St Ann-born lawyer now chair of immigration lawyers’ group in Florida

Founder and CEO of the Florida-based Wynter Law Practice, Jamaican attorney Dionnie Wynter Pfunde, was on Saturday elected to serve a 12-month term as chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Central Florida chapter.

“The education chair for the Americans Immigration Lawyers Association is the largest private Bar for immigration attorneys in the United States, consisting of over 15,000 attorneys,” Wynter Pfunde, who was born in St Ann, told The Gleaner on Tuesday.

Attorneys classify themselves as immigration lawyers as the bulk of their practice is in the area of immigration law.

She said during her term she will be working to close the gap between immigration attorneys and persons who represent immigrants and are not attorneys. There is said to be pushback from attorneys, some of whom are refusing to accommodate non-attorney immigration representatives.

“I want to bridge this gap between those two. I think the goal of this position is to bring the two worlds together, because I want the immigrant to win,” she argued.

Winter Pfunde’s appointment didn’t just come out of the blue, as she has a long history of excellence, from her professional life to her personal life.

Inspired by her mother’s work with immigrants over the years, she decided that she would follow suit and become an immigration lawyer. In 2006, she founded Wynter Law Practice and two-and-a-half years ago, during the pandemic, she established the Wynter Immigration Law Academy.

A daughter of Claremont, she attended Claremont All-Age and later Ferncourt High School, from where she graduated in 1992. She migrated in 1996.

In 2005, Wynter Pfunde graduated from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School – Lansing Campus, now Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, later receiving her undergraduate degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Prior to that, she received her associate degree in applied science from Bronx Community College in paralegal studies. She is also a Hillman Advocacy graduate.

She is licensed to practice law in Michigan, New Jersey, the US District Court and US Supreme Court. As an author, she has published the book Five Steps of Adjustment of Status.

Her exemplary work over the years has seen her serve on numerous committees and in several posts, including first VP and law school liaison of the George Edgecomb Bar Association; assistant director of the Center for Ethics, Service and Professionalism at the Auburn Hills Campus of Western Michigan State University Cooley Law School, among several others.

Not leaving her beloved Jamaica out of the picture, she attended The University of the West Indies (UWI) Norman Manley Law School in 2019-2020 to earn her licentiate degree to enable her to practice in Jamaica. And, yes, she does have an office in Ocho Rios, St Ann.

But Wynter Pfunde’s mark of success is measured mainly by the progress of her company, Wynter Law Practice, especially during difficult times.

SIX-FIGURE LAW FIRM

“I built Wynter Law Practice to a six-figure law firm during the pandemic,” she pointed out, acknowledging that while some business were downsizing and some were stagnant, hers was expanding.

“I serve immigrants, primarily people that are looking to come to the United States for employment through family base or investments. My clientele is global. I have a lot of clients from Europe, a lot of clients from Latin and South America, and then I do have some Caribbean clients,” she explained.

It was during the pandemic, in 2020, that she opened the Wynter Immigration Law Academy in an effort to educate and inform the public that they can participate in representing immigrants.

“A lot of people have been gravitating towards the academy; I think they were thirsty for it,” she revealed.

She has valuable advice for persons who are planning to migrate to the US.

“One, for my Caribbean folks, they need to get their attorney early, don’t wait until something has gone wrong; and two, stop listening to their friends, because dog luck and puss luck annuh di same. Just [because] your friend use so and so and their paperwork comes back in three weeks that [doesn’t] mean you will have the same experience. Get somebody who is qualified, passionate, and not in it just for the money.”

carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com