About Nayela
Nayela Esmail earned her Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 2012. Her time at Stetson placed her in a law program known for practical training and courtroom skills. She completed her legal studies and then set her sights on practicing in Florida.
She practices law in Florida and has built her career around immigration matters. Early on she worked in roles that exposed her to family-based petitions, removal defense and federal immigration procedures. Those early experiences gave her a clear sense of the procedural demands of immigration work and the documentation required to advance clients’ cases.
Esmail has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association Florida since 2016. That affiliation has kept her current on regulatory changes and administrative practice at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and other agencies. Membership in a professional association has also offered her a forum to consult with colleagues on complex asylum and relief issues.
Her practical work has included advising individuals and families on eligibility for relief, preparing petitions and applications, and representing clients before immigration authorities. She has handled adjustment of status matters, consular processing cases and responses to notices from immigration officials. She is familiar with the procedural steps that often determine whether a case proceeds or stalls.
Career paths in immigration law can vary. Esmail has combined casework with the kind of client counseling that comes when immigration matters intersect with family and employment. Her approach to a matter tends to be methodical. She reviews records, identifies potential hurdles and prepares filings to address them. She also assists clients in preparing for interviews and hearings when those are part of the process.
Esmail is currently associated with the Law Offices of Rhonda F. Gelfman, PA. There she continues to represent clients in immigration matters, handling petitions and case preparation for individuals seeking relief or status changes under U.S. immigration law. She practices in Florida and focuses her work on immigration law matters.
