Jason is a third-generation immigration lawyer with 18 years of expertise assisting businesses and families with their immigration needs, ranging from sourcing international talent for workforces to locating permanent residence possibilities for trusted caretakers. He represents the country's largest state-owned utility, as well as many medium and small enterprises and individuals such as chefs, CEOs, musicians, journalists, and entrepreneurs.

Employment-based and family-based petitions and applications, including H-1B and O-1 nonimmigrant visas and all immigrant petitions, as well as waivers and citizenship applications, are all part of his business. He represents clients in Immigration Court for hearings and Cancellation of Removal proceedings, as well as in federal court litigation to resolve both job and family-based issues. Jason is fluent in French, and his team is always available to Spanish-speaking clients, as befits his commitment to global citizenship.

Jason serves as Special Counsel to the New York State Attorney Disciplinary Committee. He also offers pro bono services through the Military Assistance Program of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Jason also looks into the immigration status of au pairs, who are childcare professionals who come to the United States as part of a cultural exchange. The Trump administration has issued two proclamations that limit au pairs' ability to enter the United States: a temporary ban on J-1 visas and an overlapping ban on entrance from some of the most popular au pair countries — Brazil and Western Europe. Jason assists host families in obtaining National Interest Exceptions, which allow their au pairs to enter the country and later alter their status to visitor, student, or permanent resident.

Office: Harris Beach PLLC
Location: New York, New York
Phone: +1 234 567 8902
Mail: jason@abramsvisas.com

Allison-Claire Acker is a 1988 graduate of the UCLA School of Law, and was just voted Southern California’s Top Female Attorney of the Year by Los Angeles Magazine. She has over thirty years of experience in immigration law, coaching individuals and businesses on all elements of entertainment, family, and employment-related immigration law. Ms. Acker works with both individuals and businesses to get nonimmigrant and immigrant visas in practically every area of US immigration. She counsels businesses on the immigration implications of mergers and acquisitions. She also advises international investors on visa possibilities and has a specialization in surrogacy-related immigration issues.

Ms. Acker has been recognized by Who's Who Legal: Corporate Immigration since 2017 and has been ranked by Super Lawyers since 2011. She is a noted speaker at immigration conferences, seminars and local institutions. She has also written several pieces about immigration. In addition to being a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Immigration section, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Mexican American Bar Association, and the Japanese American Bar Association, she is currently the chair of the Santa Monica Bar Association's immigration section and one of its trustees. Ms. Acker most recently served as the Advocacy Event Co-Chair for AILA's Southern California Chapter. She has also been reappointed to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy's Advisory Committee as a representative of the County of Los Angeles. She is a founding member of the LA County Equine Response Team and a member of the County Emergency Planning Task Force. Ms. Acker also served on the UCLA School of Law Alumni Board of Directors.

Office: Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP
Location: Santa Monica, California
Phone: +1-310-570-4088
Mail: acacker@wolfsdorf.com

Alexandre Afanassiev is a seasoned litigator who has successfully represented people, families, and businesses in all facets of immigration law, from Immigration Court to the United States Supreme Court. He has aided asylum seekers, those seeking legal status, foreign employees on non-immigrant visas, and Lawful Permanent Residents who are facing the loss of their green cards in the United States.

Because he is from Russia and came to Houston as a foreign student, Mr. Afanassiev understands what it means to be a foreign-born person. His immigration legal career began while he was a student-attorney at the University of Houston Law Center's immigration law clinic. He dove right in, finding enormous delight in assisting destitute individuals and battered spouses in seeking refuge or deportation relief. This incident has influenced his decision to pursue a career as an immigration attorney.

Mr. Afanassiev is a member of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization's Exam Commission and is board certified in Immigration and Nationality Law. He also belongs to the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

In Alexis v. Holder, 09-955 (2010), he and his colleagues successfully appealed an immigration case to the United States Supreme Court, which they ultimately won, allowing his client to return to the United States after being deported away from his family.

From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Afanassiev was named to the Texas Rising Stars list, and from 2015 to 2016, he was named to the Texas Super Lawyer list. The legal division of Thomson Reuters selects the honorees, who make up a very small percentage of Texas lawyers.

Mr. Afanassiev graduated from San Jacinto College (South) with an associate degree in 1998, the same year he was voted best male student and best international student. In 2000, he received his bachelor's degree in economics and political science from the University of Houston. Mr. Afanassiev was recognized Outstanding Graduate in the College of Social Sciences and received the Department of Economics' "Joel Sailors Award" while at the University of Houston. In 2003, he graduated from the University of Houston Law Center with a law degree.

Mr. Afanassiev has lectured at the University of Houston Law Center Immigration Clinic and the South Texas College of Law's Federal Litigation and Immigration Law Class. He has participated in American Immigration Lawyer Association national conventions, Texas chapter conferences, and State Bar of Texas CLE seminars as a co-panelist. He has given talks on a variety of topics, including representing clients seeking protection under the Violence Against Women Act, obtaining waivers on grounds of inadmissibility, litigating waivers under the Adam Walsh Act, motion practice before the Executive Office for Immigration Review, and the impact of criminal convictions on immigration.

Office: Gonzalez Olivieri LLC

Location: Houston, Texas

Phone: 713-481-3040

Mail: aafanassiev@gonzalezolivierillc.com

At Maggio + Kattar, James Alexander is a Managing Shareholder. Jim is dedicated to maintaining the firm's international reputation for innovative thinking and legal competence in a range of fields related to immigration law. Jim is a nationally renowned specialist in a wide range of highly specialized areas of immigration law, including business compliance, such as I-9 compliance and e-Verify, complex naturalization procedures, homosexual and HIV positive issues, and a variety of other topics.

Jim addresses each case with his breadth of experience in search of the best possible answer to a client's immigration issues, whether it is in work or family-based immigration, removal defense, asylum, or elsewhere. Jim works with both institutional and individual clients in a variety of industries. His clientele range from major multinational firms with thousands of active affairs to start-up businesses in need of creative solutions to difficult problems.

Jim's corporate clientele comes from a wide range of industries, including the banking, aviation, defense, and technology sectors. Jim is a frequent lecturer for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the District of Columbia Bar Association, and other significant industry organizations at international, national, and local events. Jim has produced and been quoted in numerous major publications in the immigration law community, in addition to his substantial public speaking and teaching commitments.

National and international publications such as Who's Who Legal, Best Lawyers, and Chambers USA have recognized Jim as a top immigration lawyer.

Office: Maggio + Kattar

Location: Washington, District of Columbia

Phone: 202-483-0053

Mail: jalexander@maggio-kattar.com

Christian Allen graduated from Tulane University in 1993 as a Juris Doctor. Principal Attorney with over 25 years of expertise aiding businesses and individuals with all parts of the immigration and corporate compliance processes in the United States. For more than a decade, he was an adjunct professor at Oakland University, where he taught Immigration Law to the Legal Assistant Program. In recognition of his skill in immigration law, he has been named to the Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Business Top Lawyers lists on numerous occasions.

Christian Allen was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for work in Immigration Law.

Office: AMS Global Immigration, PC

Location: Royal Oak, Michigan

Mail: chris.allen@amsglobalimmigration.com

Phil graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor's degree in 1975 and Northeastern University School of Law with a J.D. in 1978. Since 1985, he has focused solely on immigration law, encompassing all aspects of business and family immigration, as well as deportation and removal defense.

In recent years, Phil's practice has mostly concentrated on representing those who have been placed in deportation proceedings. Since 1985, he has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and in 1989, he was elected Chapter Chair of the Colorado AILA Chapter. From 2015 to 2019, Phil was named a "Top Lawyer" in Immigration Law by 5280 Magazine.

Phil has also been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of immigration for the past 10 years, as well as in Colorado Super Lawyers® Editions 2006 to present. He has also received the Denver Bar Association's Special President's Award for pro bono service. Phil enjoys spending time with his family and traveling.

Office: Elkind Alterman Harston PC

Location: Denver, Colorado

Phone: 303.736.6650

Erik Anderson oversees the development of case strategies to handle the recruitment and transfer of human resources in the United States and abroad for Goel & Anderson's Immigrant Visa Practice. In this capacity, he advises clients in the information technology, telecommunications, biotech, insurance and finance, healthcare, maritime, food and beverage, and entertainment industries on strategic immigration planning. In addition, he oversees the firm's nonimmigrant and immigrant (EB-5) investment visa programs, as well as our individual and family-based immigration practice areas.

Erik's forward-thinking methods have helped customers establish cost-effective, long-term plans for securing and retaining exceptional people in the United States and internationally. Erik has devised techniques to circumvent recent roadblocks and cost increases linked with temporary business-based visa categories. For international corporations, these tactics have lowered overhead while also increasing staff retention.

Erik is a frequent speaker on strategic immigration planning, giving talks to businesses, employees, and trade associations. He's also a regular contributor to the firm's blog, The Immigration Channel, writing anything from legal advice to essays, amicus briefs, and amicus briefs. He's also a seasoned federal contractor consultant.

Prior to entering private practice, Erik was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Board of Alien Labor Certification at the U.S. Department of Labor, and today he routinely handles matters before that agency, as well as the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. Department of State.

Erik volunteers as a tutor for primary pupils and a youth baseball coach in his town. He also has a U.S. Coast Guard 50 Ton Master License.

Office: Goel & Anderson, LLC

Location: Reston, Virginia

Phone: (703) 796.9898

Mail: erik.anderson@goellaw.com

Robert S. Anderson has extensive experience in employment-based immigration and representing local, national, and international businesses in gaining permits for people to work in the United States permanently or temporarily.

Robert advises and represents clients on a wide range of immigration legal issues affecting their workforces and employees, including all aspects of international personnel movement (inbound and outbound work authorization status); formulating and implementing short- and long-term employment plans; obtaining appropriate immigrant (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3) and non-immigrant (H-1B, L-1, E-1 and E-2, O-1, P-1, R-1, TN) employment classifications; managing the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM). Robert also advises on immigration compliance including Forms I-9, E-Verify and LCA files; and acquiring temporary tourist and work visas for employment in foreign nations. Internal immigration audits and in-house training are also performed by Robert.

Robert has worked with Fortune 500 firms, non-profit organizations, and startups in a number of industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, automotive, beverage, tier-one and tier-two suppliers, engineering, and information technology, to name a few. Since 2020, he has been recognized one of The Best Lawyers in America.

Robert worked as a senior attorney in Miller Canfield's Immigration Law Practice before joining Kerr Russell. He was previously the Managing Member of Robert S. Anderson & Associates, an immigration law business, and had previously worked for a regional immigration law firm.

Office: Kerr, Russell and Weber, PLC

Location: Detroit, Michigan

Phone: 313-961-0200

JMA Firm, PLLC has Cindy Kang Ansbach as a member. Cindy has considerable expertise representing clients from a variety of sectors in immigration matters. Her clients include domestic, foreign and international companies in the aviation, banking and finance, health care, information technology, logistics and transportation, oil and gas and technology industries. Cindy was the head of worldwide immigration for one of the top ten global law firms before launching Ansbach + Ghouse. Cindy enjoys practicing Vinyasa yoga and traveling worldwide when she is not working with clients.

She earned her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1995. She graduated from Boston College with a B.A., magna cum laude degree in Political Science and Philosophy in 1992. Cindy was a member of the Texas International Law Journal while law school. Cindy is a licensed attorney in the state of Texas.

She has a diverse background in public relations, including:

• H-1B Professional Nonimmigrant Visas
• L-1 Intracompany Transferee Nonimmigrant Visas
• TN (NAFTA) Professional Nonimmigrant Visas
• E-1 and E-2 Treaty Trader/Investor Nonimmigrant Visas
• E-3 Australian Professional Nonimmigrant Visas
• Labor Certification Applications (including PERM)
• Immigrant Petitions for Extraordinary Ability Aliens (EB-1)
• Immigrant Petitions for Multinational Executives/Managers (EB-1)
• National Interest Waivers
• Adjustment of Status to Lawful Permanent Residence
• I-9 Compliance
• Consular Processing
• B-1 OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) Certification

She also received numerous professional awards throughout her career:

• The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2011 – 2017
• Best Lawyers in Texas, The Wall Street Journal, 2017
• Women in the Law, Top Peer Nominated Lawyer, Best Lawyers, 2017
• Chambers USA, Texas: Immigration, Chambers & Partners, 2011 – 2017
• Best Lawyers, D Magazine 2014-2018
• The Best Lawyers in Texas, Best Lawyers, 2016
• Texas Super Lawyers, 2016
• Texas Women Lawyers, Best Lawyers, 2014
• Texas Rising Star, Thomson Reuters, 2004, 2006 – 2008
• Best Lawyers Under 40, D Magazine, 2002, 2006
• 25 Best Lawyers Under 40, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, 2002

Office: JMA Firm, PLLC

Location: Dallas, Texas

Phone: 214-389-5700

Lauren Anselowitz is a partner at Harlan York & Associates. Her most notable accomplishments include successfully defending many cases before the United States Immigration Court under the Convention Against Torture. According to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, less than 1% of these cases are approved. Ms. Anselowitz also won oral argument before the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, one step below the U.S. Supreme Court, to vacate a deportation order for a client of the company.

She has represented Harlan York & Associates clients in Immigration Court and Service Offices in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida in recent years.

Ms. Anselowitz has successfully addressed a variety of nonimmigrant visa petitions, including difficult family and employment-based green card applications, citizenship issues, and citizenship challenges. She has worked on H, L, E, O, and R visas. Ms. Anselowitz has also spent a lot of time working on applications for the Violence Against Women Act.

Ms. Anselowitz teaches Immigration Law as an adjunct lecturer at Montclair State University's Justice Studies Department. She has given talks at Rutgers University School of Law and the New Jersey State and Federal Bar Associations. For four years, she was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star.

Ms. Anselowitz is a graduate of North Carolina State University and Seton Hall Law School, as well as the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations. She also studied at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, and worked in the Special Court for Sierra Leone in the field of international criminal law. She previously lived in Pretoria, South Africa and has spent time in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Senegal, the Gambia, Ethiopia and Morocco.

Ms. Anselowitz is a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals, among others.

Office: Harlan York & Associates

Location: Newark, New Jersey

Mail: LAnselowitz@ImmigrationLawNJ.com