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AMERICA'S MOST RESPECTED IMMIGRATION LAWYERS

 

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It used to be quite simple. Immigrants simply left their homelands and sailed to the United States without any lawyer. They didn't need one. They disembarked from boats, presented themselves to health authorities and, after getting the OK from immigration officials, opened a new chapter of their lives in America.

But that was in the past.

Today, immigration laws are much more complicated and an immigrant is always better served by an experienced attorney.

This page serves as a guide to our readers and a tribute to America's top immigration lawyers.


It's not difficult for the ImmigrationNewsman.com to recognize CHARLES H. KUCK as one of the most respected immigration lawyers in America. His impressive accomplishments repeatedly scream two words: “Pick me! Pick me!” After all, Charles H. Kuck is the president-elect of the prestigious American Immigration Lawyers Association. And it helps that in 2007, Atlanta Magazine named him again as Georgia's “Super Lawyer” in the field of immigration law. His list of distinctions and awards also include being listed as “one of the best immigration lawyers in the United States” by Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business, and by Chambers Global, The World's Leading Lawyers for Business. His active federal litigation practice has resulted in seven precedent decisions published by the Federal District and Circuit Courts of Appeal in the United States. He is frequently quoted in major dailies and has appeared on national TV networks. Mr. Kuck received his B.A. degree from Brigham Young University, and earned his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Arizona State University Law School. He is admitted to practice law in Georgia, Washington, D.C., and Arizona.

  • CHARLES H. KUCK
  • Kuck Casablanca & Odom, LLC – The Immigration Law Firm
  • 8010 Roswell Road, Suite 300
  • Atlanta, GA 30350
  • (404) 816-8611

MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL is known for his successful handling of extremely difficult and urgent cases, most of which have been considered by other lawyers as “hopeless” or “impossible.” He has been an attorney for over 26 years. Gurfinkel has always excelled in school: Valedictorian in High School; cum laude at UCLA; and Law Degree Honors and academic scholar at Loyola Law School, one of the top law schools in California. He is a member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Immigration Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Gurfinkel is licensed to practice immigration law throughout the U.S. He is also licensed to appear before the U.S. District Court for the Central and Northern Districts of California, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He writes immigration columns in daily and weekly newspapers and regularly appears on television as a host of the talk show “Immigration Corner.”

  • MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL
  • Los Angeles Office
  • 210 North Brand Blvd.
  • Glendale, CA 91203-2609
  • Toll Free: (866) 487-3465
  • San Francisco Office: (415) 538-7800
  • New York Office: (212) 808-0300
  • Makati, Philippines: (011632) 894-0258

BONNIE STERN WASSER is an attorney with more than 20 years of immigration and nationality law experience uniting families, and bringing employers and their employees together. Admitted to practice in both California and Washington, Wasser is also certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization as an Immigration and Nationality Law Specialist. Her diverse clientele has included multi-billion dollar corporations, small and medium sized companies, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and individuals from around the world. Wasser was a Honor Law Graduate. She was a trial attorney with the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (now known as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). She worked for a national immigration law firm, Barst and Mukamal in Los Angeles, and a mid-sized firm, MacDonald, Hoague and Bayless, in Seattle, Washington. Wasser has spent most of her legal career in private practice in Los Angeles and, more recently, in Seattle. A 1984 graduate of Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, Wasser also holds a Master's Degree in Urban Planning and Architecture from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Bachelor's Degree in Social Ecology from UC Irvine. Wasser studied in Bordeaux, France as part of the UC Education Abroad Program. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

  • LAW OFFICES OF BONNIE STERN WASSER
  • 314 W. Galer St., Suite 203
  • Seattle, WA 98119-2916
  • Tel.: (206) 282-2279
  • Fax: (206) 285-8513
  • E-Mail: bonnie@bswasserlaw.com

PHILIP D. ABRAMOWITZ received his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University at Northridge and his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law. Abramowitz is a Certified Immigration Law Specialist and a licensed professor of law. He has authored numerous articles on immigration law and is a regular speaker and lecturer on immigration and naturalization topics. He is a member of the State Bar of California, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Central, Southern and Northern Districts of California . He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Abramowitz has successfully represented hundreds of clients in cases ranging from asylum, suspension of deportation, and naturalization, to cases involving the rights of criminal aliens.

  • KORENBERG, ABRAMOWITZ & FELDUN
  • 13949 Venture Blvd.
  • Suite 300 Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
  • Tel.: (818) 788-1914
  • Fax: (818) 905-8195

HILDA SURTIDA comes from a prominent family of lawyers in the Philippines. Her father, Edgar, was presiding judge at a trial court south of Manila and her late grandfather served as a congressman, judge and law school dean. Surtida graduated magna cum laude from Aquinas University in the Philippines with a degree in Business Administration. She took second place honors when she received her law degree from the University of Nueva Caceres in 1983. She practiced law in Manila for three years before going to the U.S. as an immigrant. Surtida was admitted to the State Bar of California in June 1995. The same year, she opened her law practice in California, focusing in areas of immigration, bankruptcy and personal injury. Surtida is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

  • HILDA SURTIDA
  • 2700 N. Main Street, Suite 760
  • Santa Ana, CA 92705
  • Tel.: (714) 547-6098
  • Fax: (714) 542-4064
  • E-mail: hsurtida@surtidalaw.com

MARK A. IVENER is a partner in the Ivener & Fullmer law firm and has been practicing law in Los Angeles for more than 30 years. He has lectured on U.S. immigration law for the World Trade Institute, the International Bar Association, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He has authored the books, Handbook of Immigration Law, Volumes I and II; Get the Right Visa; A Complete Guide to Getting An American Visa (in Japanese); and Have You Thought About Immigrating to the U.S.? (in Spanish). He has also written many articles on immigration law and published in several newspapers and legal publications. Ivener is a founding member of IMMLAW, the National Consortium of Immigration Law Firms. He is listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.

  • IVENER & FULLMER, LLP
  • 11601 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2280
  • Los Angeles, CA 90025
  • Tel.: (310) 477-3000
  • Fax: (310) 477-2652

ROBERT L. REEVES has been specializing in immigration law since 1980. He graduated cum laude from the City University of New York in 1975 and obtained his law degree in December 1979 from Pepperdine University School of Law. Reeves was admitted to the California State Bar in May 1980 and is a Certified Immigration and Law Specialist, a title granted only to a select number of lawyers who have demonstrated competency in immigration and nationality law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He is licensed to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the District Courts for the Central and Northern Districts of California, and the California State Supreme Court. He has numerous awards and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

  • ROBERT L. REEVES & ASSOCIATES
  • Two North Lake Avenue, Suite 950
  • Pasadena, CA 91101-1871
  • Tel.: (626) 795-6777
  • E-Mail: findjustice@rreeves.com

BERNARD P. WOLFSDORF, a California State Bar-Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law, is one of the nation's most prominent immigration law practitioners. He is the elected National First Vice President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Described by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as "probably the largest immigration boutique in Los Angeles," his law firm is among the top immigration firms in the nation with three nominees in The International Who's Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers. Wolfsdorf has been the subject of many articles in major newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Los Angeles Daily Journal, USA Today and the Orange County Register, which have covered his legal victories in difficult cases and his expert opinions on immigration law matters. Wolfsdorf has held numerous leadership positions in the American immigration law field over the years, including chairman and treasurer of AILA's Southern California Chapter.

  • BERNARD P. WOLFSDORF
  • 1416 2 nd Street
  • Santa Monica, CA 90401
  • Tel.: (310) 570-4088
  • Fax: (310) 570-4080
  • E-Mail: visalaw@wolfsdorf.com

ALMA ROSA NIETO was born in Los Angeles, California. During her adolescence she received her education in Mexico City where she perfected her Spanish skills. Nieto received her secondary education at "Instituto-Anglo-Español" in Mexico City. She obtained a bachelors in sociology and political science from California State University, Los Angeles and her doctor of laws from the University of California (UC) Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. Nieto is a member of the California State Bar and the Hawaii State Bar. She is admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals and the Federal District Court for the Ninth Circuit. Since 1984, Nieto has successfully represented hundreds of immigrants facing deportation before the U.S. Immigration Court. She is well-known in the Latino community and she's often interviewed on television channels 34, 52 and 22, the main Spanish-language stations; and also on local radio. Articles featuring her achievements have also been published in the Los Angeles Times and the independent Spanish-language daily La Opinion. In 1993, she was nominated as the National Hispanic Woman of the Year. Nieto is an avid participant of extreme sports, such as skydiving and scuba diving.

  • ALMA ROSA NIETO
  • 520 S. Lafayette Park Place
  • Suite 204
  • Los Angeles, CA 90057
  • Tel.: (213) 738-6060
  • Fax: (213) 738-0770

NORA MILNER received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver, College of Law in 1976. After serving in the Navy's Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, she entered private practice in 1980. In 1986, Milner focused her practice on Immigration and Nationality Law in San Diego, California and has been a practicing San Diego immigration lawyer for more than 20 years. In 1992, Milner became licensed in the Republic of Poland, and opened offices in Warsaw, Poland and Palm Desert, California. She is an active member, lecturer, board member and past Chapter Chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and has served as a professor at two local law schools. She became certified by the State Bar of California as a Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law and received her Masters of Law (LLM) degree in Space Law from Northwestern California University School of Law in 2001. A native of the Panama Canal Zone, Milner speaks fluent Spanish. She is licensed in the states of California, Colorado and Iowa, and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.

  • NORA MILNER
  • Milner & Markee, LLP
  • 16780 W. Bernardo Dr. #320
  • The Bluffs
  • San Diego, CA 92127
  • Tel.: 858-451-6269
  • Fax: 858-451-8337

ALLAN WERNICK is a nationally recognized expert in immigration law and procedure. He writes a popular immigration column for the New York Daily News and is the author of the book " U.S. Immigration and Citizenship —Your Complete Guide, Revised Edition." Wernick has served on the national Board of Directors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). He was chairman of the Immigration Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and president of the New York Chapter of the AILA. He is the chairman of the Citizenship and Naturalization Project of the City University of New York (CUNY). Wernick is also of counsel to the firm of Glenn Bank in New York City, and to the firm of Alan Diamante in Los Angeles, (213) 943-4555.

  • ALLAN WERNICK
  • c/o Law Offices of Glenn Bank
  • 305 Broadway, Ste. 500
  • New York , NY 10007
  • Tel.: (212) 964-1210
  • E-mail: wernickl@mediaone.net

PERFECTO LLACAR, JR. was a Special Prosecutor in the Philippines before becoming an immigration lawyer in the United States. He received his law degree from the University of the Philippines and passed the bar in 1973. After four years of law practice, he was appointed as a Special Prosecutor, tasked with prosecuting corrupt government officials before an anti-graft court. Llacar was also a law professor before moving to the United States. In 1984, Llacar was admitted to practice law in the State of New York, where he initially settled and started his law practice. Now based in California, Llacar is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and has devoted his practice exclusively in the field of immigration law. Recently, Llacar was accepted as a Life Member of the National Registry of Who's Who. One of the highlights of his career occurred in 1999 when he won a landmark case against the INS which intended to revoke a mother's petition for her three children who were left in the care of relatives in the Philippines. The INS contended that the children did not have the necessary blood relationship with the petitioner (the mother). Llacar successfully argued the case that resulted in a DNA test confirming that the petitioner had a 99% probability of being the mother. The immigrant visas were immediately issued by the US Embassy in Manila after the ruling.

  • PERFECTO LLACAR, JR.
  • 3660 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 226
  • Los Angeles, CA 90010
  • Tel.: (213) 383-1590
  • Fax: (213) 660-2181
  • E-mail: info@llacarlaw.co
CARL SHUSTERMAN served as an attorney for the Los Angeles office of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS, now known as USCIS) until 1982 when he entered the private practice of law. Shusterman serves as the vice-chairman of the Immigration Law Committee of the American Bar Association. He also served as chairman of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Southern California Chapter. Shusterman was a member of the AILA's national Board of Governors for nine years. He is a Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law, a member of the Executive Committee of the Immigration Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and is a frequent writer and lecturer on immigration law.
  • CARL SHUSTERMAN
  • 600 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1550
  • Los Angeles , CA 90017
  • Tel.: (213) 623-4592

(EDITOR'S NOTE: There are hundreds of other exemplary immigration lawyers around the country and we are sure we've missed many of them. We are, therefore, urging other lawyers to e-mail us their brief legal background for possible inclusion in this section.)

To Be Continued

   
     
     
 
 
 
   
     
   
     
 
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
 
   
     
   
     
   
     
 

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