We have decades of experience in immigration and federal litigation and look forward to working with you.
Jess Ariela Dawgert, Founding Partner
Jess has more than two decades of experience in immigration law and policy, including seventeen years working for the U.S. Department of Justice as an Associate Deputy Attorney General and Senior Litigation Counsel. In these roles, she oversaw immigration policy, drafted new regulations, and litigated and supervised thousands of cases in twelve circuit courts of appeals and numerous district courts. This included petitions for review, nationality claims, habeas and mandamus actions in district court, and programmatic challenges to immigration policies and regulations. She was also a Staff Attorney in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Jess also has a significant background in teaching and mentoring. She has taught courses for attorneys and law students on many issues involving asylum, removability, and criminal issues. She enjoys mentoring individual attorneys and law firms as they gain new skills. Jess has a particular interest in complex statutory and constitutional issues and questions of removability and visa eligibility.
Jess is a member of the New York, Colorado, and District of Columbia bars, and is admitted to practice in numerous federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Jess earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Miami and a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School.
Sarah Lake Vuong, Founding Partner
Sarah is a skilled litigator and mentor with more than seventeen years’ experience in federal court and immigration matters. Prior to joining private practice, Sarah was an Assistant Director for the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation, where she supervised a team of attorneys and litigated some of the Department’s most impactful immigration litigation. Sarah also served as an Associate Counsel for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’s Office of Chief Counsel in the Litigation and National Security Coordination Division. She began her career in immigration law as an Attorney Advisor in the San Francisco immigration court.
Sarah is a dedicated mentor to other attorneys, helping them learn both process and substance of immigration law and federal civil procedure. She is particularly knowledgeable in issues relating to Temporary Protected Status, naturalization eligibility, and denaturalization.
Sarah has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia, and a J.D. and Masters in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh. She is licensed to practice in California and multiple federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Anna Dichter, Of Counsel
Anna Dichter joined Ariela Lake in June 2026, bringing years of federal litigation experience in district and appellate courts nationwide, including immigration litigation. Her career began in the Department of Justice Attorney General’s Honors Program in the DOJ Civil Division, where she represented the federal government in courts across the country and advised on litigation risk and strategy at the highest level. She received the 2020 Civil Division Special Commendation Award and the 2021 DOJ Rookie of the Year Award.
Anna has also represented both plaintiffs and defendants in private practice, handling government contracting disputes, business litigation, employment matters, constitutional claims, and Administrative Procedure Act challenges. Having argued on both sides of federal court, she brings that dual perspective to every matter, whether representing an individual navigating the immigration system or partnering with a firm on a demanding federal case.
Anna is a member of the District of Columbia and New Jersey bars (Virginia admission pending) and is admitted to practice in numerous federal courts. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Eckerd College and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School.