MANAGING ATTORNEY
Fernanda Hottle
Attorney Fernanda Hottle is a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At age 23, she obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the Universidade Federal Fluminense in Rio. While in law school in Brazil, she did an internship with the Public Defender's office and worked as a paralegal for a real estate company. Upon graduating and obtaining her license to practice law, she worked as a solo practitioner. She also worked at the local Bar's Superior School of Law (Escola Superior de Advocacia) teaching Professional Responsibility and Ethics to candidates to the Bar Exam.
After meeting her husband, an American citizen, Ms. Hottle moved to the United States. Because the law school requirements in the United States are so different from Brazil, and so is the law, Ms. Hottle decided to attend law school again at Atlanta's John Marshall Law School.
It was at John Marshall where Ms. Hottle had a more in-depth contact with Immigration and Naturalization Law. Of course, as a native of Brazil and married to an American, she has gone through the steps of obtaining legal permanent residence, and later becoming a proud American citizen. Law school gave her the opportunity of learning about the process through a different perspective, and she fell in love with it.
While in law school in the U.S., Ms. Hottle worked as a legal assistant in the areas of Workers' Compensation and Social Security Disability, and as a paralegal in the area of Immigration and Naturalization Law. After graduating from John Marshall, passing the Georgia Bar Exam and working for a couple of years as an associate attorney, Ms. Hottle made the decision of starting her own practice. That is when The Hottle Law Firm, LLC was born. Now with her own practice, Ms. Hottle strives to provide her clients with a personable experience. Her motto is "Treat each client as if they were your only client." Even with a busy practice, she makes herself available to talk directly to her clients whenever they need her.
Licenses: State Bar of Georgia; Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil (OAB/RJ) Courts Admitted: Supreme Court of Georgia; Georgia Court of Appeals; U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia; and Superior Court of Georgia Memberships: American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA); State Bar of Georgia; Fayette County Bar Association.
ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
Derek Fernandes
Attorney Derek Fernandes is a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At age 22, he graduated from the Brazilian Naval Academy. After moving to the United States several years later, he attended Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School and graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors.
While in law school, Mr. Fernandes interned at the Spalding County State Court, made contributions to John Marshall’s Law Journal, and participated in the Moot Court competition on behalf of the school. Today, Mr. Fernandes is a proud member of the Hottle Law team. Having first worked as a law clerk, and now as an associate attorney after passing the Georgia Bar Exam, he is ready to serve the immigrant community in Georgia and the United States.
Mr. Fernandes is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Licenses: State Bar of Georgia
Courts Admitted: Supreme Court of Georgia; Georgia Court of Appeals; and Superior Court of Georgia
Memberships: American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA); State Bar of Georgia
SENIOR PARALEGAL
Cecilia Candido
Cecilia Candido is a native of Goias, Brazil. At age 23, she obtained her Juris Doctor Degree from UniGoias – Anhanguera University (Brazil). She also has a Postgraduate Degree in Civil Rights from Candido Mendes University (Brazil), and she clerked for a Judge for 11 years.
Cecilia moved to Atlanta in 2017 and joined The Hottle Law Firm, LLC in 2019 as a paralegal. Her focus is on assisting clients, preparing forms and submissions to USCIS, researching legal matters, scheduling consultations for prospective clients and responding to case inquiries. She is grateful for the opportunity of helping others through her work at the firm.
Cecilia is fluent in Portuguese and English
