Nearly all Valvo & Associates, Inc. attorneys have lived overseas for significant periods of time including for employment or graduate level studies. As a result, we all understand the importance of competent immigration legal counsel. Valvo & Associates, Inc. attorneys bring more than 100 years of combined experience solely dedicated to U.S. business immigration matters. We thoughtfully counsel our clients providing them with actionable advice.
Brandon Valvo
Managing Director
Brandon Valvo is the founder of Valvo & Associates, Inc. He serves as the firm’s Managing Director and lead counsel. Since commencing his legal career in 1989, Mr. Valvo has been devoted solely to the practice of U.S. immigration and nationality law.
Mr. Valvo works closely with various governmental entities on U.S. immigration issues. At the request of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Mr. Valvo served as a member on the pioneering committee that developed Premium Processing, a program designed to expedite the processing of visas. The same committee is now responsible for USCIS modernization initiatives.
Mr. Valvo has assisted in training USCIS officers in the areas of foreign direct investment, financial transactions and major business immigration.
Mr. Valvo is a member of the American Bar Association, the California State Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States District Court for the Central District of California as well as the Supreme Court for the State of California. Mr. Valvo has lectured extensively on U.S. immigration law at private organizations, community-based organizations and immigration law forums in the U.S. and overseas.
Education
Gregory B. Evans
Of Counsel
Gregory B. Evans, Of Counsel to Valvo & Associates, Inc., founded and heads the Far East operations. He established in Hong Kong a successful U.S. immigration law practice and international business consultation entity in February of 1982. Since that time he has continuously represented Asian and Pacific Rim clients overseeing an extensive regional practice centered on American business, corporate, immigration and trade matters. Individual and corporate clients include Japanese, Chinese, (Taiwan, mainland China and Hong Kong), Indonesian, Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean and Filipino.
Mr. Evans began his law career in 1975 in Los Angeles, California as an associate in a U.S. immigration law firm and continued that practice when he became a founding partner of a California law firm in 1978.
Mr. Evans has been an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 1987 where he has chaired various educational seminars concentrating on practice before American Consulates and Embassies. He is an active member of the State Bar of Texas as well as the State Bar of California. Additionally, he is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Education
Yoh Nago
Sr. Associate Attorney
Yoh Nago is an Associate Attorney at Valvo & Associates, Inc. She has been focused on U.S. immigration and nationality law from the beginning of her legal career. Initially, Ms. Nago joined Valvo & Associates as a Paralegal. After five years, she left the firm to go to law school.
During her studies at Loyola Law School, Ms. Nago was accepted into the Loyola Law Review, first as Staff, then as a Note & Comment Editor. Her Case Comment was published in the Loyola Law Review in 2004.
Ms. Nago was selected to join the highly competitive Attorney General’s Honors Program after graduating from law school. Through the Honors Program, she joined the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Los Angeles Immigration Court. After completing the one year program, she rejoined Valvo & Associates as an Associate Attorney.
Ms. Nago is a member of the State Bar of California. She is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Education
Sachiko Noguchi
Of Counsel
Since becoming a lawyer, Ms. Noguchi has been focused on U.S. Immigration and nationality law from the beginning of her legal career.
Born and raised in Japan, she received her bachelor’s degree in English from Hosei University, Tokyo, Japan. Before entering the legal profession, Ms. Noguchi worked at Japan’s second-largest regional bank where she was responsible for various banking matters. Subsequently, Ms. Noguchi worked in the Economic Affairs Department at the Consulate General of Japan in New York, providing administrative support to the consuls.
Ms. Noguchi joined an immigration law firm in Los Angeles in 2022 as a Paralegal. She was responsible for preparing petitions and visa applications for submission to US government agencies, communicating with clients, and supporting the attorneys.
Ms. Noguchi joined the California Bar in 2012. She opened her own immigration law firm in July 2012 providing professional immigration services in nonimmigrant visas matters and green card applications for corporations, businesses, and families.
Ms. Noguchi is a member of the State Bar of California. She is also a member of the American Immigrating Lawyers Association.
Hannah Johnston
Associate Attorney
Hannah Johnston joined Valvo & Associates, Inc. as an Associate Attorney in 2024, specializing in business immigration. Fluent in Mandarin and Japanese, Ms. Johnston effectively represents individual and corporate clients in a diverse range of cases, with a particular emphasis on employment-based petitions.
Prior to joining Valvo and Associates, Ms. Johnston worked at a prominent immigration firm in Pasadena, where she gained experience handling a variety of employment-based matters including adjustment of status; L-1 visas for specialized knowledge employees, multinational managers, and executives; H-1B nonimmigrant visas for professionals; B visas for business visitors; EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 petitions for individuals of extraordinary ability; multinational managers & executives; advanced degree individuals, professionals, as well as skilled and other workers.
Ms. Johnston earned her Bachelor of Laws degree in 2018 from Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, where she also completed a visiting semester at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to her graduation, she served as a judicial intern at the People’s Court of Songjiang District in Shanghai, China. She obtained her Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2019. Following her graduation, she volunteered with the Harriett Buhai Center, providing consultation and translation services for family law matters.
Ms. Johnston is a member of the New York State Bar. She is also a member of the American Immigrating Lawyers Association.
Education:
Benjamin McDermott
Associate Attorney
Benjamin McDermott joined Valvo & Associates, Inc. as an Associate Attorney in 2025, where he advises clients on a wide range of U.S. immigration matters, including complex employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa cases.
Prior to his current role, Mr. McDermott worked at a prominent immigration firm, where he worked with companies of various sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to small and mid-sized companies and high net-worth individuals, in various industries, including finance, technology, sports, entertainment, arts and business.
Mr. McDermott also performs pro bono work on various U.S. immigration matters and has worked with clients in connection with H-1B cap exempt petitions, Special Immigrant Visas, Humanitarian Parole and naturalization.
During law school, Mr. McDermott served as the Co-Chair of the Brooklyn Law Immigration Society. In conjunction with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Safe Horizon, and Brooklyn Law School, he assisted Ukrainians in Brooklyn with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applications.
Ms. McDermott is a member of the New York State Bar. He is also a member of the American Immigrating Lawyers Association.
Education: