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.

    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.

    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
    • 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
    • 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
    • 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
    • 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.)