped me every step of the way, I was seeing application after application being approved and prepared me for the big day, the interview with an immigration officer back in my country, everything ran smoothly. Now I'm very happy and thankful that I made it back to the U.S. as a legal permanent resident, it was a long process but was worth it. I highly recommend Mrs. Christine Contreras as an immigration attorney. Thank you
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Posted by Luis | March 27, 2017
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
A+ Service
Christine's services were overall outstanding. Her guidance and continuous effective communication made my naturalization process very easy to follow. I am very likely to utilize her services once again in the future, if needed, and I would certainly recommend her to family and friends. Her quality level of services makes one feel in good hands.
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Posted by Victor | December 11, 2015
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
DACA Recipient
If you are looking for a knowledgeable and trustworthy attorney who knows how to get things done right, and in a promptly manner, Christine is the one for you. When it comes to seeking legal representation, finding the right attorney is half the battle. As inexperienced clients, we all question attorneys’ motives, priorities, and flinch at their high fees. However, when it comes to hiring legal representation, one thing is for sure, one gets what one pays for. A mutual friend referred me to Christine back in 2013. Since, she has successfully helped me with my DACA renewal and is currently working on my citizenship status. In my experience, whenever I have questions or concerns in regards to specifics of my case, Christine is always a simple call away. I have dealt with my share of attorneys in the past and this is not something I can say about most of them. The fact that Christine makes herself available and can answer complex questions in a way that I can understand the answers is the reason why I have stuck with her and will continue to do so in future immigration dealings.
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Posted by anonymous | December 19, 2014
A++++ Excellent Immigration Attorney!
Ms. Contreras took my husband's case from fiancé visa all the way to US citizenship. It took 5 years from fiancé immigration to US citizenship and Ms. Contreras stuck with us through thick and thin. We are happily married together in the US because of her work on our case. I highly recommend her for your immigration concerns. She is pleasant, personable, responsive and easy to work with. If not for Ms. Contreras' guidance, advice, and careful attention to detail, my husband and I would not be calling the US home. We are now looking to utilize her services to assist in bringing my husband's father and family to the US. She will continue to be our one and only immigration attorney. You will be very satisfied in utilizing this lawyer and her firm. A++++ all the way!
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Posted by Cynthia | December 18, 2014
A Very Satisfied Client!
Christine assisted my husband and I through the process of temporary resident and permanent resident. She was very professional through the process and constantly kept us informed. The process seemed daunting and complicated; yet, she explained it In a way that was easy to understand. Whenever we had any questions, she immediately made herself available to assist. She actively listened to our concerns and needs.
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Resume

AVVO RATING 7.7 (Very Good)

Work Experience

  • Owner and Attorney at Law
  • Law Office of Christine Contreras
  • 2014 - Present
  • Supervising Attorney/ Vice President
  • Mid Size Law Firm
  • 2008 - 2014
  • Associate Attorney/ Junior Partner
  • Calmec Global Law Group
  • 2007 - 2008
  • Attorney
  • Lora, Chanthadouangsy andCastellanos LLC
  • 2006 - 2007
  • Associate
  • Law office of Mary L. Sfasciotti
  • 2003 - 2005
View all work experience

Education

  • DePaul University College of Law
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 2000
  • DePaul University
  • BA - Bachelor of Arts
  • 1997

Legal Cases

  • Unlawful presence waiver
  • A client's waiver was approved by USCIS (Immigration) and I successfully proved that his wife would face extreme emotional, social, familial, financial and medical hardship without him here in the US.

Associations

  • Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois
  • Member
  • 2014 - Present
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Member
  • 2008 - Present
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • Member
  • 2003 - Present

Languages Spoken

  • Spanish
  • English

Attorney endorsements

Received (6)
Given (5)
Endorse Christine
Immigration Attorney | Dec 17
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. She is a highly skilled immigration attorney, and provides the upmost dedication and professionalism in representing her clients."
Immigration Attorney | Dec 10
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. I have known Christine since law school, and have known her to be ethical and hardworking. She is smart and can be trusted to do a fanstastic job for any matter she works on. I refer immigration clients to her knowing that she has the expertise to succeed and provide a positive client experience."
Immigration Attorney | Dec 10
Relationship: Co-worker
"I endorse this lawyer. Christine is knowledgeable and thorough. She is meticulous and diligent in her work."
Immigration Attorney | Dec 04
Relationship: Worked for lawyer
"I strongly endorse Christine Contreras. She is extremely knowledgable and does not make mistakes. She is one of the top immigration attorneys in the Chicagoland area. Christine takes on, and wins, complicated cases that other attorneys cannot handle."
Immigration Attorney | Oct 23
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I have known this attorney professionally for over 10 years, and I consider her to be an excellent immigration attorney. She provides excellent legal representation and counsel, and also practices law with the highest levels of integrity and professionalism."
Immigration Attorney | Nov 01
Relationship: Co-worker
"I endorse this lawyer because of her high level of professionalism she displays and her depth of knowledge. If I were not an American by birth I would demand someone as exceptional as Christine Contreras advocating for me."
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Criminal defense
Divorce and separation
Bankruptcy and debt
Child support