Is the marriage valid if the first contract was concluded in the presence of a lawyer and witnesses and with the consent of the wife's family, then the wife embraced Islam, and thereafter the second contract was concluded with a ma'dhun (authorized marriage official) and witnesses? And if it is not valid, how can the contract be rectified for the couple residing in America, given that the wife's family are Christians?

If a man marries a woman of the People of the Book (Kitābiyyah) without the presence or authorization of her guardian (wali), the marriage is invalid according to the majority of scholars. After her conversion to Islam, if she does not have a Muslim guardian and she authorizes someone to conduct her marriage, then the contract is valid. Otherwise, it is obligatory to renew the contract by her authorizing someone to conduct her marriage. Her conversion to Islam nullifies what came before it, and her chastity is considered established thereafter.