I am not sure how much is she charging now, but I am sure
that she will give you a good advise.
Alameda County Bar Association - Volunteer Legal Services/Immigration Clinic
I'm sure there are more ...
Immigration lawyer to help with H1 visa
Oct 2010
Hello, I an new to Berkeley and looking for a good
immigration lawyer to help us with an H1 visa. I do not want
to overpay but I do want best help possible. Any
recommendations please?
Thanks, Daniela
I would highly recommend you to Leslie Jewell for your
immigration needs/H1 Visa. She and her paralegal, Dorrie,
are just wonderful, and will take care of anything that you
need, or be able to point you in the right direction.
Website is www.lawjewell.com or call 415-856-0100. Rates are
very reasonable, but most importantly, they are thorough and
good. They have helped my partner and my sister with a
variety of immigration needs (from simple to complex). Kandra
Adria-Ann McMurray handled my immigration case through to
citizenship several years ago and I highly recommend her for
her professional, yet personal, approach. Although she
works mostly on family-based cases, she also handles
business cases, such as H1-Bs. Adria-Ann McMurray
1225B Solano Avenue, Albany CA, 94706
(510) 841-0788
http://www.immigrationlawmcmurray.com/
If you're looking for an attorney in a larger immigration
firm that specializes in business cases, contact Michael
Ungar at Simmons & Ungar.
Michael Ungar
50 California St #470, SF, CA 94111
(415) 421-0860
http://www.simmonsungar.com
Good luck.
anon
Hi there,
I can highly recommend Rhoda Wilkinson Domingo. She brings such
passion to what she does, and her results are amazing. She has
tried cases that resulted in two published opinions (a rare
accomplishment), and she brings that same enthusiasm to every case
she takes on. She can absolutely help you with your H1 situation.
You can reach her at (415) 986-1121 or office@lawrwd.com. Best of
luck to you.
Kimberley
I would like to recommend a fabulous immigration lawyer named Acton Yang.
He has been incredibly helpful, understanding and generous with me and my
British husband. His main office is in San Jose, but he also has an
office in San Francisco. He was very affordable, as well. Give him a
call!
Acton Yang
408.920.0538
Francesca
Immigration attorney to
help my brother immigrate to the US from Israel
Sept 2010
I am looking for a recommnendatiuon for a great immigration attorney to
help my brother immigrate to the US from Israel. I am a US Citizen,
immigrated to the US 10 years ago, work full-time and can support my
brother. I am looking for an experienced attorney. If he speaks Russian
or has an experience with helping to immigrate from Israel to the US it
would be an extra plus. Please help!!!
Will appreciate your help greatly
Perhaps Ilya Zdragat? He speaks Russian and offers free
consultations by e-mail.
Here is his site--English: http://emigration-visa.com/en/
Russian: http://emigration-visa.com/ru/75-about-ilie-zdragat-director-of-immigration-visa.html
You could at least e-mail him the details of your situation
and he should be able to advise you. Immigrantka
My clients have been happy with immigration attorney
Jennifer Smythe. Her office has Russian language support.
Jennifer Smythe
Law Office of Gali Schaham Gordon
Immigration and Nationality Law
55 New Montgomery Street, Suite 308
San Francisco, CA 94105
Ph: (415) 284-1601
Fax: (415) 520-0790
jennifer@galigordon.com
www.galigordon.com
Visit our blog at: www.galigordon.com/blog
Bio: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifersmythe
.
.
Scott
Try George Hepner at http://www.immigrationlaw.com. He's
located on Market St in San Francisco. I dealt with him when
I was helping my brother get into the US a couple years ago.
George was very helpful, very approachable, easy to reach,
and the visa process went really smoothly.
Rosie
Need ''Legal Aid'' for illegal immigrant
Feb 2010
Hello all
I am looking for a referral to a ''legal aid'' group that works with illegal aliens.
This particular case revolves around a driving ticket where the illegal alien was
basically profiled for having a driver's license from Oregon, and that led to other
actions that I find extremely distasteful if not illegal. Wondering if there are
groups out there that would help in situations such as this.
Thank you in advance.
Try the ACLU! They may take the case if it involves a civil
liberties violation, and especially if it could help change
existing law or establish a precedent.
Anon
Contact Canal Alliance based in San Rafael for a resource
in Oakland/Berkeley; they have an immigration legal
department. Legal Aid of Marin might also be of help in
terms of resources--I'm pretty sure there are similar orgs
in the East Bay, but I am most familiar with Marin.
Patti
Cesar Ternieden is a very good immigration attorney with a
lot of experience in dealing with illegal immigrants cases.
He speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese.
He may be reached at 415-845-6151.
Simona
Immigration attorney for permission to re-enter the US
Oct 2008
I need a recommendation for an immigration lawyer. My husband
has a green card, we are temporarily living in Europe, and we
need to renew his permission to re-enter the US when we
return to Berkeley. In this hostile climate, I worry about
his jeapordizing his green card, so I would like to consult
with a savvy immigration lawyer. Thank you.
rachel
There is an excellent immigration firm in San Francisco. The
attorneys are knowledgeable, experienced, professional, and nice. I
can't recommend them highly enough.
McCown & Evans
mccownevans.com
Madelyn
Immigration attorney for immigration nightmare
Sept 2008
I have a dear friend whose husband is stuck in an immigration
nightmare. He is from Cental America and has been here since
he was a child. She and her children are citizens. They have
worked with an attorney and despite the money they have paid
him they have not been well served. Recommendations for
attorneys in the east bay or sf area most welcomed.
worried friend
Hi, has your friend contacted the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San
Francisco? They specialize in serving as a legal clearinghouse for both
immigration lawyers and immigrants. There are several excellent immigration
lawyers affiliated with this organization that they can refer your friend to.
Their website is: www.ilrc.org and their phone number is: 415-255-9499
Best of luck.
I highly recommend my office mate, Evelyn Herrera (510-845-1200) for immigration
issues. She is highly experienced and is a native Spanish speaker from El
Salvador. Hopefully she can help.
Ariel
You will want to contact Lunas & Rampton (www.lunasrampton.com) who work all over
the Bay Area at either 415-398-5484 or
510-333-5978. Recently they've been honored by California Lawyer Magazine with
the 2008 Angel Award for their pro bono work at the immigration clinic in
Oakland's Centro Legal de la Raza. Two very wonderful people who care
passionately about the families they serve!
Carla
I didn't reply immediately to the lady who was looking for an
immigration attorney, but I would recommend this one I know. Her
name is Julia Day Marquez. Her tel. nr is (415)781-2338. She
works at Fallon, Bixby, Cheng & Lee, Immigration Law, 130 Battery
street, Suite 550, San Francisco, CA 94111. She was very
professional, knowledgeable and helpful to me. I don't know if she
would be the right fit for you, but you can give it a try.
Marie
Steve Baughman 415-576-9923 and Jim Mayock 415-765-5111, both in SF,
specialize in immigration. Both are very smart guys. Steve speaks
Mandarin. Jim has given talks on immigration from Europe.
peg
Immigration lawyer for Green card
July 2007
I need a recommendation for an Immigration Attorney for Green Card. The existing
recommendations are two years or three years old.
Thanks,
A.
My office mate, Evelyn Herrera is an excellent immigration attorney with years of
experience. Her office is in Berkeley and her number is 510-845-1200.
Ariel
Seven years ago, my husband and I used Judith Bloomberg, (415) 258-9152/415-392-6101 and we
found her great. She helped us get my husband a green card after we got married.
Stephanie
Immigration lawyer for children of a green card holder
August 2004
We are looking for a good immigration lawyer - someone that
knows their stuff, not too expensive and preferably in Berkeley
area. We want to apply for a green card for children of a
green card holder.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Cali
I highly recommend Mary Beth Kaufman. She is an excellent lawyer
as well as a kind and compasionate advocate for her clients.
She handles all kinds of immigration law, including family-based
immigration, asylum, deportation defense, and appeals (and she's
fluent in Spanish). She has worked with well-known immigration
firms for the last several years but recently started her own
practice, so she is able to offer her clients reasonable rates
and personal, individualized attention. Her office is in
Oakland, and her contact info is 510-409-8928 or email at
marybethkaufman@gmail.com
Friend and Colleague
Adria-Ann McMurray is an immigration lawyer, incredibly
competent, experienced and respected. Nice too!! Here is her
information:
Adria-Ann L. McMurray
Immigration Law
2140 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704
Phone: (510) 841-0788
Sandy
I highly recommend my friend and colleague, Evelyn Herrera for
assistance with immigration issues (she also handles family law
matters). Evelyn is smart, experienced, ethical, and a great
advocate. She is also a native Spanish speaker. Evelyn has a
new office in Berkeley and can be reached at 510-845-1200
Ariel
Immigration lawyer for teen sister's green card
March 2004
Hello,
could anyone recommend a good immigration lawer? We have a case
where my parents were given a green card and my sister (14
y.o.) was not. The whole point for them to come here is so that
my sister could go to school here, in US. Please help!!!
Thank you so much!!
Paula
I'd like to recommend the law firm of Bohbot & Riles, Karine Bohbot and Elizabeth
Riles. They are both bright young lawyers specializing in discrimination,
harassment, wrongful termination, and immigration law. Karine is a member of the
American Immigration Lawyers Association.
The url of their website says it well:
http://www.strikebacklaw.com
If I ever have a legal problem in their areas of expertise, they will be my lawyers!
Cecelia
Minette Kwok from Minami Lew & Tamaki is a great immigration
atterney. She is one of the atterney at this big law firm. So,
she is a bit pricey. But she is very nice and good.
Her number is 415-788-0436. Her office right above Tiffany at
Union Square.
Another person is Earnest Lew. It happened to be a same last
name but they are not related. He may be cheaper since he has
his own office for himself. He is very nice too. His number is
415-359-0184 and his office is by Van Ness near Japan Town.
Both of them are very approachable and easy to talk to.
Good luck with your case.
Sachiko
Immigration attorney for H1 visa
Feb 2004
I need a recommendation for a local immigration attorney, who
can work with a small-business employer to apply for an H1 visa
without too much cost. I saw the recommendations on the
website, but they were several years old.
Mark
I highly recommend David Mainland in San Francisco. I have used
his services three times. He helped me several years ago with my
Citizenship, then he helped my wife with her H1-B and finally
with her Green Card. His rates are very reasonable and he is
well-connected at the INS. I have referred several other friends
to him who were all extremely happy with his services.
David Mainland
530 Bush Street, Suite 404
San Francisco CA 94108
415-362-0245
Good Luck!
Kai
H1's really aren't too scary and the BCIS website is pretty
thorough in telling you what you need to do - if you're willing
to do it. I'm an HR professional and the first H1, in
mid-1990's, I did with a lawyer. I spent more time double
checking their work than my money was worth. I no longer use a
lawyer except to consult if there is something special about a
candidate. I found that the web answered any question I had and
there was no need to pay a lawyer a few hundred or thousands to
double-check my work - especially since most introduced mistakes
rather than fixing anything. That said, Fragomen DelRey and
Burnsen is a immigration attny office with good resources, if you
don't go it alone, they may be a good choice.
http://www.fragomen.com/
employer sponsored
I'd recommend Mr. Jaime Alcabes, Esq in Oakland, his number is
510-893-6150. He is efficient and very smart.
M
You can try this person:
Anja Freudenthal, (415) 834-1884.
Tell her you were referred by the International Institute of the
East Bay.
Katie
Immigration attorney for expired student visa
January 2003
Can anyone recommend an immigration attorney? I have a student
living in my home whose student visa has expired. I would like
to do all I can to help her stay here and the past
recommendations are dated.
Immigration attorney David Mainland (415-362-0245) helped me 16
years ago. He has very reasonable fees and is on top of
things. His wife Gitte manages the office and also knows about
latest INS regulations. You can get a lot of good advice for
free over the phone. I've never heard anyone having a bad
experience with them and I have referred at least 7 people to
them, who were then able to stay in the country.
Heike Helmer
Angela Bean, in San Franicsco, is an experienced, ethical
immigration attorney with a bent toward the underdog. Sorry I
don't have her number handy, but she's in the phone book. Good
luck.
I also understand Marc Van der Hout is good.
wife of immigration attorney in training.
My friend Love Macione has an immigration practice in SF. She's
very knowledgable and friendly. Her number is: 415-734-9400.
Liz
Response to request for recommended immigration attorney:
Erica L. Tomlinson
Simmons & Ungar
50 California Street #470
SF CA 94111
415-277-4965
fax 415-421-0772
erica.tomlinson at simmonsungar.com
She helped our firm with a difficult situation where an employee
had previously received the wrong type of visa, and we needed to
get it changed to the correct type of visa. (Other attorneys
said it was not possible to do.)
Cassandra
If you are looking for a Competent, Knowledgeable,Thorough, and
Affordable Immigration Attorney,I highly recommend Kaushik
Ranchod.His also a Very Amicable and Likeable person.His phone
number is 415-934-8472, and email is kaushik at ranchodlaw.com. He
is in 211 Gough Street. San Francisco.CA. 94102.
Immigration attorney for permanent immigrant status
2001
I would welcome recommendations of an immigration lawyer in the Bay Area that can deal
with getting permanent immigrant status (the green card). We are scientists with Ph.D's from
American universities. I read the recommendations in the UCB parents webpage but all of
them seem to be written by Americans who delt with attorneys from the employer side. I
wonder if any of you foreign parents has any stories to share about getting the green card,
things to avoid, lawyers to avoid, etc. Also, how much does it cost, how long does the whole
thing take? Thanks very much!!!
Irene
I can highly recommend David Mainland. He handled my case 15 years ago and is
simply the nicest lawyer around. Other lawyers approached me with a hostile attitude
like immigration would ("how real is your marriage?)," David is very relaxed and is
friends with everyone, including immigration officers. When we nervously went to the
INS for the interview, David Mainland's presence was as calming as having my Dad
next to me. He only charged me half of what the other lawyers in their ostentatious
offices demanded and got to work on my case without questioning anything. I have sent
David many referrals whose cases he worked out successfully (work visas, marriages,
green cards). When he was getting a work visa for an Italian friend of mine, he told her
that he would knock $200 off her case, because he considered it an easy
one. Hard to find a lawyer like that! He's got the heart in the right spot. Gitte, his
cheerful German wife, manages his office. They always give free advice over the phone
and won't charge you anything unless they get to handle your case. Here is their
number: 415-362-0245.
Heike
I used Terry Helbush (whose office was in San Francisco at that time -1991-1992). I got
my "green card" going through the labor certification process, without a hitch. Terry
was very efficient and was able to work with my employer, who was anxious about the
process.
Sara
I recently had my permanent residency case approved (still waiting for the actual
"Green Card") after 5 years! My employer sponsored me through this process via i140
petition under member of profession with advanced degree. I imagine you'll be qualified
under the same category. Even within the same category, though, the length of wait
varies significantly -- mine took a lot longer than most people. My advice are (i) to find a
lawyer who has an "in" to INS (I've heard this really makes a big difference, which my
lawyer didn't), and (ii) once your case is filed with INS, lobby your local politicians to bug
INS about your case. Yes, it does not sound like a fair process, but it's the sad truth
about dealing with this federal government
agency. Good luck (yes, you'll need a lot of). Satomi
I highly recommend Philip M. Levin in San Francisco (415) 392-4660, who specializes in
immigration matters. He was very efficient in getting the INS to give me American
citizenship and seems to be very dedicated to the cases that he takes. He also had very
good advice about how to prepare for the test that you have to pass before being granted
citizenship, and even accompanied me to the INS for the test to make sure everything
was done right. The fees will depend on your case, but expect to pay at least $2000. Well
worth the relief from the stress of having to wait indefinitely for the INS to acknowledge
that you even exist!
Maria
More Recommendations
November 2000
Josh
I would recommend a woman I used to work with named Julie Pearl in San
Francisco.
Her firm is Munro, Nelson, Pearl and McCown. Julie was one of the most
generous
employers and attorneys I ever worked for and her staff loved her, she had
many clients,
and they always seemed very happy with the services rendered.
http://www.immigrationlaw.com/
http://www.immigrationlaw.com/aboutourfirm/Pearl.html
Denise
Hi, this lawyer does some consulting for the
company I work and has helped me with employment
authorization issues. He was always nice to me and
it seems to me he knew everything I wanted to
know.
I can't tell you about the cost, but you could
call him and ask.
The firm is located in Oakland.
Jonathan McNeil Wong Voice:
5104510544
Donahue, Gallagher, Woods & Wood, LLP
URL: http://www.donahue.com
Kristin
A great Immigration attorney is AdriaAnn McMurray. She has
offices in SF and Berkeley. She is reasonable, prompt, caring and
thorough. She has more than 12 years experience in everything from
deportation defense to business and student visas. She specializes in HIV
and Juvenile issues. She can be reached at 415/3979422, 400 Montgomery St, SF.
Louisa
There are a lot of notverygood immigration lawyers around; more than in
many other areas of the law. I can recommend Bob Jobe (Law Offices of
Robert Jobe) for employment-type immigration issues. He is very bright,
personable and reasonably hardworking. I don't know if he handles political
asylum or illegal alientype issues, but Marc Van der Hout (recommended on
UC Parents website) is great on those. Both are in SF.
Colleen
Christine Brigagliano, in San Franciso, is a very nice person and I like
her office environment. They seem to know what they're doing, but
doublecheck everything anyway, especially if it's done by assistants. They
seem to rush things a bit sometimes.
From: Peter (10/98)
I haven't had to use him myself, but I've heard good things about Marc Van
Der Hout in SF. He's in the phone book. I know he's on the Steering
Committee of the National Lawyers Guild's Immigration Project. THe NLG is
an organization of progressive lawyers and legal workers.
Another resource is for referrals is the immigrant assistance line,
(415) 543-6767.
From: Michael (10/98)
Van der Hout is one of two principals in the firm Van der Hout and
Brigagliano. I used his partner, Christine Brigagliano, to handle the
H1-B and permanent residency work for an employee of mine in my last
job. I haven't done a lot of comparison shopping, but I was pleased
with the work that Christine did. She had legal assistants handle a
lot of the legwork, and was able to do the work at a fixed price for
us, rather than billing us by the hour.
One warning: On two occasions, we were told to expect action by
Immigration by some particular date. Those dates came and went with
no action. The fault wasn't Christine's; Immigration processes
paperwork in a different inertial frame of reference, and it's hard
to predict when they'll finish without an advanced degree in physics
and some chicken entrails. However, it was pretty demotivating to
the employee to see dates come and go without progress. Be sure,
whoever your lawyer is, that you understand which deadlines are
firm, and which are merely likely to be met.
The firm has offices in SF and Palo Alto. My Palm Pilot reports:
Christine Brigagliano
Attorney at Law
Van der Hout and Brigagliano, LLP
Work: 650 688 6020
Fax: 415 981 3003 (SF fax)
Other: 415 981 3000 (SF office),
www.vblaw.com
Palo Alto office address:
525 University Ave, Suite 1420
Palo Alto, CA
SF office address:
180 Sutter Street, Fifth Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104
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