Ellen Freeman - US Immigration Lawyer

Ellen Freeman

FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER

Bar Admissions:

Pennsylvania – 1999

New York – 2009

Phone Number:

Founder & Managing Partner of Ellen Freeman Immigration Law Group

With more than 20 years of practice in all facets of employment-based immigration, Ellen Freeman works with growing organizations to advise on U.S. immigration law, strategy, compliance, and training. Her depth of experience as a U.S. immigration attorney fully supports clients moving through the challenging steps of business growth and shifting employment strategy, including forming corporate entities, establishing U.S. operations, and managing applications for temporary visas through permanent residence.

Ellen understands how often employers worry about finding the right candidates and responds with expedient and efficient strategies for their immigration matters to keep her clients’ businesses running smoothly. She works with Legal and HR departments, hiring managers as well as business owners, answering questions and offering strategic counsel to ensure continued profitability and growth. Ellen delivers on the promise to hire the best candidate to both satisfy the employer and keep the new hire happy.

She extends her leadership and counsel as a business partner and problem solver for clients in biotech, IT, R&D, healthcare, and education. Clients truly appreciate Ellen’s availability. She’s “on the clock” on weekends, evenings, or the early mornings as needed. She works on her clients’ time, whether they’re in New York, London, Warsaw, Mumbai, or Tokyo.

The fact that she is also an immigrant, having arrived in Pittsburgh from Odessa in 1993, means that Ellen deeply understands the stressors that the process creates for her clients. She is dedicated to providing the necessary legal services to let them lead rewarding and fulfilling lives and livelihoods.

About Ellen Freeman

Ellen Freeman is highly active in immigration education and development at the national and international levels, and serves in various leadership roles with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Admitted to Pennsylvania and New York Bar Association, she is one of AILA’s most valued speakers, Ellen offers her knowledge each year through numerous CLE programs. In 2018, she was elected to AILA’s Board of Governors as one of only 21 elected directors. Ellen chaired the AILA Global Immigration Section, a group of over 1,000 immigration attorneys from around the world spearheading issues of international immigration law, policy and procedure. She also served the Mayor of Pittsburgh as a member of the Welcoming Pittsburgh Advisory Council, an initiative to attract immigrants to the region. She is the Pennsylvania Ambassador as part of the American Immigration Council’s AILA Ambassador Program.

Because the expense of US immigration legal services might be a concern for corporate counsel, Ellen is open and transparent when discussing her flat fee arrangement and provides predictability for every client engagement.

Ellen is an avid supporter of the arts and regularly secures O-1 and P-1 visa status on behalf of musicians, conductors, actors, singers, and large entertainment groups for their U.S. tours. Concurrent with her many years of successful practice, Ellen takes pride in building long-lasting relationships with her clients.

US Immigration Attorney Services

Working closely with her clients, Ellen handles:

Work-authorized visas, including H-1B, L-1, E-2, E-3, E-1, H-3, H-1B1, J-1, B-1/B-2, TN, P-1, P-3, and O-1
Consular support for nonimmigrant and immigrant visa processing
Employment-eligibility verification, IRCA, LCA, and I-9 compliance
Immigration consequences of corporate reorganization
Immigration and relocation policies
Treaty investment immigration and foreign direct investment
Blanket L Authorization for U.S. companies with foreign affiliates
Physician immigration
Allied healthcare professionals
J-1 home residency requirements waivers for foreign medical graduates
Employment-based immigrant petitions
PERM/labor certification applications
Adjustment of Status filings
Applications for Naturalization/U.S. citizenship
Preservation of legal permanent residence status, and
Waivers of inadmissibility

Professional Associations

AILA Board of Governors, Elected Director, Board Member, 2018–2022
AILA Global Migration Section, Chair, 2020-2021
AILA Business Immigration Response Team, 2017–present
AILA Global Migration Section, Steering Committee Member, 2013–2015; 2016–2022
Allegheny County Bar Association; Women in the Law Division, Board Member, 2018–2021
Allegheny County Bar Association, Arts and Law Committee, 2009–present
Foreign Medical Graduates Task Force, 2009–present
AILA Rome-EMEA District Chapter 2014, 2018 and 2021 Spring Conference, Committee Member, 2022 Fall Conference Committee Co-Chair
Law 360, Immigration Editorial Advisory Board, Board Member, 2016–2019
AILA Midyear Conference Committee, Business Track Chair; 2019
AILA National 2018 Fall Conference, Planning Committee Member, 2018
AILA 2018 Annual Conference, Fundamentals Track Chair, 2017–2018
AILA Global Migration Section, Consular Liaison Committee, Chair, 2017–2018
AILA 2016 Annual Conference, Committee Member, 2015–2016
AILA Business Immigration Committee, Member 2014–2015
AILA Board of Governors, Pittsburgh Chapter Chair, 2009–2011, 2014–2015
AILA Fundamentals of Immigration Law, Conference Committee Chair, 2014
AILA Students & Scholars Committee, Member, 2012– 2013
AILA Distance Learning (CLE) Committee, Chair, 2011–2012
International Bar Association; Immigration Committee Member
Pittsburgh Human Resources Association, Learning & Professional Development Committee, 2008–2011

Ellen Freeman’s Honors & Awards

Lexology, Client Choice Award 2022
Best Lawyers in America®, Immigration Law, 2019–present
Best Lawyers in America®, Lawyer of the Year, Immigration Law, 2022
Best Law Firms in America®, 2019-present
Martindale-Hubbell®, AV Preeminent®, 2008–present
Who’s Who Legal, Corporate Immigration, Thought Leader, 2015–present
Pittsburgh Business Times, Women of Influence Award, 2018
Leadership Pittsburgh, 2018–2019, Class XXXV
Global Pittsburgh, Immigrant Entrepreneur Award for Immigrant Professional Excellence, 2017
AILA Certificate of Achievement, 2008, 2011

Community Involvement

Literacy Pittsburgh, Board Member, 2021 – present
Vibrant Pittsburgh, Board Member, 2021 – present
Carnegie Museum of Art, Fellow
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Dance Council, Board Member 2021 – present
United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Women’s Leadership Council (Spotlight article) 2018–present
University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Center for International Legal Education, Advisory Board Member, 2017–present
Executive Women’s Council of Greater Pittsburgh, Executive Committee, Secretary, 2017–2019
Welcoming Pittsburgh, City of Pittsburgh Advisory Council, 2014–2015
World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, Education Committee Member, 2010–2012
Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Cardozo Society, Chair, 2010–2011; Co-Chair 2009–2010, Member – present
Blue Knott, Pittsburgh, Vice President, 2008–2010
Wechsler Leadership Development Institute, 2008–2009
Jack Buncher Leadership Program, Jerusalem, Israel, 1992

Education

University of Pittsburgh School of Law (J.D.)
University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (M.P.I.A.). Certificate in International Corporate Environments, Cross-Cultural Communication
Odessa National University (M.A.)