Meet The Team
Experienced and Strategic
Regina Ragon Varela
Managing Attorney
Regina has a Bachelor of Arts from King College in Modern Languages in Spanish, French and German. She has a Master of Arts in Spanish American literature from University of Georgia and a Master of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology and a Juris Doctorate from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.
Regina taught English as a Second Language for more than 25 years when she decided to retire and devote herself to helping immigrant families stay together.
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Regina volunteers with Latin American Community Development helping communities in Latin America with their educational, medical and business development. LACD partners with Engineers without Borders to bring potable water to towns in need.
Gustavo Varela
Director of Operations
Gustavo Varela received his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and a Masters in International Relations with a concentration in Global Security and Conflict Resolution.
Gustavo is also a Political Science professor at UTC (University of Tennessee in Chattanooga). He has spent more than 14 years working in Latin America with Latin American Community Development. He is also a Real Estate Developer and Investor. Gustavo works as the Director of Operations for the Law Firm.
Ariatna Villegas Vazquez
Remote Attorney
Ariatna Villegas Vazquez has a Bachelor of Science in Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Course 9) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law. She has a solid litigation background and experience before the Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, USCIS, and ICE.
Ariatna is an expert doodler and Space Camp alumni who subsidized her undergraduate studies working as a Nuclear Reactor Operator at The MIT Reactor (MITR). She is also fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
Born into an entrepreneurial family, Ariatna is inspired by the enterprising work of the many immigrants that have shaped this country. After a decade practicing business litigation and white collar criminal defense, her admiration for the resilience and generational vision of immigrant families inspired her to focus on immigration law. Ariatna brings her passion for human rights and her sharp litigation instincts to every case, offering compassionate, strategic guidance to clients navigating the complex immigration system.
María Dolores González
Practice Administrator / Paralegal
María Dolores Gonzalez graduated from Fort Payne High School May of 2013. She graduated as one of the first in her class to complete the Fort Payne High School Nursing Program. She volunteered at The Cancer Care Center Of Dekalb for 2 years. She currently holds a Major in Arts and Science.
Maria being bilingual in Spanish and English has served as an interpreter since the age of thirteen to anyone in need. She truly has a huge passion for helping the community.
She also drives from Alabama to Tennessee an hour commute to serve The Varela Firm. Maria is married and her family is her everything. She has a one year old daughter who also loves to learn. Maria loves to teach her daughter about the different cultures and she is currently learning how to speak Spanish as well as English.
Maria loves learning, new experiences, improving existing experiences and helping anyone in need no matter what time, day, or distance. Favorite quote "The day you stop learning is the day you stop living."
Biridiana Young
Paralegal
Biridiana Young, our Dalton Office Paralegal, attended Dalton High School after coming to the United States at 14 years old.
Having worked for 11 years for the same company in the carpet industry, she was able to show her leadership, attention to detail, and problem solving skills and now uses these attributes in her role at our firm. She is bilingual and helps clients no matter the day or time. She has a personal connection to the immigration process that is present with every interaction she has with our clients. Since day one she has shown her love and dedication to her job.
Family is everything to Biridiana. Being a married immigrant and having 5 children, she understands the importance of our clients' cases and what it might mean to them as individuals. She pushes with every case the importance of keeping families together and safe in this new place called home. She treasures making a difference in our community and helping provide opportunities to those she can.
Julie Morales
Client Support Specialist
Julie has a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in biology from the University of Georgia.
She grew up working for her parent’s business in Dalton, Georgia.
She is a first generation Mexican-American daughter to an immigrant family.
She is passionate about standing up for
immigrant rights and appreciates the opportunity to do so at the Varela Law Firm.
María Isabel Guijón
Consular Processing Specialist
María Isabel Guijón has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from GA State University. She has served as community liaison and wellness coach in diverse community settings including immigrant non-profit organizations and healthcare corporations.
She volunteers as a community leader and event coordinator at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Being bilingual in Spanish and English, Maria has served as interpreter in the medial field as well as during client’s USCIS appointments. She is an instructor for the US Citizenship Process and Interview/Test.
Beth Jordan
Court Paralegal/Human Resources Specialist
Beth graduated from Presbyterian College with a BA in English and Education and a minor in Spanish. She also has a Masters degree from Tusculum University and an Education Specialist degree from Piedmont College.
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Beth has worked with English language learners most of her career teaching high school English as a Second Language as well as college English and Adult English language courses through Dalton State College.
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She is very passionate about helping her community and excited to work with the Varela Law Firm team in making a difference in the lives of others.
Wendy Sanchez
USCIS Case Specialist / Paralegal / Legal Document Manager
Born in Mexico, Wendy earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology in Dalton State College, driven by a deep curiosity about life and the natural world. Along the way, her path took an unexpected but meaningful turn toward immigration law.
Now working at a law firm that helps immigrant families, she brings the same dedication and attention to detail she once applied in the lab to supporting people through some of the most important moments of their lives.
As an immigrant herself, she's passionate about giving back to her community and being a source of guidance and hope for others on their journey.