Claudia Melara Chase

I offer a legal representation to businesses and individuals in a wide range of areas of law – transactions, litigation and immigration.  I have experience representing clients in real estate, asset sales, and loan transactions.  I have litigated matters in state courts, including breach of contract and tort liability claims.  I have represented individuals affirmatively before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and defensively before the Arlington Immigration Court.  I have assisted my immigration clients with obtaining special immigrant juvenile status, residency and asylum.

I graduated with honors, magna cum laude, from Marymount University and then obtained my Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law.  During law school, I completed a legal externship at the U.S. House of Representatives where I was awarded a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for developing guidelines in foreclosure prevention.

Prior to joining the firm, I worked as a litigator in private law firms and, before that, as a legal analyst at Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac).  More recently, I practiced immigration law at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND).

I am licensed to practice law in federal and state courts in Virginia and the District of Columbia.  I am a member of the Fairfax Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.  I am also a fluent Spanish speaker.

During my free time, I enjoy playing coed soccer.  Throughout the years I have organized teams that have won indoor, outdoor and sand soccer championships.  I also enjoy cooking.  I am currently experimenting with outdoor, wood-fire cooking.  Most of all, I enjoy family activities with my three wonderful children and husband.