PURCHASE SPONSORSHIP
Contact Meetings
REGISTER NOW

CLE Panel Details

Times posted in Eastern Time (ET) and are subject to change.

 

Friday, May 1

 

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Borderline Genius: Immigration Compliance in 2025 Without Losing Your Sanity

Compliance is everywhere in 2025. This panel will stir the pot on 2025 immigration compliance trends, covering everything from border enforcement to employment audits. We’ll break down what’s cooking at ICE, CBP, USCIS, and DOJ—and share practical tips so your clients – whether individuals or employers – do not end up in hot water. Topics will include I-9s, enhanced CBP inspections, registration requirements, and asylum fees.

  • Moderator: Marketa Lindt, Partner, Sidley Austin
  • Alexis Axelrad, Partner/AILA President-Elect, Barst & Mukamal LLP
  • Jeremy McKinney, Founder, McKinney Immigration Law
  • Marcine Seid, Principal Attorney, Seid Law Group

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | From Policy Shifts to Courtroom Practice: What’s New in Immigration Removal Cases

This panel will focus on the most recent changes in law and policy and the impacts on representing clients in removal proceedings. Evolving best practices for preserving arguments and developing a strong factual record for litigation at the circuit.

  • Moderator: Jennifer Durkin, Of Counsel, Dutta Law Firm
  • Carmen Maria Rey Caldas, Senior Counsel, Co-Counsel NYC
  • Matt Holt, Managing Attorney, Hurwitz Holt, APLC
  • Rekha Sharma-Crawford, Partner, Sharma-Crawford Attorneys at Law, LLC.
  • Ben Winograd, Attorney, Immigrant & Refugee Appellate Center, LLC

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Consular Roulette: Spin the Wheel and Pray for a Visa

Welcome to the thrilling world of consular processing in 2025—where every visa application feels like a high-stakes game show. The rules? Ever-changing. The odds? Not in your favor. From the elimination of third-country processing to mandatory in-person interviews for nearly everyone (yes, even grandma), the U.S. Department of State has turned routine visa applications into bureaucratic obstacle courses. This panel will explore: The death of third-country consular processing—because convenience is so 2024; Mandatory interviews for all, including children and seniors—because nothing says “welcome” like a 6-month wait for a 5-minute chat; Social media vetting and political expression checks—because your meme history might just be a national security threat; and, Country-specific consular shutdowns and reroutes—because who doesn’t love flying to a third country to get a visa you could’ve gotten at home last year?
  • Moderator: Nicole Simon, Partner, Simon, Choi & Tuohy
  • Amanda Brill, Founder & Managing Partner, Brill Immigration
  • Travis Feuerbacher, Former Consular Officer & Immigration Attorney, ZF Visa & Immigration  
  • Claire Pratt, Principal, Jewell Stewart Pratt Beckerson & Carr PC

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Keynote Luncheon + Awards Program

Calling to a Career in Immigration Law
Remarks by Jonathan Micale, Consulting Principal, Integra Strategic Advisors

 

 

 

 

 

 

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | H-1B & High Skilled Workers Strategies and Updates: Pivoting from Offense to Defense in 2025

Defensive H-1B representation: this panel will flag issues to be aware of to prepare a strong initial case but also remaining ready to tackle tricky RFEs and NOIDs. Join a discussion of H-1B filings following the first weighted lottery. Additional topics include the effects of H-1B Modernization on adjudications, the state of deference, delays and pauses in adjudications (USCIS and DOS), the $100,000 enhanced fee and much more.

  • Moderator: Michael Jarecki, Principal, Jarecki Law Group, LLC
  • Christine Alden, Attorney, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
  • Vince Lau, Managing Partner, Clark Lau

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | (Still) Fighting for Survivors of DV, Assault, and Trafficking in 2026

This panel will discuss the landscape of protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, crime, and trafficking, including changes to protective guidance and patterns of adjudication. The panel will also cover statutory and regulatory provisions that provide a roadmap for vigorous advocacy for U, T, and VAWA petitioners in the current environment.

  • Moderator: Cecelia Levin, Advocacy Coordinator, Alliance for Immigrant Survivors
  • Maria Baldini-Potermin, Attorney, Maria Baldini-Potermin, Esq.
  • Sarah Kahn, Senior Staff Attorney, The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law
  • Heather Ziemba, Anti-Trafficking Project Attorney, ASISTA

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM | Welcome to the U.S. (Maybe): The F-1 & J-1 Visa Survival Guide for Students Who Dare to Dream

Studying in the United States used to be a rite of passage. In 2025, it’s more like a bureaucratic bootcamp. Between fixed visa durations, revoked SEVIS records, and social media vetting that rivals a background check for spies, international students are learning that “admission” doesn’t mean “welcome.” This panel will explore the latest twists in the F-1 and J-1 visa saga, including: The death of Duration of Status (D/S)—because who needs flexibility when you can have arbitrary deadlines?; SEVIS auto-terminations triggered by unpaid bus fares and algorithmic paranoia; Mandatory social media transparency—because your TikTok likes might be a national security threat; OPT and STEM OPT uncertainty, now with extra paperwork and fewer guarantees; and, Visa interview roulette, where scheduling is a game of luck and policy mood swings.
  • Moderator: David Ware, Of Counsel, Ware Immigration
  • Sherif Barsoum, Senior Associate VP Global Services, New York University
  • Lucy Cheung, Partner, Goldstein and Cheung LLP
  • Bob White, Principal, Masuda Funai

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM | Children in Crisis: Responding to Changing Policies for UAC and SIJS

The discussion will address recent agency memos and the challenges of implementing them, the need for heightened focus on trafficking screening and related indicators, ongoing questions about Deferred Action for certain UC populations, and key developments in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) such as adjudication delays, retrogression, and their long-term implication.

  • Moderator: Tami Jacob, Attorney, Amaryllis Law
  • Celia Hicks, Attorney
  • Dorothea Lay, Senior Policy Counsel, Jesuit Refugee Service USA
  • Rebecca Scholtz, Senior Staff Attorney, National Immigration Project

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Your Office and USCIS: Not Your Average Cat or Mouse Game

From biometric vetting to $100K H-1B fees, the 2025 immigration landscape is less a welcome mat and more a bureaucratic obstacle course. This panel unpacks the most consequential USCIS updates of the year, including: The end of automatic EAD extensions, leaving thousands at risk of job loss; Mandatory digital payments and the death of checks and money orders; Stricter scrutiny of family-based petitions and marriage fraud detection; The new $100K H-1B fee for overseas hires—and the lawsuits challenging it; and, The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) and its sweeping enforcement priorities. 
  • Moderator: Michael Nowlan, Partner, Clark Hill
  • Kate Angustia, Supervisory Policy and Practice Counsel, American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • Brian Hunt, Counsel, Fragomen
  • Tracie Morgan, Founding Attorney, Hope Immigration
  • Michael Valverde, Founder, True North Pathways

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | The Long Arm of the Law – ICE Enforcement Operations*

This panel will cover the when/where and how your client may encounter ICE. Panelists will discuss immediate steps attorneys can take when enforcement occurs, including locating clients, contacting ICE, and navigating detention procedures. The discussion will also cover custody considerations, recent case law, and strategies to safeguard clients, including bond eligibility, stays of removal, and 90-day custody reviews.

*This session is not open to members of the press.

  • Moderator: Lauren Anselowitz, Partner, Harlan York & Associates
  • Annelise Araujo, Founding Principal & Owner, Araujo & Fisher
  • Christopher Dempsey, Principal, Dempsey Law PLLC
  • Matthew Elliston, Assistant Director, ICE, U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
  • John Gihon, Partner, Lasnetski Gihon Law
 

Saturday, May 2

 

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Fighting for the Future – Impact Litigation in the Current Climate

This session provides a timely overview of major impact litigation shaping immigration law and policy. Panelists will examine key cases currently pending in federal courts, including challenges to asylum access, immigration detention, birthright citizenship, and Temporary Protected Status. The discussion will also explore how these developments affect clients in real time, equipping practitioners with the knowledge needed to navigate an evolving legal landscape.

  • Moderator: Hon. Lori Adams, Of Counsel, Immigration Equality; former U.S. Immigration Judge
  • Adina Appelbaum, Program Director, Amica Center
  • Ozlem Barnard, Principal, Barnard Legal LLC
  • Hon. Lawrence Burman (ret.), Former Immigration Judge, U.S. Department of Justice

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Litigating for Freedom – Habeas Strategies in Immigration Detention

Panelists will cover the requirements for filing a petition, what to consider before filing and how to know where to file. The panel will cover recent case law on Habeas litigation across the country and discuss its impact on future detention of immigrant detainees.

  • Moderator: Lauren McClure, Partner, Kriezelman Burton and Associates
  • Enes Hajpardasic, Partner, Onal Gallant Bayram & Amin
  • Mark Stevens, Member, Clark Hill
  • Kel White, Associate Director – Public Education, & Training, Acacia Center for Justice

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | When Citizenship Gets Complicated: Eligibility, Policy Changes, and Denaturalization

Join national experts in citizenship and naturalization law and policy to discuss the possibilities for applicants who wish to become, or to remain, U.S. citizens. Panelists will discuss the challenges facing immigrants currently seeking to naturalize, including how U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is evaluating the “good moral character” requirement and assessing “public charge”, and the tools we need to navigate these challenges; the risks of denaturalization and defenses to these efforts; and how changes in USCIS mission, personnel and policy impact those applying for citizenship.

  • Moderator: Cristina Velez, Legal & Policy Director, ASISTA
  • Avideh Moussavian, Attorney, Consultant
  • Amber Qureshi, Attorney, Law Office of Amber Qureshi, LLC
  • Jeff Robins, Senior Counsel, BAL
  • Hasan Shafiqullah, Immigration Supervising Attorney, The Legal Aid Society

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Luncheon Programs [Select One]

  • Networking Luncheon
  • Section Board Meeting

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Navigating Emerging Procedural Issues before EOIR

This has been a year of unprecedented changes throughout the Executive Office for Immigration Review (“EOIR”). EOIR is the agency within the Department of Justice assigned to adjudicate noncitizens’ removability and claims for relief in immigration court, among other duties. This presentation will focus on EOIR’s recent changes to the adjudicative corps, bond policy, asylum and removal proceedings, and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). This panel will also cover practical guidance on new procedures including fee payment and motion to pretermit. In addition making objections and preserving issues for appeal.

  • Moderator: Michelle Mendez, Director of Legal Resources and Training, National Immigration Project
  • Megan Herndon, Of Counsel, Murray Osorio PLLC
  • Susan Roy, Managing Attorney, Center for Social Justice, Seton Hall Law School

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Crimmigration in Focus: Crossroads of Two Legal Systems

This panel will focus on changes in law like the Laken Reilly Act and how they affect immigrants across all aspects of their interactions with the immigration system. Particular focus will be placed on the impact of arrests and convictions outside of the removal context.

  • Moderator: Yvette Changuin, Operation Lone Star Staff Attorney, myPadilla
  • Jeremy Lasnetski, Attorney, Lasnetski Gihon Law
  • Helen Parsonage, Partner, EMP Law
  • Benjamin Simpson, Partner, Cohen Forman Barone, PC

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM | Escape from PERM Island: Creative Green Card Strategies for the Bold and the Bureaucratically Exhausted

PERM is the DMV of employment-based immigration: slow, confusing, and allergic to urgency. But what if you could skip the line entirely? In 2025, a growing number of professionals are ditching the traditional labor certification route and opting for faster, smarter, and occasionally unconventional paths to permanent residency. This panel explores the latest and greatest PERM-free green card strategies, including: EB-1A for the “Extraordinary”—because being a genius finally pays off; National Interest Waivers (NIWs)—for those who can prove they’re basically indispensable to America; Schedule A occupations—nurses, physical therapists, and other unicorns who get to bypass the PERM maze; Self-petitioning options—because sometimes, you just have to be your own sponsor; and, Creative timing and category-switching—for those who treat immigration strategy like chess, not checkers
  • Moderator: Fuji Whittenburg, Partner, Whittenburg Immigration Law 
  • Zach Dussault, Attorney, Kushner and Kushner, PC
  • Neena Dutta, Principal Attorney, Dutta Law Firm
  • Kathleen Gasparian, Founder, Gasparian Spivey Immigration

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM | From Policy to Protection: What’s New in Asylum Law?

This panel will focus on the most recent changes in asylum law by looking at the latest BIA and Circuit case law. Panelists will discuss practical strategies in developing cases to address this new legal landscape. Panelists will also discuss procedural changes put in place at the Immigration Court and Board level that impact adjudication of applications for asylum and related relief.

  • Moderator: Maggie Riley, Attorney, Amaryllis Law
  • Heather Axford, Executive Director, Central American Legal Assistance
  • Ofelia Calderon, Partner, Calderon Seguin PLC

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Empathy, Burnout, and Boundaries: Mental Health in Immigration Law (Ethics)

This panel will examine the impact of secondary trauma on legal practitioners. Panelists will discuss coping and prevention strategies to support professional well-being and sustainability. The discussion will also address how to establish appropriate boundaries while fulfilling ethical obligations to clients.

  • Moderator: Mary Sirmans, Partner, Amaryllis Law
  • Mariela Shibley, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Shibley Psychology
  • Christine Lin, Director of Training & Technical Assistance, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
  • Jason West, Attorney & Counselor at Law, Just Law International PC