The Batrakova Law Office
Experienced team, big results.
The Batrakova Law Office (TBLO) is a boutique immigration firm, with offices in Portland, Oregon and Miami, Florida, concentrating in the area of business, investor and family immigration. Founding attorney, Irina Batrakova, together with a team of trusted business professionals, works with foreign investors, domestic and international companies in developing appropriate strategies to facilitate the international transfer of skilled employees to secure temporary employment visas and permanent residence. Irina manages the relationship with key corporate and individual investor clients herself, providing legal advice and guidance to small and large companies.
TBLO also works with individual clients in the area of family immigration, and to date, has represented clients from over 70 countries around the world.
Irina Batrakova
Founding Attorney
Irina is a native of Russia, and in 1994 was selected to participate in the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State as part of the Freedom Support Act (FSA) of 1992. She was one of 1,200 talented and motivated students who spent the 1994 academic year in the U.S. with a goal of enhancing an understanding and dialogue between the people of the U.S. and Russia.
- Cum Laude from Portland State University – Graduated in 2000
- Lewis and Clark Law School – Graduated in 2004
Prior to founding TBLO in 2012, Irina started her legal career as an Immigration Attorney with Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP in Portland, Oregon, where she practiced in the area of business immigration and family-based immigration. From there, she transitioned to a Business Immigration Attorney at one of the largest business immigration practices in the U.S. of Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC in Raleigh, NC. She worked with Fortune 500 companies, providing legal advice and guidance on the issues of business visas and immigration compliance.
Irina was selected Super Lawyers Rising Star in the field of Immigration in 2009 and 2010. She is a regular speaker at the Oregon State Bar events, Lewis & Clark Law School and American Immigration Lawyers Association regional conference on the issues of works visas, business immigration, practice management and diversity in the legal community. Irina is an Executive Committee member and a Past Chair of the Corporate Counsel Section of the Oregon State Bar, and the past advisory committee member on Diversity and Inclusion with the Oregon State Bar.
Irina believes in living with purpose and enjoys volunteering with Make-A-Wish Foundation, and is a current Emerging Leaders Board member of the Make-A-Wish Oregon. She enjoys spending time with family and friends exploring the beauty of the Northwest, as well as paddle boarding, traveling, golfing, hiking and exploring vast Oregon wine country.
Languages: English and Russian
Irina Batrakova
Founding Attorney
Irina is a native of Russia, and in 1994 was selected to participate in the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State as part of the Freedom Support Act (FSA) of 1992. She was one of 1,200 talented and motivated students who spent the 1994 academic year in the U.S. with a goal of enhancing an understanding and dialogue between the people of the U.S. and Russia.
- Cum Laude from Portland State University – Graduated in 2000
- Lewis and Clark Law School – Graduated in 2004
Prior to founding TBLO in 2012, Irina started her legal career as an Immigration Attorney with Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP in Portland, Oregon, where she practiced in the area of business immigration and family-based immigration. From there, she transitioned to a Business Immigration Attorney at one of the largest business immigration practices in the U.S. of Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC in Raleigh, NC. She worked with Fortune 500 companies, providing legal advice and guidance on the issues of business visas and immigration compliance.
Irina was selected Super Lawyers Rising Star in the field of Immigration in 2009 and 2010. She is a regular speaker at the Oregon State Bar events, Lewis & Clark Law School and American Immigration Lawyers Association regional conference on the issues of works visas, business immigration, practice management and diversity in the legal community. Irina is an Executive Committee member and a Past Chair of the Corporate Counsel Section of the Oregon State Bar, and the past advisory committee member on Diversity and Inclusion with the Oregon State Bar.
Irina believes in living with purpose and enjoys volunteering with Make-A-Wish Foundation, and is a current Emerging Leaders Board member of the Make-A-Wish Oregon. She enjoys spending time with family and friends exploring the beauty of the Northwest, as well as paddle boarding, traveling, golfing, hiking and exploring vast Oregon wine country.
Languages: English and Russian
Liz Smith
Paralegal
Liz was born and raised in Southern California and moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2000. She earned an Associate’s Degree in Business from University of Phoenix in 2009 and in spring 2013 graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.
- University of Phoenix (Associate’s in Business) – Graduated in 2009
- Oregon State University (Bachelor’s in Political Science) – Graduated in 2013
Liz began her legal career 20 years ago as one of the legal staff for a criminal defense attorney in California. That is what inspired her passion for law, and over the years she gained vast knowledge and legal experience in Family Law, Corporate Law, Personal Injury, Immigration, and Real Estate. Liz has spent her entire career in the legal field and has discovered that her passion is Immigration Law. It is her desire to help the immigrant community and work with the clients from all over the world that inspired her transition to immigration law and joining TBLO.
Since starting at TBLO, Liz had the opportunity to work on L-1 intracompany transferee visas, H-1B Specialty Occupation visas, E-2 Treaty Investor Visas, Adjustment of Status cases, and Naturalization cases. Liz works closely with our clients to ensure responsiveness to every individual case and that the process is as headache-free for them as possible.
In her free time Liz enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, as well as reading autobiographies and history books. Liz also likes to dote on her adoptive cat Maggie and stay active with her children’s sporting and extracurricular events.
Languages: English and Spanish
Liana Chutyhina
Legal Assistant
Liana was born and raised in Odessa, Ukraine and moved to Oregon in 2021. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from National University “Odessa Maritime Academy” in 2021. While attending school, Liana volunteered at an estate planning law firm, working directly with clients on estate administration and succession.
- National University “Odessa Maritime Academy” (Bachelor’s Degree in Law) – Graduated in 2021
After completing her Bachelor’s degree Liana moved to the United States with her family. Being an immigrant, she had a strong desire to help the local immigrant community and work with clients from all over the world. She began volunteering at TBLO and after one month was offered a permanent position.
Since starting at TBLO, Liana had the opportunity to work on family-based immigration cases and support our attorney and paralegal on the administrative side. Liana works closely with our clients to ensure responsiveness to every individual case and that the administrative part of the immigration process is as smooth for them as possible.
In her free time Liana enjoys photographing people and events. Photography is her passion that she continues to pursue as a serious hobby. She also enjoys playing sports, spending time with friends and family and reading books.
Languages: English, Ukrainian and Russian
Liana Chutyhina
Legal Assistant
Liana was born and raised in Odessa, Ukraine and moved to Oregon in 2021. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from National University “Odessa Maritime Academy” in 2021. While attending school, Liana volunteered at an estate planning law firm, working directly with clients on estate administration and succession.
- National University “Odessa Maritime Academy” (Bachelor’s Degree in Law) – Graduated in 2021
After completing her Bachelor’s degree Liana moved to the United States with her family. Being an immigrant, she had a strong desire to help the local immigrant community and work with clients from all over the world. She began volunteering at TBLO and after one month was offered a permanent position.
Since starting at TBLO, Liana had the opportunity to work on family-based immigration cases and support our attorney and paralegal on the administrative side. Liana works closely with our clients to ensure responsiveness to every individual case and that the administrative part of the immigration process is as smooth for them as possible.
In her free time Liana enjoys photographing people and events. Photography is her passion that she continues to pursue as a serious hobby. She also enjoys playing sports, spending time with friends and family and reading books.
Languages: English, Ukrainian and Russian
Rustem Orazaly
Business Development
Rustem was born and raised in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In 2003 he graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from Kazakh State Law School, and subsequently worked at a number of large national companies and state-run organizations of Kazakhstan. Rustem also holds a Master’s degree in Music and Art from Kazakh National University of the Arts. Having immigrated to the United States on an EB-1(a) extraordinary ability visa, Rustem became passionate about the plight of immigrants and the U.S. immigration process. He decided to pursue a career in law, and in 2021 graduated Cum Laude from University of St. Thomas with an LLM in the field of Intercultural Human Rights.
- Kazakh State Law School (Bachelor of Civil Law) – Graduated in 2003
- Kazakh National University of the Arts (Master of Music and Art) – Graduated in 2004
- St. Thomas University School of Law (LLM) in Intercultural Human Rights) – Graduated in 2021
During his studies at St. Thomas University School of Law, Rustem interned with several foreign law firms in the field of immigration law. Rustem is fluent in Russian, Kazakh and Kyrgyz languages. Prior to joining the TBLO team, Rustem had an opportunity to work in various areas of business and family-based immigration, including E-2 treaty investor visas, L-1 visas for intra-company transferees, O-1 and EB-1 visas for individuals with extraordinary ability in arts, science and business, naturalization and change of status of cases. In addition to pursuing career in law, Rustem also utilizes his music background and in his pastime performs at various concerts and festivals.
In his free time Rustem likes to play piano and clarinet, hike, read, cook authentic Central Asian cuisine, and spend time with his family.
Languages: English, Russian, Kazakh and Kyrgyz
Corey Cabrera
Business Plan Writer
Corey was born and raised in Vancouver, Washington. He has been working with The Batrakova Law Office and its business immigration clients since the firm’s inception in 2012. He provides business plan writing and business strategy development services for start-up and long-standing companies in a diverse range of market sectors. TBLO teams up with Corey Cabrera to provide comprehensive business immigration services to its foreign investor and business clients to ensure it is a one-stop and seamless process for its clients.
- Portland State University (Bachelor’s in Architecture) – Graduated in 2010
- Portland State University (Master’s in Real Estate Development) – Graduated in 2020
Corey’s sound judgment and decision-making skills have earned him a reputation of a trusted advisor to both internal and external stakeholders making him the business plan writer of choice for TBLO.
Corey’s wide-ranging entrepreneurial background encapsulates real estate investment, marketing and business consulting. His experience includes serving as a Real Estate Development Manager overseeing construction, re-development, capital expenditure, and acquisitions for an institutional-level real estate portfolio. While serving as a Marketing Manager identifying markets, proposal developments and brand strategies creation of a multi-disciplined consulting engineering firm, Corey has served as a start-up advisor providing industry advice, marketing research, and strategies for new and established businesses.
Corey is passionate about working with foreign entrepreneurs and new business owners and assisting them with their new business ventures and transition to the United States. He continuously strives to improve company operations by streamlining and refining the business processes to ensure that the business plan is in compliance with the USCIS’ requirements.
Corey lives in Portland, Oregon where he and his wife raise their two young children and two Golden Retrievers, and he enjoys architecture, camping, and spending time with his family.
Languages: English
Corey Cabrera
Business Plan Writer
- Portland State University (Bachelor’s in Architecture) – Graduated in 2010
- Portland State University (Master’s in Real Estate Development) – Graduated in 2020
Corey’s sound judgment and decision-making skills have earned him a reputation of a trusted advisor to both internal and external stakeholders making him the business plan writer of choice for TBLO.
Corey’s wide-ranging entrepreneurial background encapsulates real estate investment, marketing and business consulting. His experience includes serving as a Real Estate Development Manager overseeing construction, re-development, capital expenditure, and acquisitions for an institutional-level real estate portfolio. While serving as a Marketing Manager identifying markets, proposal developments and brand strategies creation of a multi-disciplined consulting engineering firm, Corey has served as a start-up advisor providing industry advice, marketing research, and strategies for new and established businesses.
Corey is passionate about working with foreign entrepreneurs and new business owners and assisting them with their new business ventures and transition to the United States. He continuously strives to improve company operations by streamlining and refining the business processes to ensure that the business plan is in compliance with the USCIS’ requirements.
Corey lives in Portland, Oregon where he and his wife raise their two young children and two Golden Retrievers, and he enjoys architecture, camping, and spending time with his family.
Languages: English
TBLO has earned a reputation for being responsive to our clients and their legal immigration needs. We respond to inquiries and questions the same day or within 24 hours.
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