Karen McCarthy
Founder
Attorney Karen McCarthy is the founder of Elevation Law, LLC. Karen has extensive experience in all areas of immigration law, including naturalization, green cards, visas, deportation, and asylum. Karen thrives on the challenges of immigration cases and the complexity of handling a variety of legal issues. Throughout her legal career, Karen has helped clients with affirmative and defensive petitions, permitting individuals and families to live in the United States lawfully and qualify for better jobs.
Bar Admissions
Colorado
Hawaii
New York
Education
Washington College of Law, American University, J.D., 2009
College of William and Mary, B.A. 2004
University of Morelia, Michoacán, 2002
Professional Associations and Memberships
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
Colorado Bar Association (CBA)
Colorado Women’s Bar Association (CWBA)
Continental Divide Bar Association (CDBA)
Summit Chamber of Commerce
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Community Service and Leadership
Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN)
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC)
AILA Access to Services Committee
CBA Environmental Sustainability Program
Katherine Popper
Associate
Katherine Popper practices immigration and deportation law with Elevation Law in Denver and Aurora, Colorado. Her practices include defense in deportation, citizenship, naturalization, green card, adjustment of status, and related immigration legal services.
Before joining Elevation Law, Katherine served as the managing attorney of another immigration law firm from 2017-2020. Katherine's passion for immigration law began as a paralegal when she worked on a pro bono U Visa case, providing translation services, case assistance, and communicating with the client. During law school, she was a student attorney with the Women and the Law Clinic where she provided pro bono representation for a T Visa client. After passing the bar, Katherine joined a law firm practicing transactional securities litigation while continuing to provide pro bono immigration legal services to clients in Colorado.
Katherine grew up near Washington, DC. She received her bachelor's degree in International Affairs from the University of Colorado in 2009. She spent six months of her undergraduate program studying abroad at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico and a summer studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She studied law at the American University Washington College of Law where she earned her Juris Doctor in 2014. While in law school, Katherine wrote for the Legislation and Policy Brief, represented clients with the Women and the Law Clinic, and published a tax policy article in the Bloomberg Tax Management and Real Estate Journal. Katherine is a member of the Minnesota Bar and an active participant in the Denver immigration legal community.
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Education
J.D., American University Washington College of Law 2014
B.A. International Affairs, University of Colorado Boulder 2009
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Admissions
Minnesota 2016
Colorado 2021
William McNamara
Associate
William McNamara is an immigration attorney who specializes in defending clients against deportation and helping immigrants apply for and obtain lawful status in the United States.
Prior to joining Elevation Law, William worked as an immigration attorney for several years with other law firms and nonprofit organizations in Colorado, including Lutheran Family Services and Colorado Legal Services. William also has experience with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, where he worked directly with immigration judges on cancellation of removal and asylum cases.
William has authored several reports on human rights violations for submission to the United Nations Special Procedures Branch and the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Additionally, William has experience working with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as well as international NGOs in Africa, Asia, and North America.
Education
Juris Doctor, University of Colorado
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, George Mason University
Bar Admissions
Colorado
Kayla Choun
Associate
Kayla is an attorney based in Denver and was born and raised in Colorado. Before law school, Kayla served in the Peace Corps in Benin (West Africa) for over two years. In this role, Kayla worked alongside a local nonprofit that advocated for women’s and children’s rights. Kayla attended law school at the University of Denver. She received the Chancellor's Scholarship, which is a full-tuition public interest scholarship. During law school, she interned at the Colorado Supreme Court and with a local immigration law firm. She also worked as a student attorney in DU’s Immigration Law and Policy Clinic. Since graduating, Kayla has continued to work in immigration law and most recently lived in Guatemala to study Spanish.
Kayla is excited to continue her work in immigration law for Elevation Law and to serve clients in the community where she grew up. In her free time, Kayla enjoys long distance hiking and biking. She has completed various through-hikes, including the Pacific Crest Trail at 2,600 miles, and she has biked from Florida to California with the nonprofit Bike & Build.
Education
University of Denver Sturm College of Law, J.D.
London School of Economics, MSc in Human Rights & Politics
Lake Forest College, B.A. in Economics and Political Science
Bar Admission
Colorado
Micah Laplante
Paralegal
Micah is a paralegal for Elevation Law. Originally from Maine, Micah became interested in the Spanish-speaking community after extensive travel to Central and South America.
She has a degree in International Spanish for Business from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a Certificate in Translation Studies from the University of Denver. She has worked in Nicaragua educating communities on the importance of nutrition and is also a Spanish interpreter for the Summit School District.
She is passionate about immigration law and the significant role it plays in helping our diverse mountain community. When not in the office, you can find her skiing, rafting, or traveling.
Viridiana Cruz
Paralegal
Viridiana Cruz is originally from Oaxaca, Mexico. She migrated with her mother when she was 2 years old and grew up in Summit County, Colorado. She graduated from Summit High School in 2017. Viridiana is a DACA recipient and has been working for Elevation Law as a legal assistant since 2017. She has a passion for helping her immigrant community and equality for everyone regardless of their immigration status. She has participated in protests with Mountain Dreamers to fight for a path to citizenship for DACA recipients.
Lauren Airey
Paralegal
Lauren Airey was born and raised in Summit County, Colorado. Lauren is a Summit High School and University of Colorado Graduate. She has her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs with a focus in Latin America and in Spanish.
Lauren spent one of her semesters in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she solidified her belief in the importance of cultural integration of the American continent.
Lauren has been working for Elevation Law since 2017. She has also been involved in the community through work with the Summit County Democrats and Mountain Dreamers. Lauren's passion for equality, tolerance, and respect for human rights brought her to Elevation Law where she truly feels at home.