The 2025 Lawdragon 100 Leading Immigration Lawyers
By Katrina Dewey | May 9, 2025 | Guides, News & Features
Sarah Flannery of Thompson Hine, Otieno Ombok of Jackson Lewis and Avalyn Castillo Langemeier of Foster are among this year's honorees.
We’re honored to introduce The 2025 Lawdragon 100 Leading Immigration Lawyers.
They bring vital knowledge to transform the hope of immigration into reality. Perhaps never has that skill been more important.
They help individuals and businesses seeking opportunity, a chance to build a life, a career. And, increasingly, to preserve lives already established against very real threats of denial or deportation.
These lawyers represent employers as well as individuals and families. Their stories mirror those of their clients in the hopes they pursued for a better life, whether from the Philippines, Kenya – or Cleveland.
Sarah C. Flannery had no exposure to the legal world until she attended Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. After graduation, she joined Thompson Hine as a labor and employment lawyer, but felt herself drawn to practice Immigration Law.
“I have the privilege of being in a practice area where I continuously see individuals achieving big dreams, and it is exciting to witness,” she said in a recent interview with her alumni magazine.
Flannery heads Thompson Hine's Immigration practice. She has provided visa solutions for Fortune 500 IT companies, helped secure visas for foreign national golfers invited to the PGA or LPGA Tour, sent green card approvals to researchers and scientists who are changing how we live, and helped foreign national students launch careers in the U.S.
Otieno B. Ombok co-heads Jackson Lewis’ Immigration practice. A native of Kenya, he earned his law degree there and worked in nonprofits in Africa focused on education, democracy and governance before immigrating to the U.S. and joining Jackson Lewis. Practicing from the firm’s White Plains, N.Y., office he specializes in issues related to employment-based immigration into the U.S. He helps employers structure their immigration programs and develop long-term visa strategies for key manufacturing, telecommunications, Big Pharma and healthcare employees. He also helps obtain non-immigration work and employment-based visas for professional and specialized skill employees, especially researchers, scientists and medical professionals. As an anchor of the firm’s Immigration Blog, Ombok provides ongoing updates of immigration developments.
Foster partner Avalyn Castillo Langemeier came to her interest in Immigration Law naturally. Her Mexican-American mother met her father in the Philippines, where he was serving as one of the first U.S. Peace Corps volunteers under President Kennedy. Growing up in Texas, her life was a mix of people, cultures, languages and foods.
Working from the Houston office of the powerhouse Immigration law firm, Langemeier represents employers and individuals in service, academia and healthcare, on employment-based immigration processes. She has extensive experience with corporate compliance and immigration policy; nonimmigrant visas including H-1Bs, Ls, TNs and R-1s; J-1 waivers; specialty visas like O-1 nonimmigrant visas; employment-based permanent residency, including based on PERM labor certification, EB-1, and EB-2 national interest waiver; naturalization and citizenship, and Form I-9 compliance.
In addition to our journalistic research we rely on nominations as well as vetting by peers to select those included. Those denoted with as asterisk are members of our Hall of Fame. Lawdragon has reported on and recognized leaders in Immigration Law since 2007.
| First | Last | Organization | Location | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geetha Nadiminti | Adinata | FordHarrison | Los Angeles | Business Immigration, I-9, E-Verify Compliance |
| Carmita | Alonso | Fragomen | New York | Global Mobility |
| Jeff | Appleman* | BAL Immigration Law | San Francisco | Immigration & Nationality Law |
| Alexis S. | Axelrad | Barst | New York | Corporate & Family Immigration |
| Davis C. | Bae | Fisher Phillips | Seattle | Business Immigration |
| Abraham | Benhayoun | Law Offices of Abraham Benhayoun | Aventura, Fla. | Immigration, Naturalization |
| Marcela | Bermudez | Greenspoon Marder | New York | Business Immigration |
| Eric S. | Bord | Morgan Lewis | Washington, D.C. | Business Immigration |
| Roberto | Caballero | BAL Immigration Law | Houston | Business Immigration |
| Colleen L. | Caden | Pryor Cashman | New York | Immigration & Nationality Law, inc. Sports |
| Hector | Chichoni | Greenspoon Marder | Miami | Corporate & Individual Immigration |
| Dillon R. | Colucci | Greenberg Traurig | Los Angeles | Immigration, Individuals, Families, Business |
| Bo | Cooper | Fragomen | Washington, D.C. | Government Strategies & Compliance |
| Helene | Dang | Foster | Houston | Corporate Immigration |
| Shannon A. | Donnelly | Morgan Lewis | Washington, D.C. | Immigration & Global Mobility |
| Kelli | Duehning | BAL Immigration Law | San Francisco | Government Strategies & Compliance |
| Matthew S. | Dunn | Kramer Levin | New York | Business Immigration |
| George | Ernst | Hall Booth Smith | Little Rock, Ark. | Immigration, International Business |
| Corina M. | Farias | Foster | Austin | Business Immigration |
| Kelli A. | Fennell | Hughes Socol | Chicago | Immigration & Nationality Law |
| Sarah C. | Flannery | Thompson Hine | Cleveland | Global Talent Management, Cross-Border Employment |
| Charles C. | Foster* | Foster | Houston | Immigration Law, esp. Multinationals, Foreign Investors |
| Austin | Fragomen* | Fragomen | Miami | Immigration Law |
| Jeremy | Fudge | BAL Immigration Law | Dallas | Corporate Immigration |
| Maria Fernanda | Gandarez | Pryor Cashman | New York | Global Mobility & Immigration |
| Patricia | Gannon | Greenspoon Marder | New York | Business Immigration, Employment Verification |
| Patricia L. | Gannon | Greenspoon Marder | New York | Business Immigration |
| Frieda | Garcia | BAL Immigration Law | San Francisco | Worldwide Immigration Services |
| Darren G. | Gardner | King & Spalding | San Francisco | Global Human Capital & Compliance |
| Candice | Garrett | Stone Grzegorek | Los Angeles | Immigration, esp. EB-5 Investment Immigration |
| Elizabeth L.A. | Garvish | Garvish Immigration Law Group | Atlanta | Corporate and Individual Immigration |
| Jennifer Walker | Gates | JLW Immigration Law Group | Austin | Family Immigration, Crime & Domestic Violence Visas |
| Delya | Ghosh | BAL Immigration Law | San Francisco | Corporate & Family Immigration |
| Kortney | Gibson | BAL Immigration Law | Dallas | Corporate Immigration |
| Sandra | Grossman | Grossman Young | Bethesda, Md. | Immigration & International Human Rights Law |
| David | Grunblatt | Fragomen | New York | Business Immigration, esp. Global Mobility |
| Kathleen | Grzegorek | Stone Grzegorek | Los Angeles | Business Immigration |
| Denise | Hammond* | Grossman Young | Silver Spring, Md. | Immigration Law |
| Carl | Hampe | Fragomen | Washington, D.C. | Immigration Law, inc. Compliance Counseling, Enforcement Defense |
| Kelli L. | Hayes | Thompson Hine | Columbus, Ohio | Business Immigration |
| Jennifer | Hermansky | Greenberg Traurig | Philadelphia | Employment Immigration |
| Cole F. | Heyer | Greenberg Traurig | Atlanta | Immigration, Family, Business |
| Addie | Hogan | Corporate Immigration Partners | San Francisco | Immigration Law |
| Yeu Sik | Hong | Stone Grzegorek | Los Angeles | Individual & Corporate Immigration |
| Elizabeth | Jordan | Sturm College of Law | Denver | Immigration, Disability & Criminal Justice System |
| Jeff | Joseph | BAL Immigration Law | Denver | Immigration Advocacy |
| Kate | Kalmykov | Greenberg Traurig | Florham Park, N.J. | Business Immigration, inc. Compliance |
| Sameer | Khedekar | Banyan | Mountain View, Calif. | Global Immigration |
| Rebecca | Kitson | Rebecca Kitson Law | Albuquerque | Immigration Law, inc. Employment & Family |
| H. Ronald | Klasko* | Klasko Immigration Law Partners | Philadelphia | Immigration Law, inc. E-2, EB-5 |
| Mark D. | Koestler | Kramer Levin | New York | Business Immigration, Global Mobility |
| Robert | Krug | Hughes Socol | Chicago | Individual & Corporate Immigration |
| Ira J. | Kurzban* | Kurzban Kurzban | Coral Gables, Fla. | Immigration, inc. Alien & Human Rights |
| Avalyn Castillo | Langemeier | Foster | Houston | Immigration & Nationality Law |
| Ann | Lee | Holland & Hart | Denver | Business Immigration |
| David W. | Leopold | UB Greensfelder | Cleveland | Employment & Family Immigration |
| Marketa | Lindt | Sidley | Chicago | Business Immigration, Global Mobility |
| Robert | Loughran | Foster | Austin | Corporate Immigration |
| Ian R. | Macdonald | Greenberg Traurig | Atlanta | International Employment, Immigration |
| Jeremy L. | McKinney | Jeremy McKinney | Greensboro, N.C. | Immigration & Naturalization |
| Lynden | Melmed | BAL Immigration Law | Washington, D.C. | Immigration, Government Strategies |
| Jennifer A. | Minear | McCandlish Holton | Charlottesville, Va. | Employment-based Immigration, esp. Healthcare |
| Kevin | Miner | Fragomen | Atlanta | Business Immigration Strategy |
| Avram | Morell | Pryor Cashman | New York | Immigration & Nationality Law |
| Spojmie | Nasiri | Law Offices of Spojmie Nasiri | San Francisco | Immigration, esp. Family, Individual |
| Michael H. | Neifach | Jackson Lewis | Washington, D.C. | Immigration, Visa, Border Security |
| Courtney B. | Noce | Greenberg Traurig | Atlanta | Immigration & Compliance, esp. I-9 |
| Deborah J. | Notkin* | Barst | New York | Immigration & Nationality Law |
| Otieno B. | Ombok | Jackson Lewis | White Plains, N.Y. | Business Immigration, inc. Strategy, Implementation |
| Allen | Orr Jr. | Orr Immigration Law Firm | Washington, D.C. | Individual & Employment Immigration |
| Farshad | Owji | WR Immigration | San Francisco | Corporate Global Mobility |
| José | Pérez | Foster | Houston | Immigration Law, esp. Healthcare |
| Angelo | Paparelli* | Vialto Law | Los Angeles | Business Immigration |
| Amy L. | Peck | Jackson Lewis | Omaha, Neb. | Immigration Law |
| Eleanor | Pelta | Morgan Lewis | Washington, D.C. | Immigration & Nationality Law |
| Sarah K. | Peterson | Fragomen | Minneapolis | Employment-Based Immigration |
| Irina | Plumlee | Munsch Hardt | Dallas | Business & Family Immigration |
| John Patrick | Pratt | Kurzban Kurzban | Coral Gables, Fla. | Immigration & Nationality Law |
| John F. | Quill | Mintz | Boston | Immigration & Nationality Law |
| Thomas | Ragland | Clark Hill | Washington, D.C. | Individual & Corporate Immigration |
| Edward | Ramos | Kurzban Kurzban | Coral Gables, Fla. | Immigration Litigation |
| Laura Foote | Reiff | Greenberg Traurig | McLean, Va. | Business Immigration & Compliance |
| Edward | Rios | BAL Immigration Law | Boston | Global Immigration Strategies, inc. Technology |
| Kimberley Best | Robidoux | WR Immigration | San Diego | Employment & Family Immigration |
| Nestor | Rosin | Foster | Houston | Corporate Immigration, Employee Mobility |
| Agnes Cha | Rudinsky | Greenberg Traurig | Northern Virginia | Workplace Immigration, Compliance |
| Nataliya | Rymer | Greenberg Traurig | Philadelphia | Employment-based Immigration & Compliance |
| Denyse | Sabagh* | Duane Morris | Washington, D.C. | Immigration & Nationality Law, Litigation |
| Elham | Sadri | Sadri Law | San Jose, Calif. | Nationality & Immigration Law |
| Suzanne B. | Seltzer | The Seltzer Firm | New York | Immigration & Nationality Law |
| Grace | Shie | Mayer Brown | Washington, D.C. | Global Mobility & Immigration |
| John D. | Smart | Bell Nunnally | Dallas | Immigration, Employment |
| J. Anthony | Smith | Tafapolsky Smith | Los Angeles | Employment-based Immigration |
| Grant | Sovern | Quarles & Brady | Madison, Wis. | Immigration & Mobility |
| Lisa | Spiegel | Duane Morris | Palo Alto, Calif. | Immigration & Nationality Law |
| Elizabeth Espin | Stern | Mayer Brown | Washington, D.C. | Global Mobility & Migration |
| William A. | Stock | Klasko Immigration Law Partners | Philadelphia | Immigration Law, inc. Business, Individual |
| Lincoln | Stone | Stone Grzegorek | Los Angeles | Immigration & Nationality, EB-5, Detained Refugees |
| Jacquelyn E. | Stone | McGuireWoods | Richmond, Va. | Government Relations, Regulatory, Immigration |
| Kelli J. | Stump | Stump Law | Oklahoma City | Family-Based Immigration, Complex Deportation |
| Petra | Tang | BAL Immigration Law | San Francisco | Business Immigration, esp. Tech |
| Paige | Taylor | Fragomen | Houston | Global Mobility, PERM Certification |
| Helena | Tetzeli | Kurzban Kurzban | Coral Gables, Fla. | Business Immigration, Litigation |
| Chris L. | Thomas | Holland & Hart | Denver | Business Immigration |
| Miriam C. | Thompson | Greenberg Traurig | Atlanta | Business Immigration, Compliance |
| Sarah Lea | Tobocman | Gunster | Miami | Corporate Immigration |
| Anastasia | Tonello | UB Greensfelder | New York | Business & Individual Immigration |
| Yvonne | Toy | Ogletree | San Francisco | Business Immigration Law |
| Christy | Umstadter | Corporate Immigration Partners | San Francisco | Global Mobility |
| Ron | Wada | Tafapolsky & Smith | San Francisco | Immigration Law |
| Kathleen Campbell | Walker | Dickinson Wright | El Paso, Texas | Business Immigration |
| Jacqueline L. | Watson | JLW Immigration Law Group | Austin | Immigration Law |
| Susan | Wehrer | BAL Immigration Law | Dallas | Business Immigration |
| Nicole M. | Whitaker | Whitaker Legal | Towson, Md. | Immigration, Individual & Business |
| Bernard | Wolfsdorf* | WR Immigration | Santa Monica, Calif. | Corporate Global Mobility |
| Nadia | Yakoob | Nadia Yakoob & Associates | Oakland, Calif. | Immigration Law, inc. Immigrants & Refugees |
| Becki | Young | Grossman Young | Silver Spring, Md. | Business Immigration |
