Matt Armbrecht and Tim Maher met in their first year of law school, sitting next to each other in several classes. After law school, they parted ways. Several years later, they found themselves working together at a small downtown Minneapolis law firm, where they also met Jerzy Guzior.
After several years, they decided to open their own law firm. On January 23, 2006, Guzior Armbrecht Maher began providing legal services to the public.
Jerzy T. Guzior
Jerzy’s practice is primarily focused on immigration, but also includes criminal defense and international commercial transactions. In 1995, he joined the Polish law firm of Soltysinski Kawecko Szlezak, where he practiced in the area of international business transactions. Upon returning to the United States, he worked as a public defender in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Since 1997, his practice has focused on immigration law. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). His interests include fishing, mushroom hunting and cheering for his favorite hockey team, the Minnesota Wild.
Languages:
Russian, Polish, Ukranian
Education:
J.D., William Mitchell College of Law
Law Degree, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland
Admitted to Practice: Minnesota, 1996
Matthew M. Armbrecht
Matt’s practice includes criminal defense, family law, and immigration law, including appeals.
Prior to entering law school, Matt was involved with democracy-building initiatives in Russia and Kyrgyzstan.
He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
Language:
Russian
Education:
J.D., University of Minnesota School of Law
B.A., Lawrence University (Wisconsin)
Admitted to Practice: Minnesota, 1999; United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, 2003; United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 2003; United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 2006.
Timothy R. Maher
Tim’s practice includes commercial and civil litigation, transactional law, business formation, real estate, estate planning, and criminal law.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota School of Law, Tim worked as a law clerk to Federal District Court Judge Joan N. Ericksen and Hennepin County District Court Judge Franklin J. Knoll.
Education:
J.D., University of Minnesota School of Law with honors (1999)
M.A., Philosophy, University of South Carolina (1996)
B.A., St. John’s College (Santa Fe, New Mexico) (1993)
Admitted to Practice:
Minnesota, (1999)
United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (2001)
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (2001)
United States Supreme Court (2003)
Lisa D. Salazar
Lisa is an Associate Attorney at Guzior Armbrecht Maher. Lisa studied International Relations at Bethel University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. During college, she interned in Mexico City and studied Mexican history and politics in Guadalajara, Mexico. After graduating, she worked in state election campaigns and then state government. She became interested in immigration issues when she saw policies being created at her work that affected the Hispanic families at her church. She decided to become an attorney to have a better platform to address these issues. In 2008, she started working at Guzior Armbrecht Maher as a Legal Assistant and began attending the night program of William Mitchell College of Law. She was admitted to practice in 2012 and transitioned to an attorney position at Guzior Armbrecht Maher. The majority of her practice focuses on immigration, both removal defense and affirmative applications, although she has also worked on criminal and family cases. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and is admitted to the Minnesota State Bar.
Language:
Spanish
Education:
J.D., William Mitchell College of Law
B.A., Bethel University (Minnesota)
Admitted to Practice: Minnesota, 2012.
Joseph D. Kantor
Angela E. Sipila
Shannon Nistler
Shannon is our office manager, working out of our Minneapolis office.
Shannon has over 20 years of experience in business administration and management, having spent 17 years in a volunteer-management position, and the last five years in an executive role. Shannon believes it is very important to treat everyone with dignity and respect, and he goes out of his way to provide outstanding customer service and great employee relations.
Shannon dedicates time each week as a volunteer in the Spanish-speaking community. In his free time, he enjoys being with his wife, two daughters, other family members, and friends. His other interests include playing golf, fishing, and he is an avid fan of the Minnesota Vikings.
Languages:
English and Spanish
Aleksandra Miller
Alek is a paralegal working in our St. Paul office.
Alek’s experience as a paralegal spreads over the areas of immigration, probate, and family law. She has aided attorneys in researching, analyzing and drafting family and employment-based immigrant and non-immigrant petitions and applications, labor condition and PERM Applications, intestate and testate probate pleadings, wills, trusts, child custody and child-support petitions and motions.
When she’s not working, Alek spends her time reading, setting new goals, and learning as much as she can.
Languages:
English and Spanish
Alek graduated from Rasmussen College from the A.A.S. Paralegal program in 2010. Currently, she is pursuing her B.S. degree in Business from the University of Minnesota, and expects to graduate in 2017.
Henna Bagha
Henna is a paralegal working in our Minneapolis office. She assists in preparation and filing of DACA applications, naturalization applications, criminal matters, U-visas and family-based immigration applications.
When she is not working, she enjoys reading, writing, volunteering, and spending time with family.
Languages:
English, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu, and Cutchi
Henna graduated from Hamline University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Legal Studies and Criminal Justice along with a Paralegal Certificate and a Spanish Proficiency Certificate.
Maria Medina
Maria is a legal assistant and assists with receptionist duties in our Minneapolis office, ensuring that our office is accessible, serving as an interpreter, and organizing community outreach in the various areas we service.
Maria has years of experience working with the immigrant communities through volunteering her time to political activism for the advancement of immigrants. She also has experience working at a law firm as well as experience working as an intern in the Communications/HR Departments at Centro Campesino and the Hormel Institute Cancer Research Center.
In her spare time she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family in Austin, MN.
Languages:
English and Spanish
Maria is currently working on her BA in Communications and Business Administration at Augsburg College.
Guadalupe Segura
Sonia Florentin
