Latin Pride, Gabriela RafulIn 2003, Gabriela Raful was completing an internship at the United Nations, representing her native Dominican Republic. While there, she met a fellow intern, Lenin Agudo. A long distance relationship ensued and Gabby eventually left her country in 2005 to marry Lenin in the United States.
When she arrived, Gabby spoke very little English but did not let that barrier impede her goals.
Gabby learned English, enrolled in college, and graduated magna cum laude from Kutztown University with a degree in Political Science and Paralegal Studies. She did it in three years and three months while working full time.
After college, Gabby attended law school at night. Most people complete the evening program in four years. Gabby did it in three — again working full time! She earned her Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law in 2012.
Following her graduation, Gabby joined Galfand Berger, LLP, where she represents injured clients in Berks County and surrounding areas. She handles workers’ compensation, personal injury, products liability, and social security matters.
Only five and a half years after joining Galfand Berger — and only 13 years after arriving in the United States speaking very little English — Gabby became a partner at the firm. This success is not surprising. Gabby works hard. In 2017 alone, Gabby had a 96% success rate in her practice. This means, she won, or obtained settlements, in 96% of the cases she litigated.
And, Gabby just does not fight for injured workers. She is also passionate about the rights of immigrants. In 2006, Gabby was part of the five-member committee that organized a ‘Day without an Immigrant’ March in Reading, PA, where more than 3,000 people attended and rallied for immigration reform. She continues to help immigrants by representing indigent migrants pro bono.
Besides her tireless work on behalf of immigrants and injured clients, Gabby is active with the Berks County Bar Association, where she sits on the Board of Directors and serves as Chair of the Minority Law Section. In 2017, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court appointed Gabby to the Monitoring and Evaluation Team of the Language Access Advisory Group for the United Judicial System of Pennsylvania. In her role, Gabby makes certain that the courts remain open to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing or people who speak other languages.
Gabby is also a frequent lecturer on workplace and personal injuries and is a contributing author to the ABA Medical-Legal Guides: Head Trauma and Brain Injury for Lawyers. This legal treatise details the law surrounding traumatic brain injuries.
As a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Gabby is fluent in Spanish. By working with the Hispanic population in their native language, they do not have to worry about the language and cultural barrier, and can be confident they are getting the legal service they need.
