Representative Clients

The Popal Group is a family-owned restaurant management and events hospitality business based in Washington D.C. Its owners immigrated to the United States 30 years ago fleeing war in their homeland of Afghanistan. Their business began over 20 years ago when they opened a small Parisian café in Washington, DC. Over the years, they expanded and introduced several culinary concepts in the area, including Café Bonaparte, Napoleon Bistro, The Berliner, Lapis Bistro, Lutèce, LaPop, Malmaison, and Pascual. The Popal Group’s establishments are widely celebrated in the DC-area and beyond. 

The firm assists the Popal Group with visas for its employees, including H-1B, PERM and adjustment of status.

Chantale Zuzi is a powerful speaker whose work and inspiring life story is featured amongst organizations and media including The Memorial Foundation for the Blind, Amnesty International, the United Nations, Harper’s Bazaar. Platon photographed Ms. Zuzi for the for the Cultural Leaders as a Catalyst of Change campaign, which debuted at the World Economic Forum in January 2023.

Ms. Zuzi was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and at age 13, lost both her parents in a massacre in her village and was forced to flee with her nine siblings to Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in Uganda. As the oldest girl in her family, Ms. Zuzi became the primary caregiver for her brothers and sisters. Ms. Zuzi is a powerful advocate for the rights of girls and young women of Rwamwanja, and for those whose lives are touched by the challenges of albinism, including severely limited vision and security concerns. At the refugee camp, Ms. Zuzi became a liaison to the United Nations staff, and acted as a formal representative for the particular needs of these vulnerable groups.

The firm represented Ms. Zuzi on a pro bono basis with her naturalization and related matters.

Atelier FM is a collectible design studio that designs, markets, and sells collections of handcrafted furniture and unique sculptural objects led by designer Fabiana Machado. Particularly inspired by the design philosophy of the French Arts Décoratifs period, a moment in time associated with both luxury and modernity with an emphasis on highly executed craftsmanship, Atelier FM offers curated, collectible designs that reflect a sense of timeless elegance and opulent ease.  GYH has assisted Atelier FM secure an E-2 visa for its investor and executive ensuring the necessary mobility to successfully shepherd the business through the high-end designer market.

Carlos Figuero is a Venezuelan national, accomplished computer scientist, and a co-founder of a geographic information startup that provided technology solutions critically important to the public and private sectors in Venezuela, as well as to support free and fair elections. One of the main political oppositions parties in Venezuela hired the startup to conduct in-depth studies of the party’s internal primary election, provide important statistical analysis, as well as other services. Unfortunately, the power and influence of the company caught the attention of the Venezuelan Intelligence Service, and the founders of the company became the targets of retaliatory criminal investigations. Although Mr. Figuero had since left the company, he was caught in the crosshairs and came to the U.S. fearing for his life. 

The firm represented Mr. Figuero with filing a writ of mandamus and obtaining protection in the United States.

Jose Aoun is a member of a prominent family in Venezuela that was well-known to oppose the Chavez regime and had been publicly vilified by former President Hugo Chavez himself. Due to persistent persecution in Venezuela, Mr. Aoun and family members were forced to leave their native homeland. Mr. Aoun and his wife applied for asylum in the US based on the very valid fear that he would be harmed in his home country. Due in large part to the overburdened and broken U.S. immigration system, the couple waited for nearly a decade with no hearing date from USCIS. Mr. Aoun retained GYH  to file a lawsuit in federal district court, known as a Writ of Mandamus, compelling USCIS to issue schedule a hearing date for Mr. Aoun’s meritorious asylum claim. The couple was interviewed by the Miami Asylum Office and were quickly and successfully granted asylum. Mr. Aoun is a successful and contributing businessman in South Florida and a proudly awaits to file for residency and then U.S. citizenship. Mr. Aoun and his wife are partial owners of the Treehouse Preschool in Coconut Grove, among other ventures.

Martial Vivot is a world-renowned men’s hairstylist and authority on men’s grooming. Mr. Vivot’s career began at age 15 with a rigorous 4-year apprenticeship in France where he was awarded the title of best apprentice by The French Hair Academy. He moved to London at age 23 to train at the Toni & Guy Academy, and then returned to France to earn his Master’s degree. Foreseeing the dramatic evolution in men’s grooming that was on the horizon, in the 90’s Vivot became a pioneer in Europe of what would eventually become known as the “metrosexual” approach to men’s grooming. His eponymous NYC salon (with two Manhattan locations). His work has been featured in the New York Times, Huffington Post, Details, Rolling Stone, New York magazine, Gotham, Maxim, Town & Country, and Vanity Fair, with headlines such as “Is Martial Vivot the Most Powerful Man in Hair.” Attorney Becki Young has worked with Mr. Vivot for nearly two decades, obtaining temporary O-1 work authorization for him, and then permanent residence, both under the category of “extraordinary ability.”

Arcay Chocolates is an award-wining family-owned chocolate business in Washington D.C. that started in the family’s kitchen in Venezuela in 2006. Master chocolatier, Anabella Arcay, who is also the matriarch of the family, quickly grew the business and gained international notoriety after receiving 42 medals at the International Chocolate Awards. With civil unrest growing in Venezuela, in 2017 the founders of Arcay Chocolates made the difficult decision to leave their native Venezuela with the dream of reestablishing their life’s work and  sharing their mouthwatering creations with the rest of the world. As entrepreneurs, they are proud to represent Venezuela through their confections, and have established a presence in Union Market and Georgetown. 

The firm secured an EB-1 extraordinary ability petition for Ms. Arcay as well as visas for the whole family. The firm also represented the family in their applications for U.S. citizenship.

OverT Bio is a cell therapy start-up that develops the next-generation of cell therapy designed to identify hard-to-treat cancers. The company’s innovative cell therapies identify and develop novel genetic modifications that will help immune cells to overcome barriers created by tumors, leading to effective and durable immunotherapies, enabling users to identify cancer.

The firm assisted with extraordinary ability visa petitions on behalf of the company’s leadership.

The Former Chief Opinion Editor of the El Universo newspaper in Ecuador, Mr. Emilio Palacio was illegitimately sentenced to 4 years in jail after the President of Ecuador filed suit against him for criminal defamation. In his complaint, President Correa asserted that a paragraph of the article “No to lies” by Palacio, which had been published in the editorial section of the El Universo newspaper on Sunday February 6, 2011, caused damage to his honor and prestige. Correa based his accusation on article 491 of the Ecuadorian Criminal Code, which describes calumnious slander (imputation of a crime) and on article 493, which aggravates the punishment when slander is committed against a public authority. Attorney Sandra Grossman and her team obtained asylum for Mr. Palacio in the United States based on substantive violations of his basic human rights, and especially his right to freedom of expression. The matter was cited in numerous global media sources, including Reuters, El Pais, Public Radio International, and Huffington Post.

Emma Leftick is an extremely talented Canadian chef who obtained temporary O-1 work authorization, and then permanent residency, both visas in the category of “extraordinary ability,” through sponsorship by Benu, a 3* Michelin restaurant in San Francisco owned by Chef Corey Lee, former Chef de Cuisine at The French Laundry. By the age of 25 Chef Leftick had worked for five of the “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” – in addition to Benu these include El Bulli, the French Laundry, Susur, and La Maison Troisgros. Her case received support from world-renowned chefs including Daniel Boulud, Michael Mina, Grant Achatz, Normand Laprise, Dan Barber, Daniel Humm, Gail Simmons, Jacques Pepin, Gray Kunz, Eric Ripert, Francois Payard, Rudy Maxa, Josh Emett, Roberto Donna, Johnathan Cartwright, Martin Brock, and David Chang.

Dr. Sue Johnson is an author, clinical psychologist, researcher, professor, popular presenter and speaker and a leading innovator in the field of couple therapy and adult attachment. Dr. Johnson is the primary developer of Emotionally Focused Couples and Family Therapy (EFT), which has demonstrated its effectiveness in over 30 years of peer-reviewed clinical research, and is one of the primary modalities of couple’s therapy used by psychologists around the world today. Her books include: Hold Me Tight, Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love, Love Sense, The Revolutionary New Science of Romantic Relationships, The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Creating Connection, Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy with Trauma Survivors. Dr. Johnson resides in Canada and lectures frequently in the U.S. and around the world; Attorney Becki Young has secured O-1 “extraordinary ability status” for Dr. Johnson and has worked with her for nearly a decade to ensure that her business travels across the U.S.-Canada border are as smooth and trouble-free as possible.

Michael Engelmann was named Best Sommelier in America by the American Sommelier Association in 2009. He is one of only 236 wine experts in the world to be named a Master Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2011, passing the master sommelier examination on his first attempt, a distinction that only 14 people have achieved in the 40-year history of the Court of Master Sommeliers. In 2016 he and his colleagues at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group received Food & Wine magazine’s Sommelier of the Year award. He has been written up in dozens of international publications including Wine Spectator, Decanter, Vogue, Food & Wine, the New York Times, Wine & Spirits, Wine Enthusiast and the San Francisco Chronicle. He has served as a Sommelier at The Modern in NYC, Rockpool in Australia, Gary Danko in San Francisco, and Chewton Glen in the United Kingdom. Attorney Becki Young has represented Mr. Engelmann for more than ten years, assisting him with various temporary O-1 “extraordinary ability status” visas and eventually securing approval of an immigrant visa petition based on his outstanding work in the sommelier field.

Caroline Bailly is an entrepreneur and the proprietor of Buunch, a preeminent NYC floral design boutique that also offers event design and production and editorial styling services. Her work has received international acclaim and has been written up in major media including: Martha Stewart Weddings, Inside Weddings, Vanity Fair, Vogue, The Knot, Town & Country, Elle Décor, Good Housekeeping, Architectural Digest, Marie Claire, US Weekly, and the New York Post. Attorney Becki Young has worked with Ms. Bailly for nearly two decades, since she was a up and coming professional on the New York event design scene and assisted her to obtain work authorization for event design roles with top NYC hospitality businesses Payard Patisserie, Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group, and Geoffrey Zakarian’s Country before securing permanent residency for Ms. Bailly and her family. Since L’Atelier Rouge was established in 2010 Attorney Young has obtained green cards for two talented international floral designers in the extraordinary ability category and has also procured visas for several floral/ event design trainees.

Mohamed Abubakr is the President of AMEL, the African Middle Eastern Leadership Project, a Washington DC based nonprofit with a mission to mobilize, empower, and unite millennial leaders and activists from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) to build resilient, inclusive societies that are free from discrimination, persecution, and violent coercion, and to advocate for policies in support of these goals. Mr. Abubakr is a Sudanese human rights activist and peacemaker with a decade and a half of civil society experience. Since high school, he has founded and led organizations and initiatives focused on humanitarian, human rights, youth empowerment and peace programs across the MEA including in Darfur, South Sudan, Sudan, Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian Territories and beyond. He has also documented, reported and mobilized against human rights abuses across MEA, and since arriving in the United States has become a sought-after voice at the State Department and in Congress concerning policy and human rights issues in the region. Attorney Becki Young originally secured an O-1 visa for Mr. Abubakr to travel to the U.S. for a speaking tour with stops including the U.S. State Department, U.S. Institute for Peace, the World Bank, the National Endowment for Democracy, SAIS, Stanford University, the United Nations, the Woodrow Wilson Center, UC Berkley, and the American Jewish Committee. Ultimately, Attorney Young worked with Mr. Abubaker to obtain a green card in the extraordinary ability category, so he could continue his important human rights work from the United States.

Mohammed Al-Samawi, a well-known peace activist from Yemen, risked his personal safety and wellbeing in order to promote mutual understanding and dialogue between Muslims, Jews, and Christians. As a result of his activities, individuals likely associated with terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Houthi rebels currently controlling parts of Yemen, wrongly accused him of being an agent for Israeli intelligence forces, of working to convert Muslims to other religions, and of proselytizing to Muslims. These same terrorist organizations threatened to murder Mr. Al-Samawi. Ms. Grossman and her team successfully represented Mr. Al-Samawi in his asylum proceedings. With secure status in the United States, Mr. Al-Samawi continues his work in inter-faith peace building. He is also the Author of The Fox Hunt, A Refugee’s Memoir of Coming to America, and a frequent invited speaker, represented by Harper Collins.