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Track Assignments
Thursday Schedule
Friday Schedule
Saturday Schedule
CLE Tracking + Credit
Session Materials

ImmLaw22 Attendee List – exported on May 10

Track Assignments

Track A Humanitarian Grand A Ballroom (Terrace Level)
Track B Emerging Issues Grand B Ballroom (Terrace Level)
Track C Family & Naturalization Grand C Ballroom (Terrace Level)
Track D Business & Consular Plaza Ballroom (Terrace Level)
Track E Federal Litigation Windsor Ballroom (Lobby Level)
View Hotel Floor Plan

Thursday Schedule

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Tour of Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
Sold Out! Information will be sent directly to confirmed attendees.

Welcome Dinner at Pegasus Taverna
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | 558 Monroe St. Greektown Detroit, MI 48226
Join fellow conference attendees for an opening dinner at the Greektown Pegasus Taverna. Repeatedly named the best Greek restaurant in metro Detroit, family-owned Pegasus offers traditional Greek cuisine in a fun, casual atmosphere. From its huge open kitchen to the generous portions and charismatic wait staff, Pegasus is the perfect setting to kick-off your time in Detroit!

  • Advance Dinner Ticket Purchase Required: $40
  • Click Here to Pay Online and add to your existing registration package
  • Onsite Purchase Available (credit card only)
  • Meet at the hotel’s valet area located by pressing the “ML ” button in hotel elevator (W. Larned Street side of building) at 5:30 pm for complimentary shuttle service to dinner. Guests may also walk or arrange their own transportation (15 min walk / 5 min drive). Visit MapQuest to load directions from your location.

Friday Schedule

7:00 – 8:30 a.m. | Registration + Breakfast (TERRACE LEVEL BALLROOM FOYER)

8:00 – 8:10 a.m. | Welcome Remarks (GRAND A)
> National President, Anh Le Kremer
> Immigration Law Section Chair, Hon. Amiena Khan

8:30 – 10:00 a.m. | Concurrent CLE Sessions

  • 1A HUMANITARIAN: Nuts and Bolts of Asylum Law: Strategizing a Winning Case (GRAND A)
    • Jeffrey Chase, Law Office of Jeffrey S. Chase (Moderator)
    • Sabrina Balgamwalla, Wayne State University Law School, Asylum & Immigration Clinic
    • Hiroko Kusuda, Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law
    • Alexandra Rizio, Managing Partner, Policy and Partnerships, Safe Passage Project
  • 1B EMERGING ISSUES: Armchair Discussion with CIS Ombudsman and ICE Detention Ombudsman (GRAND B)
    • Prakash Khatri, Owner, Khatri Law Firm, LLC (Moderator)
    • Phyllis Coven, CIS Ombudsman, Department of Homeland Security
    • Meredith DeFraites, Acting Director, External Relations, Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman
  • 1C FAMILY + NATURALIZATION: Navigating Marriage based I-130 Petitions (GRAND C)
    • Alexandra Ribe, Partner, Murray Osorio PLLC (Moderator)
    • Sumaira Khan, Esq., Partner, Sodette KM Plunkett & Associates
    • Marie Nelson, Staff Attorney, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center
    • Magali Suárez Candler, Attorney, Suárez Candler Law, PLLC
  • 1D BUSINESS + CONSULAR: New Trends in I-9 Audits, Worksite Enforcement, and Investigations (PLAZA)
    • Kevin Lashus, Partner, FisherBroyles LLP, (Moderator)
    • Pamela Mick, Managing Principal, Partenheimer, Kinkle & Partenheimer Mick, Attorneys at Law
    • Theresa Bross, Assistant Chief Counsel, OPLA-Detroit
  • 1E FEDERAL LITIGATION: Where Are We with the Categorical Approach? (WINDSOR)
    • Helen Parsonage, Elliot Morgan Parsonage PLLC (Moderator)
    • Khaled Alrabe, Senior Staff Attorney, National Immigration Project/National Lawyers’ Guild
    • Kyle Barron, Staff Attorney, Brooklyn Defender Services
    • Ben Winograd, Immigrant & Refugee Appellate Center, LLC

10:15 – 11:45 a.m. | Concurrent CLE Sessions

  • 2A HUMANITARIAN: Inadmissibility & Waivers in Humanitarian Cases (GRAND A)
    • Ruby Robinson, Managing Attorney, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (Moderator)
    • Assma A. Ali, Managing Attorney, Law Offices of Ali & Associates, P.A.
    • Esther Limb, Senior Staff Attorney, Her Justice
    • Trisha Teofilo Olave, Legal Project Manager, National Immigrant Justice Center
  • 2C FAMILY + NATURALIZATION: Dealing with NVC and DOS after Petition Approved (GRAND C)
    • Stacy Cozart Martin, Attorney at Law, Martin Jolic and Bratton LLC (Moderator)
    • Sarah K. Bazzi, Partner, Bazzi Immigration Law, PLLC
    • Desiree Goldfinger, Counsel, Pryor Cashman LLP
  • 2D BUSINESS + CONSULAR: H1B RFEs, Trends, Litigation and Alternatives (PLAZA)
    • Elaine Kimbrell, Managing Partner, Ware Immigration
    • Sujata Ajmera, Member, Clark Hill PLC
    • Maggie Mills Murphy, Partner, Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP
  • 2E FEDERAL LITIGATION: Hot Topics in Habeas and Border Issues Litigation (WINDSOR)
    • Manoj Govindaiah, Managing Attorney, Immigrant Legal Defense (Moderator)
    • Leah Chavarriah, Director of Immigration Services, Jewish Family Services of San Diego
    • Elissa Steglich, Co-Director and Clinical Professor, Immigration Clinic, The University of Texas Law School

12:15 – 1:45 p.m. | Keynote & Business  Plated Luncheon (GRAND B)

  • Welcome by: Michele Oberholtzer Zimmerman, Chief Policy Advisor, Office of Mayor Mike Duggan, City of Detroit
  • Keynote Speaker: David Gersten, Immigration Detention Ombudsman (Acting), U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • Immigration Law Section Business Meeting

2:15 – 3:45 p.m. | Concurrent CLE Sessions

  • 3A HUMANITARIAN: Responses to Refugee Crises (GRAND A)
    • Hon. Lori Adams,  Executive Office for Immigration Review, New York Immigration Court (In Personal Capacity) (Moderator)
    • Sabi Ardalan, Clinical Professor, Harvard Law School
    • David W. Leopold, Partner and Chair of Immigration Group, Ulmer & Berne LLC
    • Zack Albun, Staff Attorney, Afghan Legal Clinic
  • 3C FAMILY + NATURALIZATION: Discretion and Difficult Naturalization Cases (GRAND C)
    • Lauren Anselowitz, Partner, Harlan, York, and Associates (Moderator)
    • Russell Abrutyn, Attorney, Abrutyn Law PLLC
    • Christopher W. Dempsey, Of Counsel, Abel Bean Law, PA
    • Rina Gandhi, Partner, Murray Osorio PLLC
  • 3D BUSINESS + CONSULAR: Consular Processing Trends and Legal Developments (PLAZA)
    • Jan Pederson, Attorney, Wright Constable and Skeen LLP (Moderator)
    • Amanda Brill, Managing Attorney, Brill Immigration
    • Chris Richardson, General Counsel and COO, BDV Solutions, LLC
    • Kathleen Campbell Walker, Member, Dickinson Wright PLLC
  • 3E FEDERAL LITIGATION: Litigating Gender and Domestic Violence-Based Asylum Claims in Courts of Appeals (WINDSOR)
    • Dr. Alicia Triche, Sole Proprietor, Triche Immigration Appeals (Moderator)
    • Deborah Anker, Clinical Professor of Law and Founder of Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program, Harvard University Law School
    • Karen Musalo, Bank of America Foundation Chair in International Law, Professor & Director, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, UC Hastings College of the Law

4:00 – 5:30 p.m. | Concurrent CLE Sessions

  • 4A HUMANITARIAN: Managing Your Humanitarian Case Practice and Balancing Client Demands (Ethics) (GRAND A)
    • Rachel Thompson, Partner, Poarch Thompson Law (Moderator)
    • Amy Maldonado, Owner, Amy Maldonado Attorney at Law
    • Lindsey Sweet, Partner, Sweet and Paciorek
  • 4B EMERGING ISSUES: Spurring U.S. Economic Growth through Immigrant Talent (GRAND B)
    • Dan Berger, Partner, Curran, Berger & Kludt (Moderator)
    • Karen Phillippi, Director, New American Integration, Office of Global Michigan
    • Mo Kantner, Director of State and Local Initiatives, American Immigration Council
  • 4C FAMILY + NATURALIZATION: I-864 – Liability for Petitioners and Joint Sponsors and Issues of Public Charge (GRAND C)
    • Mark Shmueli, Law Offices of Mark Shmueli (Moderator)
    • Dallin D. Lykins, Director – Immigration Group, Lewis Kappes
    • Michael E. Piston, Senior Attorney, Immigration Law Offices of Los Angeles
  • 4D BUSINESS + CONSULAR: “Don’t Know Nothing about Science Books”: F 1 Students (PLAZA)
    • David Ware, Founding Partner, Ware Immigration (Moderator)
    • Scott Cooper, Senior Counsel – Practice Leader, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP
    • Scott D. Pollock, Founding Partner, Scott D. Pollock & Associates, P.C.
    • Chamundeswari Gowrishankar, Assistant Director, Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS), Wayne State University
  • 4E FEDERAL LITIGATION: Legal Research in the Era of Facebook: Ethics and Best Practices for Navigating Social Media, Google and other Fast-Track Lanes of “Legal” Information (WINDSOR)
    • Dr. Alicia Triche, Sole Proprietor, Triche Immigration Appeals (Moderator)
    • Hon. Dorothy Harbeck (In Personal Capacity)
    • Raymond G. Lahoud, Member, and Chair, Immigration Practice Group, Norris McLaughlin P.A.
    • Hon. Susan Roy, Owner/Attorney, Law Office of Susan G. Roy, L.L.C.
    • Roman Zelichenko, Co-Founder & CEO, Labor Less; Founder, GMI Rocket

6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Immigration Law Section Awards Reception
Located on the 25th Floor: Top of the Pontch + Summit Room

Saturday Schedule

7:30 – 8:30 a.m. | Registration + Breakfast (TERRACE LEVEL BALLROOM FOYER)

8:30 – 10:00 a.m. | Concurrent CLE Sessions

  • 5A HUMANITARIAN: SIJS Updates and Best Practices – Intermediate to Advanced (GRAND A)
    • David B. Thronson, Professor of Law, Michigan State University College of Law (Moderator)
    • Dalia Castillo-Granados, Director, Children’s Immigration Law Academy, American Bar Association
    • Veronica T. Thronson, Clinical Professor of Law, Michigan State University College of Law
  • 5B EMERGING ISSUES: Intersection of Policy and Litigation – A View from the Government (GRAND B)
    • Kelli Duehning, Partner, Berry Appleman & Leiden (Moderator)
    • Theresa Repede, Attorney-Advisor, U.S. Department of the State
    • Ashley Tabaddor, Chief Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, USCIS
    • Jeffrey Robins, Deputy Director, District Court Section, Office of Immigration Litigation
  • 5C FAMILY + NATURALIZATION: Issues Related to Immigrants in the Military (GRAND C)
    • Lt. Col. Margaret Stock, Attorney, Cascadia Cross Border Law LLC (Moderator)
    • James C. Wherry, Civilian Attorney, U.S. Army
  • 5D BUSINESS + CONSULAR: Independents’ Day:  Developments in L, E, and TN Practice (PLAZA)
    • Michael P. Nowlan, Member and Business Immigration Unit Co-Leader, Clark Hill PLC (Moderator)
    • Meghan N. Covino, Partner, Leader, Business Immigration Practice Group, Honigman LLP
    • Bushra A. Malik, Shareholder, Butzel Long, Attorneys and Counselors
  • 5E FEDERAL LITIGATION: Hot Topics in Removal Defense (WINDSOR)
    • Joshua Mikrut, Attorney, Law Offices of Josuha J. Mikrut, Esq. (Moderator)
    • Bradley Maze, Attorney, Palmer & Rey Immigration Attorneys
    • Michelle Mendez, Director of Legal Resources and Training, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild
    • John Pratt, Partner, Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt

10:15 – 11:45 a.m. | Concurrent CLE Sessions

  • 6A HUMANITARIAN: Trauma Informed Representation (GRAND A)
    • Karen Crawford, Founder, Law Office of Karen J. Crawford, PLLC (Moderator)
    • Terry Cody, Legal Director, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance
    • Ana Isabel Vallejo, Co-Director and Attorney, VIDA Legal Assistance, Inc.
    • Lorilei Williams, Principal Consultant, Lorilei W Consulting
  • 6B EMERGING ISSUES: ICE Hot Topics (GRAND B)
    • Barry Frager, Partner, Frager Law Firm (Moderator)
    • Kerry Doyle, Principal Legal Advisor, OPLA, ICE
    • Francisco Madrigal, Acting Assistant Director, Enforcement and Removal Ops, ICE
  • 6C FAMILY + NATURALIZATION: Waivers of Inadmissibility – Advanced (GRAND C)
    • Tiffany Derentz, Senior Counsel, Berry Appleman & Leiden (Moderator)
    • Heather Garvock, Senior Attorney, Ellis Porter, PLLC
    • Carl Shusterman, Esquire, JR Immigration Law
  • 6D BUSINESS + CONSULAR: Do I REALLY Have to Go Home? Getting to Know Exchange Visitors (PLAZA)
    • David Ware, Founding Partner, Ware | Immigration (Moderator)
    • Dan Berger, Partner, Curran, Berger & Kludt
    • Janice Bianco, Manager, International Physician Services, Cleveland Clinic
    • David Muusz, Assistant Director for Faculty & Staff Immigration Services, University of Michigan
  • 6E FEDERAL LITIGATION: Mandamus Boot Camp: Litigating to Combat USCIS Delays (WINDSOR)
    • Justin Burton, Partner, Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC (Moderator)
    • Elizabeth “Betty” Stevens, Of Counsel, Poarch Thompson Law; Former Chair, FBA Immigration Law Section
    • Brad Banias, Attorney, Wasden Banias, LLC
    • Kate Melloy Goettel, Legal Director of Litigation, American Immigration Council

12:15 – 1:45 p.m. | Saturday Buffet Lunch (Choose One of Two Sessions)

  • A Discussion with Members of BRIDGES – Building Respect In Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity (GRAND B)
    • Hon. Amiena Khan, Executive Office for Immigration Review, New York Immigration Court (In Personal Capacity) (Moderator)
    • Andrew Douglas, Assistant Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Detroit
    • Mayor Amer Ghalib, Mayor of Hamtramck
    • Dawn Ison, US Attorney, U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Michigan, U.S. Department of Justice
    • Valentina Seeley, OPE Northern Region Director, ICE
    • Osama Siblani, Editor, Arab American News
    • Issa Shahin, Police Chief, Dearborn Police Department
  • Department of Labor Hot Topics – Office of Foreign Labor Certification (PLAZA)
    • Brian Testa, Director, Division of Policy and Regulation, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, U.S. Department of Labor
    • Brandt Carter, Director, Atlanta Processing Center, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, U.S. Department of Labor
    • Bennett Savitz, Owner, Savitz Law Offices, P.C. 
    • Robert “Bob” White, Principal, Masuda Funai

2:15 – 3:45 p.m. | Concurrent CLE Sessions

  • 7A HUMANITARIAN: Asylum at the Border (GRAND A)
    • Eileen Blessinger, Blessinger Legal (Moderator)
    • Vanessa Allyn, Refugee Policy, USCIS
    • Karla Torres Sueiro, Supervising Attorney, ABA ProBAR
    • Lauren Cusitello, Director, ABA Immigrant Justice Project (IJP)
  • 7B EMERGING ISSUES: CBP and Port of Entry Processing Hot Topics (GRAND B)
    • Aimee Guthat, Principal, Jackson Lewis P.C. (Moderator)
    • Andrew Douglas, Assistant Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Detroit
    • Youssef Fawaz, Program Manager, Communications, U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Detroit
    • Alexandra LaCombe, Principal, Jackson Lewis P.C.
  • 7C FAMILY + NATURALIZATION: Ethical Issues in Immigration Practice (GRAND C)
    • Lisa Ellen Seifert, Principal, Seifert Law Offices (Moderator)
    • Farah Al-kershan, Immigration Attorney, Al-khersan Law PLLC
    • Cyrus D. Mehta, Managing Partner, Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners, PLLC
    • Meghan Moore, Immigration Attorney, Avanti Law Group, PLLC
  • 7D BUSINESS + CONSULAR: Steady the Wheel: Navigating PERM in 2022 (PLAZA)
    • Bennett Savitz, Owner, Savitz Law Offices, P.C. (Moderator)
    • Kevin Miner, Partner, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP
    • David Janklow, Member, Frost Brown Todd LLC
    • Bob White, Principal, Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, LTD
  • 7E FEDERAL LITIGATION: Supreme Court and Circuit Court Updates (WINDSOR)
    • Michael Vastine, Professor of Law, Clinical Programs Professor of Law, St. Thomas University College of Law (Moderator)
    • Russell Abrutyn, Attorney, Abrutyn Law, PLLC
    • Kevin A. Gregg, Partner, Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt
    • Nick Perry, Associate Counsel, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of Chief Counsel (In Personal Capacity)

4:00 – 5:30 p.m. | Concurrent CLE Sessions

  • 8A HUMANITARIAN: Representing Applicants for U, T & VAWA Before EOIR (GRAND A)
    • Amy Cheung, Senior Legal Counsel, ASISTA (Moderator)
    • Laura Flores Bachman, Director of Legal Programs and Operations, American Bar Association, Commission on Immigration
    • Sonia Parras Konrad, Owner, Law Office of Sonia Parras, PLLC
  • 8C FAMILY + NATURALIZATION: I-751 Issues (GRAND C)
    • Nadezda Roife, Lead Attorney, Roife Law Group (Moderator)
    • Sui Chung, Attorney, Immigration Law & Litigation Group
    • Rupal Kothari, Attorney, Kothari Law
    • Marc Prokosch, Senior Attorney, Prokosch Law LLC
  • 8D BUSINESS + CONSULAR: Employer Petitions and Adjustment of Status: Will We Ever Get There? (PLAZA)
    • Nicole Simon, Attorney, Landau, Hess, Simon, Choi & Doebley (Moderator)
    • Brian Schmitt, Attorney, Hake & Schmitt
    • Kyle Knapp, Attorney, Knapp Law Co LLC
  • 8E FEDERAL LITIGATION: View From the Federal Bench (WINDSOR)
    • Hon. Charles Pazar (Retired) (Moderator)
    • Hon. Gustavo A. Gelpi, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
    • David C. Koelsch, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Baltimore Immigration Court (In Personal Capacity)
    • Hon. Anthony Patti, United States Magistrate Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Optional Saturday Evening Activities

  • Detroit Tigers v Orioles (Comerica Park @ 4:10 p.m.) – Buy Tickets
  • Detroit Princess Riverboat Cruise (Sunset Dinner Cruise @ 7:00 p.m.) – Buy Tickets
    • Discounted tickets available through SAT 5/14 @ 2pm

CLE Tracking + Credit

Attendance for CLE accreditation will be tracked online. You will not be issued a paper form. You will require an internet-capable device (phone, tablet, laptop) to track your session attendance throughout the day. Attendees will check-in and check-out with a unique four-digit pin for each session.

www.conferenceadit.com/immlaw22

5 EASY STEPS

  1. Log In
    • Go to the above event site. Under the COURSES tab, enter your Email and Zip Code affiliated with registration.
  2. Complete Profile
    • Click on your PROFILE icon (top right) and enter your state bar information under “Your Designations” for CLE 50Minute and CLE 60Minute fields.
    • Include state abbreviation and identification # – For example: VA 12345
    • Leave the Attendance data field blank.
  3. Check In
    • Click the Green Hat icon at the beginning of each session you attend.
    • Press NEXT to timestamp the start of your attendance.
  4. Check Out
    • Click the Red Hat icon at the end of each session, which will require a unique PIN provided at the end of each session.
      • The PIN will be posted on the closing PPT slide and verbally announced by a panelist.
    • Press NEXT to timestamp the end of your attendance.
    • The session should now populate a Gold Checkmark icon on the COURSES tab.
  5. Complete Short Survey

Attendee Code | If the page times out and you are prompted for an Attendee Code, enter immlaw22.

Certificates will be sent via email two weeks following the conference. If you have not received your certificates by May 27, please contact cle@fedbar.org for assistance.

  • Credit for sponsor-reporting states will be submitted to state boards within 4-6 weeks, or upon receipt of approval information from respective state bar entities.
  • Self-reporting information, including approval codes and state specific forms, will be sent to attendees within 4-6 weeks, or upon receipt of information from respective state bar entities.

Session Materials

ImmLaw22 Attendee List – exported on May 10

ImmLaw Speaker Bios – exported on May 10

Panel Materials will be posted to www.conferenceadit.com/immlaw22 under the CONTENT tab by May 12. If you cannot locate materials for a session, materials were not provided by the panelists.

Resources