Jesus

A headshot of Jesus. He is wearing a blue button up shirt and a dark tie.

Jesus Faria is a paralegal at Southam Law LLC. Jesus is originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela. He fled the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela in 2017. Having to leave his home and family in Venezuela was a hard choice, but Jesus was able to get an F-1 student visa to study in the US. Since then, he has applied for asylum and was recently granted temporary protected status (TPS).

Jesus knows how hard it is to be an immigrant in a foreign country. His personal experiences have given him empathy to understand and help clients. Jesus earned a law degree from Universidad del Zulia and worked as an attorney in Venezuela before coming to the United States. He hopes to take the LSAT and apply for law school in the United States.

Jesus has been an employee of Southam Law for a long time and currently works as a paralegal. Jesus focuses on court filings, drafting client communications, and completing application materials. You are most likely to interact with Jesus if you are working to complete an immigrant application or have a court date in the near future.

In his free time, Jesus likes reading all kinds of books especially mystery, romance, science fiction. Jesus is a big fan of Harry Potter. In his free time Jesus enjoys working out and taking pictures around the city of Chicago.

Keith

A headshot of Keith wearing a grey suit and green, blue, and grey stripped tie

Keith Southam is the founder and principal attorney of Southam Law LLC. Keith founded Southam Law with the dual goals of helping clients understand their cases and of keeping costs down. Keith knows how important these things are. Keith’s grandparents were immigrants, and he was raised by a single mother. This taught Keith compassion for the struggles of immigrants, people who do not speak English well, and working families.

Keith earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and German Literature from the University of Idaho, a Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, and Juris Doctor degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Prior to law school, Keith worked for several years as an international student advisor and an ESL teacher. In law school, Keith focused on immigration law, including a student research project on asylum, an internship at the Chicago Immigration Court, and a job as a law clerk for an immigration attorney. Before opening Southam Law, Keith worked for five years as an associate attorney in a small immigration firm in Chicago.

Keith has also lived outside of the US (in Germany, where his grandparents came from). In addition to English, Keith speaks Spanish, German, French, and Swedish.

Linda

A headshot of Linda. She is wearing glasses and is wearing a beige sweater

Linda McCord is our administrative assistant. She grew up in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood and was able to pick up some Spanish along the way. Growing up she seen the importance of how immigration plays a crucial role on how this world works. She is currently in school obtaining her certificate to become a certified paralegal. She has strong family values and also has mixed immigration status in her family.

Linda is your first point of contact for emails, calls, texts, postal mail, address updates different work permit applications and travel permit applications. If Linda is not able to answer your questions, she knows who to ask. If you would like to schedule any appointments, work on any applications or even to drop off documents, she will be the one to contact.

In her downtime she enjoys spending time with her son and enjoys watching sports. She’s very big on baseball and hockey.

Luis

A headshot of Luis. He is wearing a suit with a blue jacket and a red tie

Luis López is an accomplished professional with a passion for law and a strong background in legal services. Originally from Venezuela, Luis earned his law degree there and practiced as a lawyer before embarking on a journey to expand his knowledge further. Currently, he is pursuing an LL.M (Master of Laws) at Loyola University in Chicago, broadening his expertise in the field of law. In addition to his LL.M studies, Luis holds a master’s degree in Political Science and Government from the Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela.

This diverse academic background enables him to approach legal matters with a comprehensive understanding of various political and governance aspects.

At our firm, Luis plays a crucial role as a paralegal, focusing on completing application materials, assisting clients with updating their addresses for immigration purposes, and ensuring seamless communication throughout the process. If you are seeking guidance, to complete immigration applications or, to update your address, Luis is the go-to person for assistance. Luis speaks English and Spanish.

Maritza

A headshot of Maritza. She is wearing glasses and a checked suit jacket

Maritza Jaimes is an associate attorney at Southam Law LLC. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents and a first-generation college student. From a very young age, Maritza was a translator and advocate for her own parents and family members. She quickly learned that the Latinx community has limited access to the legal community due to a lack of financial resources, language barriers, and the underrepresentation of Latinos. She became passionate about immigrants’ human rights and has focused her career on criminal justice and immigration work.

Maritza earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a minor in Spanish Language and Literature, a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology, and Juris Doctor from UIC John Marshall Law School. In law school, Maritza focused on criminal and immigration law, including drafting legal policy for the Illinois Department of Corrections, and worked at the International Human Rights Clinic where she focused on asylum. Maritza joined the firm in March 2021 because her values of providing legal assistance to a diverse group of immigrants and marginalized communities directly aligned with the mission at Southam Law LLC.