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2016 NW Immigration Conference Faculty Biographies

Matt Adams Matt works in Seattle, Washington as the legal director for Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP). He defends individuals before the Immigration , the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Federal . Matt is a member of the King County Public Defenders Advisory Board and the National Immigration Project’s Board of Directors.

Christopher Anders Christopher Anders, shareholder of Parker, Butte & Lane, focuses his practice on asylum, family immigration (particularly waivers and complex admissibility issues), naturalization, and removal litigation. He has presented at community and CLE events on topics ranging from naturalization to asylum to visas available to victims. He was a regular guest lecturer on asylum law at Lewis & Clark . Before practicing law he worked as an immigration and taught English as a Second Language both in the U.S. and in Latin America. He received his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, 2005.

Emilia Bardini Emilia Bardini is the Director of the San Francisco Asylum Office for the USCIS

Nancy Biasi Nancy Biasi is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. She has been Chief of the Consular Section at the U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver, B.C. since 2013, overseeing routine and emergency consular services to U.S. citizens and visa applicants in British Columbia and Yukon. She has worked as a consular officer in Amsterdam and Bogota, Immigrant Visa Chief in Mumbai, and American Citizens Services Chief in Mumbai and in Monterrey, Mexico. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Nancy was Chief of Staff for city commissioners in Portland, Oregon prior to joining the Foreign Service in 2003, and managed citizen involvement, planning and development, and river reclamation programs for the City of Portland.

Nancy has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, where her husband, Dennis, their two adult sons and a granddaughter reside.

Juliann Bildhauer Juliann (Juli) Bildhauer is the Co-Director of Legal Services for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a national organization that provides pro bono legal services to unaccompanied children in removal proceedings. In her role at KIND, she oversees the Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle offices of KIN. She

1 is responsible for developing and implementing universally applicable, yet practical, procedures and policies for a national legal services program representing unaccompanied immigrant children. Prior to joining KIND, she was the Director of Volunteer for Immigrant (VAIJ). Started in 2003, VAIJ provided pro bono representation to detained immigrants, adults and unaccompanied children, in removal proceedings in the Seattle area. As the Director of VAIJ, Juli launched the program, developed trainings and mentored pro bono attorneys who had volunteered to provide pro bono representation to immigrants before US immigration authorities. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona and Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College.

Karol Brown Karol Brown has been an immigration attorney since 2000. A graduate of Yale Law School and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Karol has worked in a variety of legal settings include a large firm, non-profit organizations, and small firms. She has taught at the University of Washington School of Law. She also founded the Center for Human Rights and Justice at the University of Washington and Seattle University law schools. In 2010, Ms. Brown was awarded the Advocacy Award from the national American Immigration Association for her work to increase awareness of and promoting the passage of comprehensive immigration reform.

Diane Butler Diane Butler chairs the immigration practice at Lane Powell PC in Seattle. She graduated with honors from the University of Wyoming in 1983. After working for Congress, she spent time in Shanghai working for the Canadian law firm of Bull, Housser & Tupper. She went on to receive her from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1992. Diane has handled DOL and work site investigations and H-1B litigation, has an active cross border practice and enjoys troubleshooting problem cases.

Michele Carney Michele Carney is a partner at Carney & Marchi, PS in Seattle, Washington. Michele has represented a wide range of immigration cases – from business clients to removal defense. She serves on the AILA National Ethics Committee, WSBA Disciplinary Board (Vice-Chair), Washington Supreme Court Board and is the past Chapter Chair for AILA, Washington state. She has also been active within AILAWA for many years, serving on different committees and the Board. Michele has also been a speaker at local, regional and national conferences in immigration law. Michele obtained her JD from SMU Dedman Law School in Dallas, Texas and Bachelor’s degree in Political Theory from McGill University in Montreal. She is devoted to making a difference in the lives of her clients.

Lisa Christoffersen Lisa Christoffersen is the founder of Christoffersen Law PS, a boutique firm in Seattle specializing in employment-based immigration. She has been practicing in the field of immigration law since 1999 and has been named a Washington SuperLawyer annually since 2010. Lisa is a former member of the Executive Committee of AILA Washington and currently serves on AILA National’s California Service Center Liaison Committee and Ombudsman Committee. A native of Seattle, Lisa received her BA in East Asian Studies from Middlebury College and her MAIS and JD from the University of Washington.

Anna Ciesielski Anna Ciesielski is co-founder of Oregon Immigration Group, PC, an immigration law firm in Portland, Oregon focusing exclusively on immigration law. Prior to founding Oregon Immigration Group, PC, Anna Ciesielski was the Senior Staff Attorney at ICS, a non-profit immigration law firm in Portland. Anna was

2 the lead attorney for a collaborative project assisting children detained in federal immigration custody in Oregon. Anna has previously presented at various conferences and symposiums for attorneys throughout Oregon.

Jeanne Marie Clavere Jeanne Marie Clavere joined the staff of the Washington State Association as Professional Responsibility in 2010. As Professional Responsibility Counsel, she supervises the Law Office Management Assistance Program and also works as an advisor to members of the bar on the Rules of Professional Conduct as they apply to WSBA Advisory Ethics Opinions, the Rules for Enforcement of Conduct, and the ABA Standards for Imposing Lawyer Sanctions. Jeanne Marie is the primary responder on the WSBA Ethics Line. Prior to coming to WSBA, Jeanne Marie founded her own solo practice in 1991 where she focused on estate planning, elder law (including complex guardianships, trusts, and guardian ad litem appointments), and based criminal prosecution. While in private practice Jeanne Marie appeared before a wide range of courts and , ranging from Ex Parte hearings to trials on guardianship and criminal issues, and served for many years as a Settlement, Litigation, Adoption, , Incapacity and Probate Guardian ad Litem in King and Snohomish Counties. Jeanne Marie is past president of the state Washington Women Lawyers, past chair of the Washington State Elder Law Section and has spoken at CLEs on a wide variety of topics.

Alma David Alma David is a partner at Global Justice Law Group, PLLC. She practices exclusively in the area of immigration law and manages a diverse portfolio of detained and non-detained immigration cases before the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), United States Citizen and Immigration Service (USCIS), Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Department of State. She is particularly interested in particular social group based asylum claims, mental competency in the context of removal proceedings, appellate litigation, and cases that involve the intersection of criminal and immigration law. Since 2013, Alma has been one of the providers contracted by EOIR to act as a qualified representative to detainees at the Northwest Detention Center who have been deemed mentally incompetent to represent themselves in removal proceedings, pursuant to the litigation in Franco Gonzalez v. Holder, 2014 WL 5475097, 3 (C.D. Cal 2014). Prior to attending law school, Alma worked in human rights advocacy. Alma has been actively involved in AILA Washington ever since moving to Seattle in 2009 and has been a presenter and speaker at various AILA events and conferences.

Vicky Dobrin Vicky Dobrin has been practicing exclusively in immigration law for 18 years. She is a partner at Dobrin & Han, PC, in Seattle, Washington. Vicky’s practice focuses on removal defense, asylum, family-based immigration, naturalization, U visas and VAWA petitions, and federal court litigation.

Robert Donaldson Mr. Donaldson recently retired from the practice of law. For many years Mr. Donaldson was a member of Black Helterline LLP’s Immigration Law Group. His immigration practice focused on business related immigration issues. He assisted individuals and corporation to obtain nonimmigrant visas, including E,H,L,and O categories. He assisted clients in the formation of Regional Centers as a part of the USCIS’s EB5 Pilot Program and he also represented foreign investors seeking US residency through their investments in job creating business within the United States. Mr. Donaldson was the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Korea from 1996-2006 where he used diplomatic powers and methods to resolve international disputes. The Republic of Korea awarded him its Sungnye Medal of the Order of Diplomatic Service which is the highest award granted to a foreigner. Mr. Donaldson is listed in the Best

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Lawyers in America, Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers, and the Bar Registry of Preeminent Lawyers. Mr. Donaldson was one of the founding members of the Oregon Chapter of AILA.

Danielle Doyle Danielle Doyle practices Immigration law exclusively. Her solo practice is focused on removal, relief for survivors of crime and violence, naturalization and asylum matters including UAC claims, reinstatement/withholding only, detained and non-detained. Before graduating from the University of Washington Law School, Ms. Doyle taught seminars to University of Washington undergraduates focused on issues often encountered by women and children refugees. Ms. Doyle served as co-chair of the AILA Washington Asylum Committee between 2012 and 2014. She is currently co-chair of AILA Washington’s Seattle EOIR Liaison Committee and an AILA Washington Asylum Committee member.

Carol Edward Carol L. Edward, is the founder and principal attorney for the Law Offices of Carol L. Edward and Associates, P.S. Our Law firm has offices in Seattle and Mount Vernon, Washington. We have a staff of four attorneys and handle a broad range of immigration matters including deportation and removal, federal court litigation, family applications, complex waiver applications, and business visas. Ms. Edward peaks nationally and locally on U.S. Immigration matters and has had a number of published decisions in the Ninth Circuit. Other honors include recognition by super lawyers and bestlawyer.com. For more information, please see www.seattle-immigration.com.

Lisa N. Ellis Lisa N. Ellis is the founder and principal attorney of Ellis Immigration Law, LLC in Seattle, WA. She is a graduate of Whitman College and University of Oregon School of Law, where she was an executive editor for The Oregon Law Review. Ms. Ellis’ practice focuses on employment-based, family-based, and global migration work. A former member of the AILA Washington Chapter Executive Committee, Ms. Ellis is the chair of the AILA Board of Publications Committee. She is the author of Visa Solutions for International Students, Scholars, and Sponsors (Thomson Reuters/Aspatore 2012 Ed.).

Allison Folks Allison Folks has been a staff attorney with Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services since 2012. She specializes in providing immigration legal services to victims of human trafficking and other serious . She also represents individuals in a variety of immigration matters including family-based petitions, consular processing, waivers, naturalization, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. She works to build community support by providing trainings to social service providers, attorneys, and officials on obtaining immigration benefits for victims. Allison is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law, and she is a member of the Oregon State Bar and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Elaine Fordyce Elaine Fordyce practices in the area of immigration law at Hawkins Law Group PLLC. Her practice focuses on family-based immigration, asylum, and other forms of humanitarian relief, such as the U Visa for victims of qualifying crimes. Before working at Hawkins Law Group, Elaine was an associate attorney at Open Door Legal Services providing civil to homeless and very low-income residents of Seattle. Elaine accepts pro bono cases through the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). She currently serves on the AILA Washington Committee for U Visas and she is a member of AILA Washington Parents Group.

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Neil Fox Neil Fox is in private practice in Seattle, focusing on criminal defense at the trial and appellate levels, in both state and federal court. Prior to entering private practice, he was a staff attorney at Washington Appellate Defender Association (1985-1989), and a staff attorney and supervisor at the Seattle-King County Public Defender Association (1989-2002). He is a 1985 graduate of the University of Illinois School of Law. Because of his general background handling post-conviction cases, he has handled numerous post-conviction matters for people who are being deported because of old convictions.

Kwang-yi Ger Gale Kwang-yi Ger Gale is Of Counsel with Tonkon Torp LLP in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining Tonkon Torp, she practiced business immigration law for more than ten years with firms in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, and in Seattle, Washington. She has extensive experience representing both large and small companies and their employees in a wide range of immigration matters, including the successful transfer of executives, managers, and specialized knowledge employees to the United States. Kwang-yi has also obtained approvals in challenging visa and permanent residence cases for clients in the business, manufacturing, technology, research, and arts and entertainment sectors. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Washington and is a graduate of UW's School of Law.

Felicia Gittleman Felicia Gittleman is a Partner at Cowan Miller & Lederman in Seattle, and has specialized in business immigration for over 20 years. Felicia's practice is focused on developing immigration solutions, including visas and green cards, for businesses that recruit from a global pool of talent. Felicia speaks frequently on business immigration issues at Continuing seminars and to groups of Human Resource professionals.

Ester Greenfield Ester Greenfield is of counsel at MacDonald, Hoague & Bayless, in Seattle, Washington, and her practice is limited to immigration law. She represents employers and individuals in business and family immigration cases as well as citizenship matters. She is a past Chair of the AILA Washington State Chapter and has taught immigration law and the immigration clinic as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Puget Sound (now Seattle University). She has written and lectured nationally on immigration topics with an emphasis on PERM labor certifications. She served on AILA’s national Department of Labor Liaison Committees for a total of eight years. She is the co-author of an article on prevailing wages that has been published in every edition of AILA’s PERM manual since 2005. She was recognized by Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year in Immigration Law for Seattle, Washington for 2013 and 2015.

Olga Guzhva Olga Guzhva is a founding attorney at Guzhva Law Firm, PLLC. Her law practice is limited to U. S. Immigration Law and IRS Tax Controversy. Ms. Guzhva obtained her Master’s Degree in Taxation (L.L.M.) from the University of Washington School of Law. She obtained her Graduate Law Degree from Zaporozhye National University School of Law in Ukraine. Prior to immigrating to the United States, Olga practiced business law and litigation as a corporate counsel in Ukraine since 1996. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2013. Olga is involved in the local legal community. She volunteers her time at the NW Immigrant Rights Project Immigration Clinic and at the University of Washington Federal Tax Clinic.

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Janet Gwilym Janet Gwilym is a Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney with the Seattle office of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a program to provide pro bono legal services to children who arrive “unaccompanied” or alone to the United States. In addition to providing direct representation, Janet recruits, trains, coordinates, and mentors pro bono attorneys and other volunteers at Microsoft Corporation in their representation of KIND’s clients throughout the kids’ immigration and state court proceedings. Janet is the current chair of AILA-WA’s Pro Bono Committee and has actively served for years on numerous committees for AILA- WA and immigrant rights organizations. She is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Washington’s School of Law.

Erin T. Hall Erin T. Hall is a partner at Global Justice Law Group, PLLC in Seattle, WA. Erin’s immigration practice includes removal defense, family immigration, and appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Erin also represents clients in criminal matters and post-conviction relief.

Hilary Han Hilary Han is a partner at Dobrin & Han, a Seattle immigration law firm. The firm represents non-citizens facing removal before the immigration court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the federal courts, as well as immigrants seeking asylum, lawful permanent residence, and naturalization.

Tilman Hasche Tilman Hasche is a shareholder of Parker, Butte & Lane, PC, a seven-attorney Portland, Oregon law firm with a practice focused on immigration law. A 1972 graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Tilman received his JD in 1984 from Gonzaga University School of Law, speaks seven languages (although some say he has nothing intelligent to say in any of them), and is himself an immigrant and married to an immigrant, whose paperwork he handled before he was a lawyer. In former lives he sold Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks overseas and worked for a corporate law firm practicing bankruptcy and commercial litigation.

Emily Headings Emily Headings has been a staff attorney at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in Seattle, Washington since 2005. She primarily handles complex citizenship and naturalization cases and also represents clients in removal proceedings and those applying for benefits under VAWA and for family visas. Emily graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in 2002, where she was active in clinics and pro bono efforts serving low-income immigrants and refugees. She has an M.A. in International Relations and worked for 10 years as an ESL and citizenship instructor before attending law school.

Raquel E. Hecht Raquel E. Hecht has been an Immigration Lawyer in the State of Oregon since 1993. She received her M.A. in Latin American Studies and Law degree from UCLA. She is the founding partner of the law firm of Hecht and Norman, LLP with offices in Eugene and Salem. She is also the Vice-President of the non-profit organization GLAD (Grupo Latino de Accion Directa), an organization that strives to inform and encourage Latino participation in community and political processes. Her past and present activities include: member of the Eugene Commission, adjunct professor of immigration law at the University of Oregon School of Law, frequent lecturer of immigration law, vice-president of the Lane Arts

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Council, board member of the Eugene Research Institute, Chair of the Rotary International Youth Exchange Committee.

Christopher Helm Chris Helm practices general business and , with a focus on Asia–particularly on Japan, where he lived for 24 years–and works extensively on business immigration matters. He foreign companies and individuals in structuring investments in manufacturing and other operations in the Pacific Northwest, and helps American clients entering Asian markets. Chris provides immigration assistance, including visas and labor certifications, to executives, managers, researchers and other professionals, and is a frequent speaker on immigration and employment sanction issues. He is chair of the firm’s Pro Bono and Public Service Committee, serves on the firm's Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is past chair of the immigration practice group.

Marie Higuera Marie Higuera is a Pacific Northwest native and a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law. She has practiced immigration law in the Seattle area for more than 20 years with an emphasis on defense in removal proceedings. She worked in the Access to Justice Institute at Seattle University School of Law, and has served as a staff attorney and board member at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. The Law Office of Marie Higuera is a NQRP contract provider for Franco-Gonzalez class members in Seattle and Tacoma. Ms. Higuera and her staff also write an immigration law advice column for the Puget Sound area Spanish language newspaper, Raza del Noroeste.

Philip Hornik Philip Hornik is a graduate of Puget Sound School of Law. He has practiced immigration law in Portland, Oregon since 1977 and has had a solo law practice since 1980. He has an A-V rating from Martindale- Hubbell and has been listed in Oregon Super Lawyers® 2012-2015. He is a frequent speaker at regional and national AILA seminars, and is the current update editor of the West Publications’ Immigration Law and Defense, and Immigration Law and the Family a publication of the National Immigration Project. He was awarded the 2006 Gerald H. Robinson Excellence in Immigration Advocacy Award by the Oregon AILA chapter. When Phil isn't practicing law, he plays guitar and bass with Shorty and the Mustangs, Gary Furlow and the Loafers and Still Kickin'

Matthew Hurley Matt Hurley was an attorney with Legal Services of New before joining the Foreign Service since 1998. He is a career Consular officer. He has served in Monterrey, , The State Department Operations Center, the Bureau of Consular Affairs front office, Guatemala, San Salvador, Athens and is currently the Consular Section Chief in Montreal. In the summer of 2016, he will be the Consular Section Chief in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Cynthia A. Irvine Cynthia A. Irvine has practiced exclusively in the area of immigration law for over 19 years. She is a founding partner of Hanis Irvine Prothero, PLLC, located in Kent, Washington and leads the Immigration Department of the firm. After graduating from law school with honors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cynthia was selected by the U.S. Department of Justice Honor’s Program to be the Judicial Law Clerk for the Seattle Immigration Court. Her private practice focuses on family and employment based immigration matters, removal defense, waiver applications, U visas, consular processing, and administrative and federal court appeals. Cynthia is fluent in Spanish and speaks weekly

7 on a local Hispanic radio station regarding immigration issues. She is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), currently serving as the Vice-Chair of the Washington Chapter.

Melina LaMorticella Melina represents regional and international companies in matters related to employment-based immigration. Melina has successfully handled immigration matters for multinational corporations and regional technology firms, health care providers and universities on nonimmigrant and immigrant visa options and procedures including PERM and Naturalization Applications as well as Extraordinary Ability Petitions.

Melina is the Chair-Elect for the Oregon chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Liaison to the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles. She served for two years at Portland State University’s Immigration Clinic and currently mentors first year law students at Lewis & Clark. Melina is also a frequent speaker on employment-related immigration

Prior to joining Tonkon Torp, Melina practiced immigration law at a boutique firm in Portland. Before she earned her law degree, Melina worked for more than eight years as an immigration paralegal in the Portland area, she lived in Tokyo for a one year and she had a career as an editor in New York City.

Susan Larrance Susan Larrance graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in 2000 and clerked at the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division II from 2000 to 2001. From 2002 to 2004, she practiced exclusively in the area of immigration law at The Choquette Law Group in Seattle. At the Law Offices of Susan Larrance PLLC from 2005 through early 2016, her practice focused on business and family immigration, naturalization, and citizenship issues. She recently closed her solo firm to work at the University of Washington as an International Scholar Adviser.

Susan is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the Washington State Bar Association. She has volunteered regularly at the King County Bar Association Immigration and has provided pro bono representation through the Immigrant Families Advocacy Project of the UW Law School and Volunteer Advocates for Immigrant Justice. She has volunteered at Citizenship Day every year since 2007, and was on the Washington planning committee for the 2009 and 2010 Citizenship Days. She has mentored newer attorneys through the AILA mentor program since 2011. She has spoken as a panelist on family-based immigration topics at various events including the AILA Northwest Immigration Law Conferences in 2010-2012 and 2014.

Kevin Lederman Kevin Lederman is a partner at Cowan Miller & Lederman in Seattle. He has more than 25 years of experience practicing exclusively in the field of Immigration Law and his practice includes all aspects of family and employment-based immigration, in addition to naturalization issues. Kevin received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, , and his J.D. from the University of Washington. He is a past President of the Washington Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and is listed in Best Lawyers in America, Washington Law & Politics’ “Super Lawyers,” and the International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers. Kevin was chosen by Best Lawyers’ as the 2012 Seattle Immigration Law Lawyer of the Year.

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Leanne Leigh Leanne Leigh was selected as the District 20 Chief of Staff for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in April 2011. District 20 encompasses five field offices across the states of Washington, Oregon and Alaska. The District 20 Office is located in Seattle, Washington. As Chief of Staff, Ms. Leigh has oversight over operations district-wide.

Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Ms. Leigh graduated with honors from Washington State University in 1996. In July 1997, Ms. Leigh began her immigration career as a District Officer with the Department of Justice’s Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). In 2000, Ms. Leigh was promoted to Special Assistant to the District Director and continued in this position with the Department of Homeland Security’s component agency USCIS. Ms. Leigh’s other immigration positions include: Supervisory Adjudications Officer (2004-2008), District Senior Immigration Services Officer (2008 – 2009), and a District Community Relation’s Officer (2010).

Lindsay Lennox Lindsay is a staff attorney at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. She helps children in removal proceedings obtain immigration relief through Special Immigrant Juvenile and asylum. Prior to joining NWIRP, Lindsay was a public defender in King County for over 8 years, where she represented juveniles and adults charged with crimes and parents and children in dependency proceedings.

Judy Lin Judy Lin is the Senior Managing Attorney for the pro bono family law programs at the King County Bar Association (KCBA). In addition to supervising the family law programs, she manages the Kinship Care Solutions Project which recruits, trains and mentors pro bono attorneys who handle Nonparental Custody cases for low-income families. Prior to joining KCBA, Judy was the Managing Attorney at Legal Services for Children in San Francisco, California representing children and youth in dependency, guardianship, education and immigration law. Before that, she was a staff attorney at Columbia Legal Services in Everett, Washington focusing on housing law. Judy serves on the WSBA Pro Bono and Public Service Committee, and is a graduate of the Washington Equal Justice Community Leadership Academy.

Abby Loomis Abby Loomis is an attorney with Cowan Miller & Lederman in Seattle, Washington. She has been practicing immigration law since 1995 and joined Cowan, Miller & Lederman in 2006. Her practice includes assisting both corporate and individual clients with all aspects of the immigration process, from temporary work visas to US permanent residency, and ultimately US citizenship.

Jesse Maanao Jesse Maanao is a sole practitioner from Portland, OR. He is the former Vice Chair of the AILA EOIR National Liaison Committee. He has been practicing immigration law for over a decade. And his work experience includes four years of federal service as a district adjudications officer with INS and USCIS.

Marsha Teresa Mavunkel Marsha focuses her practice exclusively in the area of U.S. Immigration and Naturalization law. She advises clients on family and employment based U.S. immigration law, and assists both corporate and individual clients with all aspects of the immigration process. She advocates for her clients on a wide range of cases, including: H-1B professionals, E-2 Treaty investors, L-1 intra-company transfers, TN professionals, J-1 exchange visitors, F-1 students, EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, outstanding researchers, professors, and persons of extraordinary ability, and labor certifications under PERM . She has also

9 worked on VAWA cases, naturalizations, and a range of family based permanent residence cases. Prior to becoming an attorney, Marsha worked within the immigration field as a researcher, visiting international professional, and as a volunteer.

Greg McLawsen Greg is the founding attorney of Sound Immigration, Washington's web-based immigration law firm. His passion is using innovation to make law work better for attorneys and those they serve. Selected a Rising Star in consumer immigration, Greg’s niche practice area is helping LPRs recover immigration financial support from their I-864 sponsors. Greg chairs the WSBA Solo & Small Practice Section, served on the WSBA’s Future of the task force, and chairs the Law Practice Management and Technology Committee for the Washington Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Greg can be found at www.soundimmigration.com and on Twitter (@mclawsen).

David W. Merrell David W. Merrell has been practicing immigration law as a sole practitioner in Seattle since 1992. He received his J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law in 1977. As a deputy prosecuting attorney for King County, Washington, he tried approximately 60 felony jury trials. From 1984 to 1990 he was a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, serving at American embassies and consulates in Africa, Europe, and Asia, including consular assignments deciding visa and citizenship cases as vice-consul in Lyon and consul in Hong Kong, where he also served as the consular antifraud officer.

Qingqing Miao Qingqing’s practices business immigration at Lane Powell’s immigration group. Qingqing assists clients in navigating the complex U.S. immigration process and provides legal services to help their businesses grow and succeed. Her clients range in size from individuals to corporations. Qingqing writes about issues in international business and immigration law, which have been published in both English and Chinese professional and academic journals. She is also a regular speaker at conferences and seminars on these topics.

Jonathan Moore Jonathan Moore has worked with people in immigration proceedings since 1983. He worked on the Texs border as a paralegal at Proyecto Libertad, in Harlingen, Texas, with mostly detained Central- American asylum-seekers, from 1983 until 1990. From 1985-1987 he also worked for the Rio Grande Defense Committee, on legal defense of South Texas sanctuary workers. He worked in Seattle, at the Joint Legal Task Force – Hispanic Immigration Program and its successor, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, mainly on deportation defense, from 1990- 2005. Jonathan Moore was accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals to represent people in immgration adjudications, in deportation proceedings and in administrative appeals, through NWIRP from 1993 until 2005.

He currently works at the Washington Defender Association Immigration Project, supporting public defenders and defense lawyers on issues related to the immigration consequences of criminal convictions. He is a currently a Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) accredited representative, through the WDA. He is member of the Board of Directors of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. Jonathan Moore has been a consultant on issues relating to the immgration consequences of criminal convictions for ASISTA, a national clearinghouse for for advocates and attorneys working with immigrant survivors of domestic violence.

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Nina Murray Nina Murray has served as the overall coordinator of E-visa harmonization across Canada; she specialized in E-visas since September, 2014. She arrived in Toronto in August of 2014, after serving in Vilnius, Lithuania, as the Cultural Attaché. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Nina worked as a grant writer for a genomics research lab and earned an advanced degree in Creative Writing. She brings her Russian and Ukrainian language skills to the multilingual mix in the Consulate, complementing speakers of Mandarin, Arabic, and Spanish.

Ursula Owen Ursula Elspeth Owen is a Seattle native and a graduate of the University of Washington and the Seattle University School of Law. She has worked in the field of immigration for over ten years. She is currently an International Scholar Advisor at the University of Washington, where she works on J-1, H-1B, TN, E-3, and O-1 nonimmigrant visas and EB-2 Advanced Degree and EB-1B Outstanding Researcher/Professor immigrant petitions for University employees.

Joel H. Paget Joel H. Paget is the senior member of the Immigration Group at Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC in Seattle. He has over 30 years of immigration experience with an emphasis on business and tax issues. Joel is an active member of AILA currently serving on the DOS-AILA Liaison Committee and as Chair of the AILA-WA USCBP Liaison Committee. He is an Emeritus Trustee of Seattle Pacific University. He was an adjunct professor of business law for 10 years at SPU, and chairman of the Taxation Section and a Bar Examiner for the Washington State Bar Association. Joel continues to be recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America (1991-2015).

Anaiah E. Palmer Anaiah Palmer has been working in the field of immigration law since 2005. She graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School and has been an attorney with Parker, Butte & Lane in Portland, Oregon since 2013. Anaiah has experience with both employment-based and family-based immigration, but currently focuses her practice on family immigration, naturalization, and removal defense. Anaiah is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the Oregon State Bar Association. She serves on the membership committee of the Multnomah County Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division, and assists in coaching Lewis & Clark’s international law moot court team.

Robert Pauw Robert Pauw is a partner in the Seattle law firm of Gibbs Houston Pauw. He has practiced immigration law since 1987, specializing in immigration-related litigation. He has been counsel for plaintiffs in many significant immigration cases, including Smith v. Customs and Border Protection, 741 F.3d 1016 (9th Cir. 2014) (district court jurisdiction to consider challenge to expedited removal order); A.B.T. v. USCIS, Case No. 11-2108-RAJ (W.D. Wash. 2013) (class action regarding employment authorization for asylum applicants); Smith and Armendariz v. United States, Case No. 12.562 (IACHR 2010) (U.S. deportation policies adopted violate the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man); Lee v. Gonzales, Case No. C04-449 RSL (W.D. Wash. 2006) (class action lawsuit challenging naturalization denials based on lack of good moral character); Gete v. INS, 121 F.3d 1285 (9th Cir. 1997) (class action lawsuit invalidating INS vehicle seizure procedures); Reno v. Catholic Social Services, 509 U.S. 43 (1993) (class action lawsuit challenging INS implementation of the legalization program). He has taught immigration law at Seattle University and the University of Washington for many years, and is one of the founding members of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle. Mr. Pauw is author of LITIGATING IMMIGRATION CASES IN FEDERAL COURT (2013); “Plenary Power: An Outmoded Doctrine,”

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51 Emory L.Jl. 1095 (2002); and “A New Look at Deportation as Punishment: Why at Least Some of the ’s Protections Must Apply,” 52 Admin. L. Rev. (2000). He has received AILA’s Jack Wasserman Award for Excellence in Litigation and the National Lawyers Guild’s Carol King Award.

Jeffrey Pilgreen A career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, Jeffrey came to the National Visa Center (NVC) in October 2015. Prior to NVC, he was the Immigrant Visa Chief at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, the State Department’s largest immigrant visa processing post. Jeffrey has also served abroad as the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit Chief at the U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver; in the Office of Provincial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad; at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez as the Nonimmigrant Visa Deputy Chief and acting NIV Chief; and as a Management Officer in Belgrade, Serbia. As part of his Department of State service, Jeff studied at the Inter American Defense College, where he earned a Certificate in Security and Defense Studies.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Jeffrey worked as school teacher in Southern California and taught English in the Czech Republic. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls with a degree in history and geography and holds an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California.

Elizabeth Poh Elizabeth Poh has practiced in business and family immigration law for over 12 years, and works as an attorney at Cowan Miller & Lederman in Seattle. Elizabeth specializes in working with businesses to obtain work visas and green cards for highly skilled individuals in high-tech, research, business, and the arts. She enjoys working with large and small businesses to develop efficient and effective immigration programs to support employees from around the world.

Florian Purganan Florian Purganan practices exclusively in immigration and citizenship law. His practice encompasses all areas of immigration law, particularly adjustment of status, family petitions, waiver applications, and deportation defense. Florian also regularly handles employment based immigration matters including labor certifications and non-immigrant visas for foreign professionals. Florian is fluent in Tagalog and is active in the Filipino community. He served as a board member for the Filipino Lawyers of Washington (FLOW), and was the past National Youth Chair the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA). Florian he earned his J.D. degree from Seattle University in 2004. During law school, Florian gained significant experience in immigration law as an extern at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, where he assisted low-income individuals attain citizenship. Since graduating, Florian has continued his commitment to community service, volunteering at the International District Legal Clinic and the King County Immigration Legal Clinic.

Shazad Qadri Shahzad Qadri is a Partner in the Firm’s Redmond, Washington office of Wong Fleming and Chair of the Corporate & Immigration Law practice group. He concentrates his practice in the areas of corporate transactions including securities issues, private offerings, IPOS, as well as business and immigration law, with a focus on investment based EB-5 Regional Centers. Prior to joining Wong Fleming, Mr. Qadri served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the King County ’ office in Seattle, Washington.

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Mr. Qadri has the distinct honor of being named as a “rising star” in the legal profession by Law & Politics. In addition, Mr. Qadri was nominated as a fellow to the Washington Leadership Institute. Mr. Qadri was also awarded the John Gilmore (2014) award for excellence in Advocacy for Minority Businesses by the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NW Mountain Council). Mr. Qadri was also named to Lawyers of Color’s Second Annual Hot List, which recognizes minority attorneys with exceptional achievements and contributions in the legal field. Most recently M. Qadri was awarded an “AV” rating by Martindale-Hubbell.

W. Scott Railton W. Scott Railton practices at Cascadia Cross-Border Law in Bellingham, and can be reached at [email protected]. Scott’s practice focuses on business immigration, with an emphasis on physicians, health care workers, and information technology professionals. He reserves a portion of his practice for admissibility matters arising at the border. Scott is currently the Advocacy Chair for AILA Washington (Attn: National Day of Action is 4/9: “Take Action!”), and is a past Chapter Chair. Scott is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law.

Rich Rawson Rich Rawson is a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and Chair of its Immigration Practice Group. Rich’s practice is focused primarily on business immigration for corporate clients in various industries across the country, including all types of nonimmigrant visas and green cards for multinational executives, performing artists, researchers, IT professionals, athletes, university professors, and other skilled workers. Rich is a graduate of Stanford University and Georgetown University Law School.

Jonathan Reingold Jonathan Reingold founded Reingold Law, PLLC, an immigration law firm, in 2010 in Seattle. His practice involves mostly asylum and removal defense and includes petitions for review and habeas. He mentors newer attorneys in asylum cases and has also been the grateful beneficiary of the wisdom of multiple mentors in AILA. Jonathan is a graduate of Bard College and New York Law School, where he received a public service award and a post-graduate fellowship in New York City Law. Before moving to Seattle, he was a staff attorney at a large non-profit in Brooklyn, NY, where he represented low-income tenants facing eviction. Jonathan is a member of the Washington, New Jersey and New York bars.

Manuel F. Rios III Manuel “Manny” F. Rios III is a partner at Rios & Cruz, PS, in Seattle, Washington, where his practice has been dedicated to the practice of immigration law since 1997. Manny has been the Consultant Attorney on immigration matters for the Mexican Consulate in Washington since 2002. In 2013 he was awarded the Ohtli Award by the Mexican Government in recognition for his service to the Mexican immigrant community in the United States, and in 2015 he was a co-recipient the Award of Merit from the Washington State Bar Association, for his efforts against the unlawful practice of law in the State of Washington.

Pete Roberts Peter Roberts is a private practice management consultant for lawyers. He is the former Practice Management Advisor in the Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP) of the Washington State Bar Association for 13 years. Mr. Roberts has his MBA from The College of William & Mary and a Certificate as Small Business Webmaster from the University of Washington. He is active in the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Division Law Firm Finance Committee and Resource Center as well as GPSOLO Division and Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

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He is a frequent speaker and has consulted with over 1,000 attorneys. Reach him at [email protected]

Gregg Rodgers Gregg Rodgers is an owner in the Seattle office of Garvey Schubert Barer, a full-service law firm of more than 100 attorneys with offices in Alaska, Beijing, New York, Portland, Seattle and Washington, D.C. He is the chair of the firm’s Immigration Practice Group. He concentrates his practice on the areas of immigration (business, healthcare professionals, and families) and employment law. Mr. Rodgers provides to individuals, business owners, managers, and executives on each of these areas. He conducts audits and advises clients on Form I-9 and E-Verify compliance. He also conducts training sessions for clients, trade associations, and educational groups, on immigration and Form I-9 issues.

Amy Royalty Amy Royalty is a partner in the Immigration Group at Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland. Amy represents small businesses, medium-sized companies, and multinational corporations and their employees on business immigration matters. Amy has successfully prepared nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications for professionals, treaty traders and investors, multinational managers, researchers, entertainers and skilled workers. In addition, Amy provides guidance to companies on developing immigration policies and programs, hiring foreign nationals on temporary visas, sponsoring employees for permanent residence, and I-9 compliance issues. She also assists individuals in sponsoring their family members for permanent residence and applying for U.S. citizenship. Amy is a frequent speaker on business immigration and I-9 compliance issues.

Len Saunders Len Saunders has practiced immigration law near the Arch and Pacific Highway Ports of Entry in Blaine, Washington since 2003. He received his J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1997 and was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 1998. A large part of Len’s immigration law practice focuses on U.S. border issues such as TN and L visas, non-immigrant waivers, NEXUS denials/revocations as well as admissibility determinations.

As a Canadian, British and naturalized American citizen, Len knows first-hand the challenges faced with the U.S. immigration law system.

Melany I. Savitt Melany joined Tonkon Torp’s Business Immigration practice group in 2012 and has more than a decade of experience in immigration including her work as a law clerk, nonimmigrant visa training coordinator, and paralegal. She represents clients of all sizes from a variety of industries, guiding employers and foreign nationals through our maze of immigration . Her nonimmigrant work visa experience includes specialty occupation categories, intracompany transfers, extraordinary ability, internationally recognized artists, and TN NAFTA status for Canadian and Mexican nationals. Additionally, Melany has many years of experience with PERM labor certifications, and immigrant visa petitions based on extraordinary ability, multinational executives and managers.

Lisa Seifert Lisa Seifert is the principal attorney of Seifert Law Offices, a 27 year old exclusively immigration firm in Olympia Washington. Ms. Seifert is a Past President of the Washington Chapter of AILA, and has served on regional and national committees to advance immigration policy and practice. A Minnesota native,

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Ms. Seifert is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas and William Mitchell College of Law, both in St. Paul.

Mary Beth Sheehan Mary Beth Sheehan is an associate attorney at Hanis Irvine Prothero in Kent, Washington. Her practice focuses solely on immigration law, including removal defense, asylum, U visas, VAWA claims, family- based petitions, adjustment of status, and naturalization. She is a 2010 alumna of Seattle Univ. School of Law. She is fluent in spoken and written Spanish.

Chanpone Sinlapasai Chanpone Sinlapasai, is a partner with Marandas Sinlapasai, P.C. She represents clients regarding general immigration law matters including humanitarian relief, visas, citizenship issues, consular processing, deportation defense and appeals. Ms. Sinlapasai focuses her practice in assisting children who have been abused, abandoned and neglected, and individuals who are survivors of domestic violence, serious crime, and human trafficking. She collaborates with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and advocates to assist survivors of crime and to protect their victims’ rights through the criminal, civil, and immigration systems.

Ms. Sinlapasai received her J.D. from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, in 2002 and is a member of the Cornelius Honor Society. She earned her B.A. (English & Philosophy), from Santa Clara University, 1998. Ms. Sinlapasai is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in Oregon and currently serves as a Commissioner for the Oregon Commission on Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs (OCAPIA). Ms. Sinlapasai is also an AILA co-liaison for Immigration Custom’s Enforcement (ICE).

Ms. Sinlapasai has been involved with the immigrant and refugee community all of her life in Oregon and California. In addition to her immigration law experience, she has first-hand knowledge of the challenges an individual and family face when coming to a new country, as her family resettled in the United States as refugees from Laos in 1980.

Her volunteer work includes serving as the current president of the board for Immigrant Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), chair of the Oregon Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Immigrant Crime Victim’s Rights Enforcement subcommittee, and a member of committees including the Victims of Crime Act Advisory Committee for the State of Oregon, the DOJ’s Crime Victim’s Right Compliance Project Advisory Committee, and the FBI Citizen’s Alumni Board for Community Outreach. Ms. Sinlapasai is also a member of the Oregon Minority Lawyer’s Association, Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and Oregon Women’s Lawyer’s Association.

Debra Slater Debra Slater has been a Disciplinary Counsel with the Washington State Bar for over 12 years. Prior to joining the WSBA, she worked for the Federal Deposit Corporation for 14 years. She started in the FDIC’s Portland Field Office, eventually landing in Washington, D.C. where she was on the team that developed the FDIC’s asset disposition and contracting programs. Before joining the FDIC, she was in private practice; first in a firm, and later as a sole practitioner. Admitted to Bar: Washington (1988), Oregon (1978). Education: University of San Francisco, J.D. 1976, San Francisco State University, B.A., cum laude 1969.

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Deborah S. Smith Deborah S. Smith is an attorney in Helena, Montana, where she has practiced in all areas of immigration law for more than 20 years. Debbie has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Montana, a Visiting Professor of Clinical Law at the University of Idaho, and an at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. She is a frequent speaker at AILA conferences. She is a past recipient of the Jack Wasserman Award for Excellence in Immigration Litigation and a President's Commendation, both in recognition of her service on AILA's Amicus Committee. Debbie has served on a number of AILA National and Washington State Chapter Committees, and is a past chair of AILA National's Annual Conference Program/Due Process Track Committee, Amicus Committee and Bylaws Committee. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.

Paul Soreff Paul has over 30 years of experience. He manages an immigration firm in Seattle, WA which was recognized as one of the Best Law Firms in Washington in 2013-2015. Additionally, he has consistently been recognized as one of the Best Immigration Lawyers since 1998. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alabama and Seattle University Schools of Law, Chairperson for the WA American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Chapter, and numerous other AILA positions. Paul has extensive experience in all aspects of immigration law, particularly labor certificates, H, L, O, TN, & U petitions, immigrant visas for foreign personnel, family petitions, and asylum.

Eileen Sterlock Eileen Sterlock is a solo immigration attorney in Portland, Oregon. Her practice focuses primarily on Removal Defense, humanitarian, and family immigration, as well as working with criminal defense counsel representing noncitizens. As a former Staff Attorney for the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Arizona, Eileen helped hundreds of noncitizens held by the government at the Eloy Detention Center to understand and protect their rights in Removal Proceedings in Immigration Court. Eileen’s experience also includes working with Immigration Counseling Service, a non-profit law firm in Portland, OR; clerking for Immigration Judge Michael Bennett at the Portland Immigration Court; and a fellowship with AILA Oregon and the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association creating practice advisories on the immigration consequences of certain criminal convictions in Oregon. Eileen graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School in 2009. She is the current Oregon AILA Chapter Treasurer.

Margaret D. Stock Margaret D. Stock, Lieutenant Colonel (retired), is an attorney with the Anchorage office of Cascadia Cross Border Law Group LLC, where she devotes her practice to immigration and citizenship matters. She transferred to the Retired Reserve of the U.S. Army in June 2010 after serving 28 years as a Military Police Officer in the Army Reserve. While a part-time professor and Reservist assigned to the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY, Ms. Stock was temporarily asked to work for the U.S. Army Accessions Command, where she developed and implemented the Department of Defense’s recruiting program, Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI). Ms. Stock also worked on many other issues related to immigration, citizenship, and military service, including the Basic Training Naturalization initiative, which allows immigrants to naturalize at military basic training sites. In 2008, she earned the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Pro Bono Award for founding the AILA Military Assistance Program (AILA MAP), a pro bono program to help military members, veterans, and their families with immigration law matters. She was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow in 2013 for her work related to immigration and national security issues.

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Ms. Stock has testified before Congress numerous times on issues such as the DREAM Act, the guestworker program, and the Hinder the Administration’s Legalization Temptation (HALT) Act. She earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard-Radcliffe and holds a from Harvard Law School, a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School, and a Master’s in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. Ms. Stock is admitted to practice law in the state of Alaska, the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has also served as a member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration. She authored the book “Immigration Law & the Military,” published by the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Christopher Strawn Christopher Strawn is a staff attorney at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and the director of the asylum unit since 2006. Previously he was an associate at the law firm of Gibbs Houston Pauw in Seattle, Washington, and a clerk for the Honorable Marsha J. Pechman, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington. He graduated from Harvard Law School and has a certificate in refugee studies from the University of Oxford.

Bart Stroupe Bart Stroupe is an attorney in private practice in Seattle, Washington, focused on family– and employment-based immigration law, as well as removal defense. He has spoken and written on a variety of topics related to immigration law and ethical issues for attorneys working in that practice area

Devin Theriot-Orr Devin Theriot-Orr is the Principal Attorney at Sunbird Law, PLLC where his practice focuses on complex immigration litigation before the federal agencies and before the federal courts. Devin is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, where he sits on the national amicus committee. Devin presents regularly at national and regional conferences and teaches immigration law at Seattle University School of Law.

Karin Tolgu Karin Tolgu is a solo practitioner in Seattle, WA. Her firm handles a variety of immigration issues, including asylum, T- and U- visas, waivers, removal defense, family based applications, and naturalization. Karin graduated magna cum laude from the Seattle University School of Law in 2009; she has a B.A. in International Relations from San Francisco State University and she speaks Estonian, Spanish and Russian. She is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, where she currently serves as the Chair of the ICE liaison committee. Karin dedicates a part of her practice to pro bono work, and in 2015, she was one of the recipients for AILA Washington’s pro bono award for direct representation.

Kripa Upadhyay Kripa Upadhyay is a Partner at Orbit Law, PLLC, a Seattle, WA, based law firm specializing in all areas of Immigration and Nationality law. Kripa represents businesses and individual clients on all aspects of Immigration and Nationality Laws. She advises clients in the acquisition of temporary employment visas and permanent residence, employer sanction & employment verification procedures (I-9/E-verify). She has successfully secured immigration benefits that run the spectrum from non-immigrant visas such as H-1B and L-1, to immigrant visas for investors, executives/managers, employees and family members. She also represents individuals seeking Citizenship and Asylum before the US Citizenship & Immigration Service & Immigration Courts.

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Named a “Rising Star” for Immigration Law for three consecutive years (2013-2015), she is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) of Washington State where she has served in leadership positions on various committees. She also served as a member of the Washington State Bar Association's (WSBA) Committee for Diversity & was awarded the WSBA's Community Service Award in 2011 in recognition of her outstanding and exemplary service in helping Immigrants and Refugees in Washington State. A regular speaker on Immigration matters at local and regional Immigration Law conferences, Kripa is also actively involved in teaching the Immigration Law clinic at Seattle University School of Law

A first generation Immigrant from Nepal, Kripa speaks English, Nepali, Hindi, Urdu and Spanish.

Kim-Khanh Van Kim-Khanh T. Van is currently the sole owner of KKV LAW/ Law Office of Kim-Khanh T. Van, PLLC in Renton, WA. Ms. Van has an active practice in the areas of immigration, , criminal and family law. She currently is a member of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and WA State Association for Justice (WASJ). Ms. Van enjoys volunteering her time as a pro bono attorney for the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project (NWIRP), Immigrant Families Advocacy Project (IFAP), OneAmerica Citizenship Day and at other pro bono legal clinics in the community, churches, and temples. She is currently on a few committees in AILA WA Chapter. She served as Vice Chair for AILA's Consular Liaison Committee in 2013 and was recognized for her pro bono work by the AILA WA Chapter in 2013

Lori Walls Lori completed her B.A. and J.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle. While a law student, she was an editor and member of the Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal and received the Charles Z. Smith Public Service Student of the Year Award in 2007. Lori is an active volunteer with several organizations, including the King County Bar Association’s Neighborhood Legal Clinic Program. She is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Before attending law school, she worked as a technical editor and writer.

Tim Warden-Hertz Tim Warden-Hertz, the Directing Attorney for the Tacoma office of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, joined NWIRP in January 2013. Prior to coming to NWIRP, Tim was the Legal Director of the Immigration Law Programs at Catholic Social Services in Fall River, Massachusetts, a Staff Attorney with Farmworker Division at Georgia Legal Services, and a Fellow in the Immigration Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services. Tim received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Bonnie Stern Wasser Bonnie Stern Wasser, Esq. is principal and founder of the Seattle based Law Office of Bonnie Stern Wasser. Bonnie handles primarily business and family immigration matters, naturalization and citizenship, plus military matters, workplace compliance, asylum and waivers, consular, and border matters. Bonnie is a long time member of AILA. She served two terms as Chair of AILA Washington, and has chaired many of the chapter's committees over the years. Currently, Bonnie is a vice-chair of the AILAWA CLE Committee. Bonnie has also served on the AILA national Military Assistance Project Task Force, the AILA-USCIS international Operations Liaison Committee, and the AILA national Business Immigration Committee. Bonnie was a three year board member of the WSBA International Section and she is a member of the Solo and Small Practice Sections of WSBA and KCBA. She volunteers for the King

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County Bar Association Immigration Clinic, AILA MAP, Northwest Immigrants’ Rights Project and AILA Citizenship Days. Bonnie is also a member of Washington Lawyers for the Arts.

Tahmina Watson Tahmina Watson is an immigration attorney and founder of Watson Immigration Law in Seattle Washington. She was a practicing barrister in London, UK, before immigrating to the United States herself. While her practice includes investor, family and employment-based immigration, she has a strong focus on immigrant entrepreneurs and start-up companies. She is a frequent speaker, author, and blogger on immigration law matters. A passionate for immigration reform, she is the author of “The Startup Visa: Key to Job Growth & Economic Prosperity in America”. She is also the talk show host of “Immigration with Tahmina” on a local Seattle radio station. You can reach her at [email protected] and visit www.watsonimmigrationlaw.com to learn more.

Brian Wolf Brian Wolf is a senior associate with the immigration firm, Rios & Cruz, where he has worked since 2014 representing clients detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. He is highly experienced in representing clients with mental health issues in immigration court. He has represented mentally incompetent clients as a qualified representative pursuant to the Franco Gonzalez v. Holder class action suit for two years. Brian is a member of the New York State Bar Association and received his JD from CUNY Law School in 2009, where he participated in CUNY’s renowned Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic. After law school, he worked as a staff attorney at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Florence, Arizona where he advocated on behalf of individuals in ICE detention as part of their Legal Orientation Program. In 2011, he returned to New York City, where he worked as an associate attorney with the immigration firm, Bretz & Coven. There, he represented clients in a wide variety of removal defense and affirmative immigration cases. Brian is motivated by the ideas of social justice and law in the service of human needs.

Jimmy Wu Jimmy Wu obtained his bachelor, master, and juris doctor degrees from Columbia University in New York City. He has been practicing immigration law in Seattle for over thirty years. Mr. Wu was elected, in June of 1993, as a National Officer of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”), an affiliate of the American Bar Association, with fourteen thousand members in the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Wu served as the President of AILA 1998-1999. Currently, he serves on AILA’s Board of Governors as a Past President. Mr. Wu is an elected Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He has a peered- reviewed “AV” rating in Martindale-Hubbell.

Ronald A. Zisman Ronald A. Zisman, a Partner with U.S. Business Immigration Lawyers, and a U.S./Canadian/Peruvian citizen, was admitted to practice in California in 1980 and U.S. Federal Courts in 1982. He has focused his practice on U.S. immigration law since 1982. He relocated from Los Angeles, California to Vancouver, B.C. Canada in 1989. He received his B.A. from UCLA and J.D. from McGeorge School of Law, UOP. He also received a B.F.A. from Emily Carr University of Art & Design. In addition to being a member of the California Bar, he is licensed as a Practitioner of Foreign Law in B.C. He practices U.S. Immigration and Nationality law with his law firm in Vancouver, B.C. Canada.

Mr. Zisman has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) for over 30 years and has been a Mentor for other lawyers within the organization. He is also a past member of the AILA National Border Committee and Vice Chair Consular and Border Committees for AILA Washington.

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He lectures frequently in the area of U.S. immigration law and has conducted seminars and courses for: CLE - American Immigration Lawyers Association; Simon Fraser University; Chartered Accountants of British Columbia; British Columbia Institute for Studies in International Trade; Pacific Business & Law Institute and other business and educational organizations. He has been interviewed by National Public Radio and CBC and published articles on CNET and LegalElite.com. He has extensive experience in Business Immigration, Expatriation Matters, and NAFTA Agreement between Canada and the U.S.

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