Attorneys who fight for your family

Richard “Bert” Diener

CEO & Attorney

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Bert served for four years in the United States Marine Corps, with postings in Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Okinawa (Japan), and Camp Lejeune. While earning his law degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he was selected for the UNC national mock trial team. Bert has demonstrated a willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in his efforts to help others.

“We are dedicated to helping immigrants resolve their legal problems”

• U.S. Marine Corps veteran (4 years)
• UNC Chapel Hill — School of Law
• UNC national mock trial team

Carlos Alberto Mejia

Attorney senior · lawyer

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Carlos Alberto Mejia is an immigration attorney experienced in representing clients in a variety of immigration matters, including family-based petitions, work visas, asylum, and deportation defense. He graduated from California Law School and has worked with non-profit organizations that provide legal assistance to immigrants.

Carlos is a passionate advocate for immigrant rights and strives to provide quality legal assistance to those in need.

• Graduated from California Law School
• Specialist in immigration law, finance, and court litigation

Christine Meredith Lester

Attorney senior · lawyer

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Christine Meredith Lester is an immigration attorney certified in immigration law and immigrant defense. She has over 10 years of experience representing clients in a variety of immigration matters.

Christine has worked with non-profit organizations and private law firms, providing legal assistance to immigrants in asylum cases, family-based petitions, work visas, and deportation defense.

• Attorney from the California School of Law
• Specialist in immigration law, finance, and court litigation

Italia Lima

Attorney senior · lawyer

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Her experience includes representing clients in family-based immigration matters, asylees and refugees, naturalization, and consular immigration.

She has been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for four consecutive years (2022–2025), an honor awarded to the top 2.5% of immigration attorneys in Southern California. She is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and the first in her family to attend college and law school in the United States.

• Super Lawyers Rising Star 2022–2025
• J.D., University of Illinois Chicago

Elaine Hartman

Attorney

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Originally from Ohio, Elaine has lived in North Carolina for over a decade. While attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she was inspired by an acquaintance’s immigration story and decided to attend Carolina Law. She served as a commentary editor for the *North Carolina Review* and participated in the Immigration Clinic. When she is not working as an immigration attorney at Diener Law, she enjoys spending time with friends and family and shopping.

“Proudly serving immigrants from North Carolina to California”

• UNC Chapel Hill — Carolina Law
• North Carolina Review comments editor
• Immigration Clinic

Russell Johnson

Personal Injury Attorney

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Russell Johnson joined Diener Law in 2015 after spending more than a decade as one of the lead litigators at Howard, Stallings, where he focused on serious injury cases and complex commercial litigation. Since then, he has become a Board Certified Specialist in North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law, and he is also licensed in California, Arizona, and Texas.

“Immigrants deserve to be compensated for injuries at work and in accidents”

• Board Certified Specialist — Workers’ Compensation (NC)
• Licensed in CA, AZ & TX
• At Diener Law since 2015

Kathleen Moscato

Attorney

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Kathleen “Kat” Moscato was born and raised in Maryland. She completed her undergraduate studies at Boston University from 2007 to 2011, majoring in International Relations and Political Science. She attended Elon University School of Law from 2011 to 2014. During college she fell in love with immigration law and interned with Church World Services, other Catholic charities, and the Charlotte Immigration Court. After graduating in 2014 she began her career at an immigration firm in Charlotte, practicing removal defense and U visa petitions. After the birth of her daughter in 2016 she changed course for seven years, working as a Social Security Disability attorney. With all her children in school, she decided it was time to return to her true love and passion: immigration law. She joined Diener Law in 2023. In her free time she enjoys being a “dance mom” to her three children — Millie, William, and Sloan — and likes running on the treadmill and practicing yoga.

• Elon University School of Law (2011–2014)
• At Diener Law since 2023
• B.A. International Relations, Boston University

Desiree De Jesus-Roman

Attorney

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Desiree holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Puerto Rico and a Juris Doctor from its School of Law. She began her legal career in 2014 as a Hearings Officer for a government agency in Puerto Rico and also ran a boutique law firm on the island.

After the devastation of Hurricane María in September 2017, she closed her practice and moved to the Washington, DC metropolitan area, where she began practicing immigration law. Her struggles after the hurricane and the need to reinvent herself motivated her to develop a passion for helping others achieve their American dream.

She has worked as an immigration attorney in both the private and nonprofit sectors. She has successfully represented many individuals in defensive and affirmative asylum, adjustment of status, and naturalization. She is a native Spanish speaker and is licensed in Puerto Rico.

• J.D., University of Puerto Rico
• Licensed in Puerto Rico
• Focus: asylum and adjustment of status

Gabriela Jacob

Attorney

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Gabriela “Gabi” Jacob began her professional career in her native Brazil, where she worked as a corporate attorney. In 2015 she moved to the United States to study English. She decided to continue her legal career here and earned her Master of Laws (LL.M.) in U.S. Law with magna cum laude honors in 2019. She was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 2020. Before joining Diener Law, she worked as an attorney at a nonprofit organization, where she successfully represented several individuals and their families in defensive asylum cases. She is a native Portuguese speaker and is authorized to practice law in Brazil.

She lives with her husband Brian, her son Yago, her dog Murph, and two cats, Capi and Mocha. In her free time she enjoys reading horror and suspense novels, hiking, cross-country skiing, and spending time with her family.

• LL.M. magna cum laude (2019)
• Admitted in Washington (2020)
• Authorized to practice in Brazil