Sania is a passionate attorney inspired by a deep-rooted commitment to serving clients from urban and low-income communities. With a 2010 B.A. in Legal Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Sania went on to earn a J.D. from New England Law School in 2014, where she focused on immigration law. She began her career by representing insurance companies and litigating cases related to personal injury, premises liability and construction disputes. Within three years, Sania became a partner at Alves Santos P.C. in 2017, providing legal presentation surrounding real estate transactions and personal injury claims.
Sania’s launch of her law firm, Silva Santos PC in 2023 was motivated by her own parents’ challenges as they navigated a complex court system made all the more difficult by a language barrier. People in this situation need exceptional, sympathetic legal guidance. Sania’s purpose is to guide clients through the decision-making processes of their cases and help them regain their sense of empowerment. She knows how meaningful securing a substantial settlement can be for hard-working families like her own, creating real opportunities for the future through education and homeownership.
As a native Cape Verdean, Sania has assisted many Cape Verdean Creole speakers in and around the Boston metropolitan area, helping them successfully engage with the legal process. A board member of the Massachusetts Black Lawyer’s Association since 2022, she currently acts as coordinator of the “Know Your Rights” seminar series in the Boston area.
Sania is most fulfilled when she’s helping injured clients tell their story in a way that vividly captures their experience and earns them a just settlement, and when she’s guiding clients in real estate transactions to create generational assets. Aside from her work in the community and the legal profession, she finds joy in working out, spending time with family, exploring the world with friends, becoming a role model for young women, and continuing to defy the status quo.
Kadeem C. Apply is an associate in Nutter’s Corporate and Transactions Department. He represents businesses of all sizes on a wide range of corporate law issues, including mergers, acquisitions, and venture capital financings.
Dedicated to giving back to the community, Kadeem serves on the board of directors of Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC).
Kadeem gained legal experience as an intern with the Hon. Kimberly S. Budd, Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and the Hon. Valerie A. Yarashus of the Massachusetts Superior Court. He also interned with the Major Felony Unit at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
During law school, Kadeem was recognized on the Supreme Judicial Court Adams Pro Bono Honor Roll. He served as a staff member of the Journal of Trial & Appellate Advocacy, vice president of the Criminal Law Association, and executive director of the Trial Competition. In addition, Kadeem was a member of the Black Law Students Association and the SJC Committee of Pro Bono Legal Services.
Education
Suffolk University Law School, J.D.
Boston University, B.S.
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Massachusetts
- New York
Femi is an Associate based in BAL’s Boston office. He works in all aspects of employment-based immigration, including nonimmigrant and immigrant visa matters, using his empathy and experience to guide clients through the complex legal landscape. His personal immigration journey inspired his pursuit of a career in immigration law.
While in law school, Femi served as a student attorney in the Suffolk Law School Immigration Clinic, as the executive editor of the Suffolk Transnational Law Review, and as associate director for the Student Bar Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Prior to joining BAL, Femi was an attorney at an immigration law firm in Boston.
Education
- Suffolk University Law School, J.D.
- University of Massachusetts at Lowell, M.S., Criminology
- University of Massachusetts at Lowell, B.A., Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, cum laude
Languages
Admissions
- State Bar of Massachusetts
BIOGRAPHY
Gary Howell-Walton is an attorney whose practice covers a variety of complex litigation matters, including commercial disputes, regulatory enforcement matters, internal investigations, and appeals. Mr. Howell-Walton maintains an active pro bono practice, and has represented clients seeking support related to housing, public benefits, and immigration status.
EDUCATION
JD, Northeastern University School of Law
- Senior Editor, Northeastern University Law Review
MSW, Community Organization, Planning and Administration, University of Southern California
BA, Psychology and Spanish Studies, Andrews University
ADMISSIONS
Massachusetts
US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
US District Court for the District of Massachusetts
MyShawndria J.C. Ward is an associate in Nutter’s Corporate Department. MyMy represents lenders, borrowers, and equity-holders in a wide array of financing transactions, including those incorporating different debt tranches, several lenders, and multiple loan parties; debtor-in-possession financing; exit financing; and acquisition financing transactions.
MyMy frequently negotiates security agreements, pledge agreements, amendments, and payoff letters for various financing transactions. She drafts note purchase agreements, term loan credit agreements, exhibits, joinders, and revolving credit agreements for various transactions. Additionally, MyMy has experience in negotiating collateral documents in asset-based financing transactions.
MyMy continues her leadership outside of the firm as an active member of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association.
Prior to joining Nutter, MyMy was an associate in the Finance & Restructuring Group at a New England-based law firm. Before that, she was a transactional finance associate in the Boston office of an international law firm. MyMy also gained legal experience as an intern in the Corporate Legal Litigation group at State Street and as a judicial intern to the Hon. Erithe A. Smith at the U.S. Federal Bankruptcy Court, Central District, CA.
During law school, MyMy served as treasurer of the Student Government Association; co-president of the Black Law Students Association and recipient of its Emanuel Hewlett Award; and co-director of the Be Yourself Diversity Orientation. She also volunteered for the AIDSLaw clinic in New Orleans and the Housing, Employment, Family and Disability (HEFD) clinic in Boston.
PRACTICES