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Immigration · Spanish-speaking

Top-Ranked Spanish-Speaking Immigration Lawyers in Miami, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.29 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked Spanish-speaking immigration lawyers in Miami, Florida are Kari Ann Fonte (LexRank 84.00), Carmen R. Arce (82.80) and Jorge Raimundo Lopez (82.60).

This ranking lists 9 immigration lawyers in Miami, Florida, whose Florida Bar profile lists Spanish, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. All 9 lawyers in this ranking are Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by The Florida Bar, a credential held by 4.9% of Florida lawyers in any field. Their experience ranges from 12 to 40 years in practice.

Lawyers ranked
9
Fully verified
9 of 9

The ranking

Ordered by organic LexRank score; paid placements are labelled and never affect a position. How we rank

Who is included: only lawyers whose sourced records list spanish among their languages: 9 of the 19 in Top-Ranked Immigration Lawyers in Miami, Florida, 9 of them confirmed by a verified fact or an official record such as the state bar profile. Scores are the same LexRank scores; the context selects who is ranked and never changes a score.

  1. No change

    Kari Ann Fonte

    Fonte Friz-Garcia Immigration Firm, P.L. · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • Speaks Spanish · sourced
    • Immigration
    • 31 years experience
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  2. No change

    Carmen R. Arce

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • Speaks Spanish · sourced
    • Immigration
    • 24 years experience
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 82.80: strongest in Experience (28.8/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20). 1.20 points behind #1, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Experience 28.8/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)

    1.20 points behind #1 (Kari Ann Fonte): Experience −1.2.

  3. No change

    Jorge Raimundo Lopez

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • Speaks Spanish · sourced
    • Immigration
    • 40 years experience
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 82.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Reputation (4/20). 0.20 points behind #2, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)

    0.20 points behind #2 (Carmen R. Arce): Data quality −1.4.

    Not on record (scores 0, never estimated): website.

  4. No change

    Kristin D Figueroa-Contreras

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • Speaks Spanish · sourced
    • Immigration
    • 23 years experience
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 81.60: strongest in Experience (27.6/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20). 1.00 points behind #3, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Experience 27.6/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)

    1.00 points behind #3 (Jorge Raimundo Lopez): Experience −2.4.

  5. No change

    Michael A Harris

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • Speaks Spanish · sourced
    • Immigration
    • 19 years experience
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 76.80: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Reputation (4/20). 4.80 points behind #4, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)

    4.80 points behind #4 (Kristin D Figueroa-Contreras): Experience −4.8.

  6. No change

    Jacob Lawrence Ratzan

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • Speaks Spanish · sourced
    • Immigration
    • 19 years experience
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 76.80: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  7. No change

    Isadora Velázquez-Rivas

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • Speaks Spanish · sourced
    • Immigration
    • 19 years experience
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 76.80: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  8. No change

    Andrea Montavon-McKillip

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • Speaks Spanish · sourced
    • Immigration
    • 18 years experience
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 75.60: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (21.6/30). 1.20 points behind #7, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 21.6/30 (ranking avg 24.5)

    1.20 points behind #7 (Isadora Velázquez-Rivas): Experience −1.2.

  9. No change

    Alexandra Paola Friz-Garcia

    Fonte Friz-Garcia Immigration Firm, P.L. · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • Speaks Spanish · sourced
    • Immigration
    • 12 years experience
    View profile
    Why #9?

    Ranks #9 with 68.40: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (14.4/30). 7.20 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 14.4/30 (ranking avg 24.5)

    7.20 points behind #8 (Andrea Montavon-McKillip): Experience −7.2.

Data sources behind the scores

Every score on this page is calculated from facts backed by these sources. Each profile shows which source supports which fact and when it was last checked.

  • floridabar.org · Official / regulatory · 9 profile pages116 facts for 9 lawyers

Immigration market in Miami

LexRanked tracks 19 lawyers and 1 law firm in immigration law in Miami, Florida. 19 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 5, 2026.

Lawyers
19
Law firms
1
Verified professional data
19 of 19
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
24 years19 lawyers

Calculated by LexRanked from its own records on ; data verified . Ratings and review counts count only when backed by a source; figures from fewer than three profiles are withheld. All lawyers in Miami

What sets these Miami Spanish-speaking lawyers apart

All 9 lawyers in this ranking are Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by The Florida Bar, which only about one in twenty Florida lawyers achieves in any field. Florida Bar board certification requires at least five years of practice, substantial involvement in the field, peer review by other lawyers and judges, continuing legal education and a written exam, and it must be renewed every five years. The figures below come from each lawyer's Florida Bar profile.

Fact about the 9 ranked lawyers Figure
Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law 9 of 9
Years in practice 12 to 40 (median 19)
Languages besides English Spanish (9), Portuguese (3), French (1), Italian (1)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school University of Miami School of Law (2 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Miami office address and immigration as a practice area on record, whose Florida Bar profile lists Spanish among the languages they speak. It compares 9 Spanish-speaking immigration lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. How we rank.

Whatever language they speak: the full ranking of immigration lawyers in Miami.

Working with a Spanish-speaking lawyer

You can discuss your case, documents and fees directly in Spanish, but court hearings and filings in Florida are in English.

  • Ask whether the lawyer will speak with you in Spanish personally or through bilingual staff.
  • Ask for the fee agreement and key letters in Spanish as well as English, so you know exactly what you sign.
  • When a witness cannot understand or speak English well enough, the judge has a qualified interpreter sworn in (section 90.606, Florida Statutes).

Florida rules to know

Immigration is federal law, decided by USCIS and the immigration courts, and only lawyers or accredited representatives may give legal advice on it.

Rule What it means
Which law applies Federal immigration law, the same in every state
Who decides U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (applications) and the immigration courts of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (removal cases)
Who may represent you A licensed lawyer or a representative accredited by the Department of Justice (8 C.F.R. § 292.1)
Florida Bar credential Board Certification in Immigration and Nationality Law
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Miami-Dade County is in Florida's Eleventh Judicial Circuit

How to choose among these lawyers

Confirm the license, ask who will handle your matter, and get the fee terms in writing before you sign.

  1. Look up the lawyer in The Florida Bar's directory and check the bar number shown on their LexRanked profile.
  2. Ask whether the lawyer you meet will handle your matter personally, and how many matters like yours they have handled recently.
  3. Ask how they charge and what costs are extra, and get the agreement in writing.

Further reading

Sources for the rules above

Frequently asked questions

Can a notary help with my immigration case?

No. Only a licensed lawyer or a Department of Justice accredited representative may give legal advice or represent you in immigration matters.

Do I need a Florida lawyer for immigration?

Immigration law is federal, so a lawyer licensed in any U.S. state can handle it; a Florida Bar board-certified lawyer has met Florida's standards in the field.

What does Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law mean?

It is a credential from The Florida Bar for lawyers with substantial experience in the field who have passed peer review and a written exam. 9 of the 9 lawyers in this ranking hold it; 4.9% of Florida lawyers hold a board certification in any field.

Which court handles cases in Miami?

State court cases in Miami-Dade County are heard in Florida's Eleventh Judicial Circuit. Immigration cases are decided by USCIS and the federal immigration courts instead.

How do I know a lawyer really speaks Spanish?

Every lawyer here lists Spanish on their Florida Bar profile, which LexRanked checked in November 2026. Ask at the first call whether the lawyer will handle your matter in Spanish personally.

Will my court hearing be in Spanish?

No. Court proceedings in Florida are held in English. When a witness cannot understand or speak English well enough, the judge has a qualified interpreter sworn in (section 90.606, Florida Statutes).

How is this ranking ordered?

By the LexRank score, calculated only from facts with a cited source: experience, practice-area relevance, awards on record such as board certification, professional credentials, data quality and location. Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Payment never changes a position.

Do client reviews affect the LexRank score?

Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Reviews are shown on profiles for information only, and Reputation counts only awards on record, such as board certification. How we rank

Which lawyers are verified?

9 of the 9 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Kari Ann Fonte, Carmen R. Arce, Jorge Raimundo Lopez, Kristin D Figueroa-Contreras and Michael A Harris and others.

What is the difference between the top two lawyers?

Kari Ann Fonte scores 84.00 and Carmen R. Arce 82.80, a gap of 1.20 points, mostly in experience. Compare them side by side

About this ranking

Last updated
Methodology
LexRank v1.2 - deterministic, reproducible scoring
Editorial review
LexRanked editorial team,
Independence
Positions are never sold. Paid placements, if any, are labelled and do not affect scores.

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