International experience. Southwestern roots. Direct counsel.

Matthew Apfel · Senior Counsel

A practice shaped by work across borders.

Matthew Apfel focuses his practice on international business transactions, intellectual property, immigration, international arbitration, investment disputes, and international trade matters. He advises nonprofit organizations and international corporations conducting business in the United States and has handled a broad range of cross-border intellectual property, commercial, and trade matters.

His professional experience spans Beijing, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Phoenix. Over the course of his career, he has worked with the U.S. Senate, the Embassy of Canada, and the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State. He previously served as Chair of the International Law Section of the State Bar of Arizona and as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection liaison for the Arizona Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

A native of Arizona, Mr. Apfel earned his Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School in 2008. He received his Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs, with a concentration in Chinese politics, from George Washington University in 2005. He also studied modern Chinese history at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge.

Mr. Apfel is admitted to practice in Arizona, New York, and the District of Columbia. He is also admitted before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

He is fluent in Spanish and conversational in Mandarin Chinese.

Angelo Torrealba · Legal Management

International Law, Business & Cross-Border Experience

Angelo Torrealba earned his LL.M. from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where he focused on the U.S. legal system and international legal practice. He also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a graduate degree in International Law from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, and earned his law degree from Universidad Santa Maria in Caracas, Venezuela.

Today, Angelo advises entrepreneurs, investors, multinational companies, and families on U.S. business immigration, corporate formation, cross-border transactions, regulatory compliance, and international expansion. His practice combines legal strategy with practical business insight for clients navigating opportunities between the United States and the global marketplace.

Before establishing his practice in the United States, Angelo worked with multinational corporations and international legal institutions across Venezuela and Australia, including experience with the Criminal Appeals Office of the Supreme Court of Victoria and projects involving MinterEllison. His background also includes advising businesses on corporate governance, commercial transactions, dispute resolution, and cross-border operations.

Fluent in English and Spanish, and conversational in Portuguese and Italian, Angelo brings a global perspective and multicultural understanding to clients seeking to invest, expand, or build successful ventures across international borders.

Roselia del Carmen Ordaz Martínez · Consultant & Venezuelan Attorney

Public-sector legal practice, criminal justice, and administrative procedures.

Roselia del Carmen Ordaz Martínez is a Venezuelan attorney and retired public prosecutor with extensive experience in the administration of justice and public-sector legal practice. She is currently based in Madrid, where she assists the firm with international business transactions and humanitarian immigration matters. She has also provided legal assistance to foreign consular offices on local legal matters involving Venezuelan administrative procedures and coordination with government agencies and administrative offices in Venezuela.

She earned her law degree from Universidad Santa María in Caracas and held several positions within Venezuela’s Public Prosecutor’s Office, including Assistant Prosecutor, Deputy Superior Prosecutor, and Acting Superior Prosecutor for the Judicial District of Monagas.

Throughout her career, Ordaz Martínez has handled matters involving criminal prosecution, administrative litigation, constitutional rights, and institutional coordination with courts and law-enforcement authorities. She also served in the 19th Prosecutor’s Office of Monagas, which has jurisdiction over administrative disputes and cases involving constitutional rights and guarantees.

Her professional background reflects substantial experience in criminal justice, prosecutorial supervision, governmental and institutional coordination, and the protection of public and constitutional interests.

Yalda Hajavi · Of Counsel

Employment-based and talent immigration.

Yalda Hajavi serves as Of Counsel at Apfel and Associates and focuses her practice on obtaining employment-based immigrant visas for highly skilled individuals, including extraordinary ability visas (EB-1As), National Interest Waivers (NIWs), and extraordinary ability or achievement visas (O-1s). Ms. Hajavi also works on waivers of the two-year home residency requirement for J visa holders, H-1B petitions, and works with individuals and employers applying for the Permanent Labor Certification Process (PERM).

Ms. Hajavi began her career in law working in the trial department of the Philadelphia Office of Duane Morris LLP, where she also conducted substantial pro bono asylum work. She has also served as an associate attorney at Haynes Novick Kohn Immigration, where she worked substantially on employment-based immigration matters.

Ms. Hajavi migrated to the United States from Iran with her family when she was eight years old. Her experience as an immigrant allows her to connect with clients and better serve each client’s needs because she not only understands the law, but she also understands what it means to be an immigrant.

Ms. Hajavi received her law degree from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law (2019) and her bachelor’s degree from Villanova University (2016).

Ms. Hajavi is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and is the Chapter Chair of the AILA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Philadelphia Chapter. In addition, Ms. Hajavi is a Board member of the Villanova Law Women’s Network and a member of the Iranian American Bar Association.

She is fluent in Persian, English and conversational in Italian.