Martin J. Lawler – one of America’s leading immigration lawyers
Martin Lawler is recognized as one of America’s leading immigration lawyers. In his 30 years of specializing in immigration law, he has secured temporary visas, permanent residence, naturalization, and passports for thousands of people from around the world. His book, Professionals: A Matter of Degree, is a leading treatise on employment-based temporary visas and permanent resident status.
Martin Lawler is also considered an authority on investor visas, family-based visas, asylum, and deportation defense.
Awards and distinctions
Martin J. Lawler has received many prestigious awards and distinctions including:
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America
- Listed in the Bar Registry of Preeminent Lawyers
- Northern California Super Lawyer by San Francisco Magazine
- American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) top award
–Jack Wasserman Memorial Award for excellence in immigration litigation - AILA Presidents Award for Mentoring Women in Law
- AILA Presidents Award for his book, Professionals: A Matter of Degree
- Plaque from Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi for writing an immigration bill
- Martindale-Hubbell A rating – the leading attorney rating service
- Who’s Who of Business Lawyers
- Movie credit: House of D with Robin Williams and David Duchovny
Martin led the way for H-1B visas to be awarded to people based on work experience rather than exclusively on the employee’s education. His pioneering work in this area led to the favorable change in the government’s regulations.
Martin was the first to win recognition by the Department of State that intellectual property may be used to capitalize a company for E-2 (treaty investor) visas.
Martin wrote the first law book, Professionals: A Matter of Degree dedicated to H-1B visas. His popular book is now expanded to cover most business visas and is now in its fifth edition.
In 2007 Martin wrote an op-ed article in the Wall Street Journal, “Would Grandma Make the Cut?” about a proposed new immigration law. With Hope M. Frye, he co-authored a second Wall Street Journal article in 2008, “Skills Deficit,” and an article in HR Magazine about H-1B (professional) visas.
In September of 2007 Martin appeared on National Public Radio’s Science Friday program for 40 minutes and spoke about visas for scientists and engineers.
Estelle McKee – immigration attorney
Estelle McKee is an expert on EB-5 investor visas and specializes in regional center applications. She obtains Targeted Employment Area (TEA) certifications and works with economists, business plan writers, corporate attorneys and market analysts to structure regional centers and their projects as well as independent projects for direct investment throughout the United States. Altogether, these regional centers have raised about $50 million in EB-5 capital. Estelle also participates in EB-5 Stakeholder calls and EB-5 investor conferences.
Estelle has practiced immigration law since 2000. Before then, she was a pro se law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit where she focused on immigration appeals. For six years she taught lawyering and co-founded the Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Clinic at Cornell Law School. She has also taught legal writing at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Estelle has been an instructor in seminars and workshops on EB-5 and other legal matters for the American Immigration Lawyers Association Annual Conference, the Cook County Appellate Defenders Office, Amnesty International USA’s Refugee Program Training Weekend, and Immigration Law Weekly.
She has published articles in Bender’s Immigration Bulletin, and has contributed to the book Professionals: A Matter of Degree by Martin J. Lawler and Margaret Stock, and the legal treatise Immigration Law & Procedure. She also co-authored a chapter with Martin in the book Immigration Options for Investors & Entrepreneurs. She has been an associate attorney with Lawler & Lawler since 2008.
Estelle received her bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and her J.D. from Columbia School of Law in New York. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the California and North Carolina bars.
Ms. McKee’s direct contact is:
415.391.2010, moc.sasivtuobanull@eekcme
Tammi Ho-Hodsdon – immigration attorney
Tammi Ho-Hodsdon practices exclusively in immigration and nationality law. Her dedication to immigration law stems from her Southeast Asian heritage and her belief in the rich contributions of foreign nationals to our nation’s economy and cultural diversity.
Tammi specializes in EB-5 investor visas. She works closely with investors to document the lawful source of investment funds. She has assisted more than 75 foreign nationals successfully obtain EB-5 green cards through regional center and individual investments. She works closely with investors from China, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, India and many other countries. Tammi also has experience with family and employment-based permanent residence, temporary visas, waivers of inadmissibility, naturalization, and relief from removal including asylum, cancellation of removal, special immigrant juvenile status, and relief under the Violence Against Women Act. Tammi has served as an immigrant rights fellow with the International Institute of the Bay Area, obtaining relief for immigrant victims of domestic violence and other serious crimes.
Before entering private practice, she served as a student attorney with the University of Houston Law Center’s Immigration and Appellate Immigration Clinical Programs under the direction of the Honorable Joseph Vail.
Tammi received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and has performed pro bono work on behalf of the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), the BIA Pro Bono Project, and the International Institute of the Bay Area.Tammi is a member of the California and Texas state bars.
Ms. Ho-Hodsdon’s direct contact is:
415.391.2010, moc.sasivtuobanull@nodsdoht
