We are a women-owned law firm with a team of attorneys and professionals who have worked together in the field of immigration law for more than a decade. Several of us come from immigrant backgrounds and families, and we understand the unique experiences of those who have a range of complex circumstances that require diligent, compassionate, and specialized representation.
We have helped hundreds of individuals and families on their pathways to immigration benefits. Our attorneys have diverse experiences including prior government and NGO positions, faculty positions teaching immigration law at law schools, and/fellowship experiences with agencies including the Cleveland Immigration Court, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, the Peace Corps, and Humans Rights Watch.
Our team is passionate about immigration defense and advocacy. Our firm is dedicated to helping those seeking removal or deportation defense, asylum and humanitarian protections, family-based immigration visa petitions, protections for survivors of crimes, petition for immigration waivers, naturalization and citizenship applications, and immigration appeals.
Sarah Okuh
Managing Partner
Sarah is the founder and managing partner of Okuh & Ibara-Cech Law, LLC (OIC Law). She has been a practicing immigration attorney since 2011 following her graduation from Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law. Prior to founding OIC Law, Sarah was the managing attorney for the removal department at MJB Immigration, and she previously worked for the immigration law firms Benos & Larson/The Benos Law Firm and Jennifer I. Peyton, Attorney at Law, LLC.
Sarah is an adjunct faculty member at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and her courses have included Immigration & Nationality Law I, the Immigration Law Clinic, and Asylum and Refugee Law.
She is a member of the Ohio bar, and her practice includes removal (deportation) defense, asylum and related protections, other forms of humanitarian protections, assistance for survivors of violent crimes, family-based immigration, waivers, naturalization, advice regarding immigration consequences of criminal issues, and appellate work. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA), and Ohio Women’s Bar Association (OWBA).
Cerena Ibara-Cech
Partner
Cerena is a partner at OIC Law. She received her Bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Akron. Her passion for immigration law developed in law school, where she participated in her school’s Immigration Legal Clinic and was able to gain experience before the Immigration Court and Board of Immigration Appeals as a student. She went on to intern at the Cleveland Immigration Court for the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review and the Akron International Institute, a local nonprofit.
Cerena is admitted to the Maryland bar and is authorized to practice before all immigration agencies and courts.
Her focus includes removal defense, humanitarian cases such as asylum, and family-based immigration cases.
She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Jessica Larson
Of Counsel
Jessica Larson joined Okuh & Ibara-Cech Law, LLC as Of Counsel in September 2023. Prior to joining Okuh & Ibara-Cech Law, LLC, Jessica was of counsel at MJB Immigration and a partner at Benos & Larson, LLC. Jessica has been in private practice, focusing exclusively on immigration law, since 2012.
Jessica’s practice focuses on removal defense, asylum, family-based immigration, naturalization, and related appeals.
Jessica has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2020 and was selected as an Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2017 through 2022. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and serves as the chair of the AILA Ohio Chapter’s EOIR Liaison Committee.
Patry Fuentes
Paralegal & Office Manager
Patry G. Fuentes is the paralegal and office manager for Okuh and Ibara-Cech Law, LLC (OIC Law). Patry has been a legal assistant/paralegal for over a decade.
She has worked alongside attorneys Sarah Okuh, Cerena Ibara-Cech, and Jessica Larson for over fifteen years and has extensive experience with immigration court and family-based cases.
Patry was born in the Dominican Republic and lived in Spain for several years. She immigrated to the United States from Spain in 2002, and so she understands immigration law not only from her considerable professional background but also from her own personal experiences. Patry has an Associate’s degree focused in Paralegal Studies from the Cuyahoga Community College.
She is fully fluent in Spanish and English.