Ivan J. Bates, Attorney at Law, is devoted to service, justice and the preservation of rights for all people. Ivan, a United States Army Veteran and a graduate of the French Commando School served his country in foreign and domestic assignments while assigned to the 32nd Air Defense Artillery Command in Europe. Following his military service, he attended and graduated from Howard University, School of Communications as Honor Graduate. Ivan has received many prestigious awards and honors including the Lyndon Baines Johnson Internship and the General Motors Volunteer Award. He continued his education earning his Juris Doctorate at College of William and Mary, School of Law. There he was a recipient of the Public Service Fellowship, a member of the Black Law Student Association and a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. While in law school, Ivan launched into his law career gathering experience and exposure as a law clerk for offices such as the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Global Sports Management, Inc., and several law firms in the DC/Baltimore region. Following graduation from law school, Ivan was selected to serve as Law Clerk for the Honorable David B. Mitchell in Baltimore, MD. Those in the legal profession know that it takes a certain type of individual to be selected by a Judge to serve as Law Clerk and Judge Mitchell knew that Ivan possessed the qualities needed. To this day, Ivan looks to Judge Mitchell as a mentor. It was while clerking for Judge Mitchell that Ivan perfected his legal research skills and assisted in drafting an opinion that was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. When his term with Judge Mitchell ended, Ivan was offered a position as an Assistant State's Attorney in the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office. There, he refined his trial and advocacy skills, making such an impression that he quickly became an ASA in the Homicide Division. While Ivan enjoyed his time as a prosecutor, he found another passion as a criminal defense attorney when he joined the firm of Schulman, Treem, Kaminkow, Gilden, and Ravenell, PA., (Baltimore, MD), a premier criminal defense firm in Maryland. While there, Ivan learned not just how to try cases, but how to see through the muck and mud that surrounded a lot of cases and was able to go right to the heart of each situation. He became an excellent advocate for his clients, a great majority of them African American. He could provide prosecutors and jurors with a human portrayal of these people otherwise known as “criminal defendants”. It was this ability to humanize his clients that gave Ivan the edge. Yes, he possessed excellent advocacy and trial skills, yes he was prepared for every arrow the prosecution would throw, but more importantly, he learned that he really cared for his clients. During his time at Schulman, Treem, at the age of 37, Ivan did what most lawyers only dream of - he served as co-counsel in a case argued before the Supreme Court of the United States, Maryland v. Blake. In 2006, Ivan started his own firm Bates and Garcia PA., Ivan has had the opportunity to represent clients in federal court in San Francisco, Northern Virginia as well as Maryland. He has appeared in every Court in the State of Maryland when his representation of his clients has made him one of the most sought-after attorneys in the City. Ivan's passion for the community and the law extends beyond his practice. He is the former President of the Monumental bar, he served as a member of the board of Directors for Baltimore Healthcare Access, a former member of the Board to elect the Baltimore City sitting Judges, a current member of the Monumental Bar Foundation as well as a member New Metropolitan Baptist Church.

Dawn Marie Bates-Buchanan, was raised in Venice Florida, where her Father was a Police Officer and where she graduated from local Vence High School in 1986. Dawn Marie got her B.A. in Criminology, Sociology and Child Psychology from the University of South Florida. Dawn Marie worked for the 12th Judicial District's State's Attorney's Office (in Sarasota County, Florida) for 5 years as a Legal Assistant, before enrolling in Stetson University College of Law in 1996. Graduating early in December of 1998, Dawn Marie went back to work for the 12th Judicial District's State's Attorney's office. Dawn Marie moved to Daytona Beach, Florida to work on behalf of domestic violence family law clients for Central Florida Legal Services in 1999 where she worked and became the Managing Attorney of the Daytona Beach Office in charge of the Family Law Unit. In 2006 Dawn Marie moved to Bradenton to become the Managing Attorney at Gulfcoast Legal Services, Inc. in their Bradenton Office, where she specialized in consumer, housing, estate planning, family and dependency law and bankruptcy. Dawn Marie and her law partner Susannah opened their firm in February of 2011, then Dawn Marie moved back to Venice in 2012, with her Husband and dogs and opened an office in Venice where she continues to live with her Husband, her daughter Darian and their six dogs. Dawn Marie has been the primary attorney in more than 90 trials from family, to civil and criminal. Dawn Marie is trained as a Collaborative Family Law Attorney.

Arrived to the U.S. as a child refugee from Iraq in 1995, I have dedicated my life to helping future immigrants and refugees access the freedom and protection that this great country offers. With over a decade of experience in the legal field, I discovered my true calling in assisting individuals with immigration legal matters. After graduating from law school and successfully passing the Michigan bar exam, I established a boutique law firm in Sterling Heights, Michigan as a solo practitioner, focusing on serving the community that I am deeply connected to. I find great fulfillment in providing representation to those in need, as this profession is not just a career for me, but a true passion that drives me every day