Meet the Team
Gabriela Ferreira - Head Attorney
Ms. Ferreira is the founder and CEO, she has been an attorney in Brazil since 1988 and in California since 2006. She is first-generation immigrant from Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English.
Ms. Ferreira is dedicated to her clients and to the legal community. She is currently a Commissioner on the board of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court Juvenille Justice and Deliquency Prevention Commission - JJDPC. She is also a board member of the Santa Barbara William L. Gordon Inns of Court, a member of the National Bar Association, California Bar Association Family Law Section, the Los Angeles Bar Association and the Santa Barbara County Bar Association. Ms. Ferreira is a past president and past board member of the Santa Barbara Women Lawyers - SBWL, Santa Barbara Women Lawyers Foundation - SBWLF and Santa Barbara Barristers Association. Ms. Ferreira is also a past board member of the Santa Barbara County Bar Association.
She has dedicated her life to not only helping others in the legal field but also volunteers her time helping animals in need, taking on foster dogs and cats for DAWG and other rescue groups. She provides pro-bono legal work for a foundation that assists homeless people.
For fun Gabriela loves to paint, do yoga and go for sunset runs on the beach with her three dogs.
Maria DoCouto - Attorney
Ms. DoCouto began her college studies in Brazil at the Federal University of Bahia. She received her Bachelor’s Degree, Cum Laude, from the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and her Law Degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. Ms. Docouto has been practicing United States Immigration Law since 1997.
Ms. DoCouto’s background includes being a Legal Intern at the Immigration Court in Boston, Massachusetts; an Assistant District Attorney for Plymouth County, Massachusetts; a Co-founder of the Santa Barbara Teen Legal Clinic (a nonprofit organization providing immigration and other legal aid to juveniles); a Researcher on International Adoption Proceedings; a Researcher on Women’s Prosecution Claims for Asylum Protection; a Translator and Editor to the Portuguese language for the article “A Dermatologic Opportunity for the Cancer Prevention”, published in the Archives of Dermatology (1995).
Ms. DoCouto is bilingual ( Portuguese/English), fluent in Spanish, and dominates the written French language in which she is conversant. And most importantly, Ms. DoCouto is dedicated to providing an incomparable professional service to her clients.
Jasmin Velasquez, JD - Paralegal/Chief of Staff
Ms. Velasquez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants from the State of Jalisco. In her family, she is a first generation american born. She was the first in her family to graduate from college and proceed with her graduate studies. During her school years, Ms. Velasquez was an honor student, well dedicated to her goals and still made time to learn music, be a member of the marching band and to become a talented painter.
Ms. Velasquez has been with the firm for almost 8 years working in various roles. She is in her final year of law school and plans on continuing in family law and immigration upon her graduation. She graduated from UCSB in 2013 with a degree in English and Chicano Studies. During her UCSB years she served as treasurer of San Rafael Hall Dorm.
Jasmin is fluent in English and Spanish and has conversational skills in the Italian language.
Between work and school Ms. Velasquez has very little time for leasure. However, any opportunity she has, she dedicates to her passion which is currently reading and writing fiction novels. Ms. Velaquez also volunteers with Ms. Ferreira's foster animals.
Brooke Robbins - Legal Assistant
Ms. Robbins is a second year student at the University of California, Santa Barbara and is currently pursuing degrees in Political Science and Spanish. She is involved in her school’s Pre-Law Society and is interested in criminal and family law, international relations, environmental sustainability, and civil rights. Ms. Robbins plans on attending law school after graduating, with hopes to work abroad before doing so.
In high school, Ms. Robbins was a board member on her city’s Mayor’s Youth Council, held a position as President of the Youth Cancer Society, and volunteered for her city’s medical center, a pet adoption group, and Get Out the Vote Inc. Outside of academics, Ms. Robbins is involved in her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, where she holds a position on the sustainability committee. In her free time, Ms. Robbins spends much time practicing her Spanish, swimming at the beach, hiking with her friends, and cooking. Ms. Robbins is also an avid animal lover and takes any opportunity she gets to pet an animal.