Susan W. Ramos is a native of North Carolina.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Psychology and Spanish from Emory University in 1993 and a Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1999.  She is  a member of the state bars of North Carolina and Texas.  She started her legal career in the area of criminal defense, which she practiced for five years.  She first practiced with the Mecklenburg County Public Defender's Office and then moved into private practice.  She has been a member of Garfinkel Immigration Law Firm since February 2005 and is responsible for the firm's family-based immigration and naturalization matters.  She currently serves as Vice Chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Carolinas Chapter and is fluent in Spanish.