Mily Jelenik
Senior Paralegal
Mily has been a Paralegal at Knudson & Associates since 2015. She is originally from Argentina, where she graduated from the Cordoba University of Law School. Mily is fluent in both Spanish and English. While in University, she worked with a law firm that specialized in Family Law. She enjoys working on family based immigration cases, and working with Hispanic clients. She has over seven years of experience as an immigration paralegal. Mily also really enjoys playing field hockey and practicing all kinds of outdoor sports.
Rachel Naasz
Paralegal
Rachel has been a paralegal at Knudson & Associates since 2019. Born and raised in Minnesota, Rachel worked at an immigration law firm that focused on removal defense and family based applications in Minneapolis, MN for two years before moving to Denver last year. Rachel is a graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies and Latin American Studies. She is fluent in Spanish and English. In her free time, Rachel enjoys cooking and spending time exploring the Denver area’s wide range of hiking trails.
Julianna Smolka
Paralegal
Prior to joining Knudson and Associates in 2019, Julianna worked with the Colorado State Legislature and with various political campaigns on the state and national level. She grew up as a part of a diplomatic family and has lived and visited many places outside the U.S. This appreciation for other cultures and desire for diversity has inspired her work in immigration law. Julianna graduated from Colorado State University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a minor in Spanish.
Despite a love of traveling, Colorado is where Julianna calls home. She enjoys being outdoors, playing golf, hiking, spending time with friends and family and checking out new restaurants.
Adrián Hernández
Paralegal
Adrían has been at Knudson & Associates since 2020. Before joining the team, he spent nearly 9 years in China learning Chinese, teaching English at university, and organizing community service, including helping to build a program for children with autistic needs. As a first-generation Mexican American, he has great drive and compassion for helping the immigrant community. In 2010, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in anthropology. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese.
In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing guitar, and recording music.
Laura Sanchez
Paralegal
Laura has been at Knudson & Associates since 2020. She has been an immigration paralegal since 2017. Her background is very diverse. As a police dispatcher, she provided immediate help to those who called for urgent police assistance. Her love for community service grew and she moved into law enforcement for several years, where she worked with victims of crimes in person. Laura is fluent in both Spanish and English. Laura has first-hand experience going through the US immigration system by successfully assisting her Spanish-speaking mother through her citizenship application. She and her husband also successfully completed his Legal Permanent Resident and Naturalization process. Her passion to serve the Hispanic Community is contagious, and that’s what brought her to us.
Outside of work Laura enjoys spending time with her family and friends doing obstacle course races and snowboarding, and going for runs with her German Shepherd, Zerk and American Bulldog, Lala.
Joseph Doren
Legal Assistant
Joe has been our Legal Assistant since 2015. He’s usually the first person you’ll see when you walk in our door. Joe is bilingual Spanish-English. Prior to working at Knudson & Associates, he owned a wholesale business in Florida. His extensive employment history includes 20 years as a Civil Engineer, as well as excelling in sales. Joe loves animals and spending time with his family.
Lauren Rodgers
Office Coordinator
Lauren has been our Office Coordinator since 2018. Prior to Knudson & Associates, she worked in education both as a K-6 teacher in Denver as well as a campus coordinator for Southern Methodist University in New Mexico and Texas. Lauren graduated from SMU with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Lauren was raised both in the United States and Brazil and speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Lauren frequently experiences NPR “driveway moments” and is proud to finally be an official Denverite.