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About Attorney Heather L. Poole Heather L. Poole is passionate about protecting the human rights of immigrants. She has obtained immigrant visa approvals and green cards for spouses, relatives, designers, editors, and managers as well as nonimmigrant visas for professionals, fiancés, and visitors. She has also taken on and won numerous abused spouse immigrant cases that other attorneys have refused to take on, and gained permanent residency for her clients. Her expertise stems from her practical legal experience in the field and her background in grass-roots activism on behalf of women and immigrants. Heather was named in Los Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics Magazine "Super Lawyer: Rising Star" for excellence in immigration law three times. The Rising Star designation is an honor granted to only 2.5% of all Southern California Lawyers each year. This is an exceptional honor, given that Southern California has the second largest population of lawyers in the US behind New York and less than 1% of immigration lawyers receive this honor. As a result of her work in her community on behalf of immigrants and her reputation as an expert in her field, Heather was also honored as "2006 Distinguished Alumna" by her alma mater, Cal Poly Pomona. Heather was also awarded "Los Angeles County Volunteer of the Year Award" in 2009 for her long-term volunteer work with the LA Superior Court and LA County Bar. She is the former Director of the Battered Spouse Department for the largest business-oriented immigration firm in Los Angeles. She is a former legal consultant for the "U Visa" working group of the National Network on Behalf of Battered Immigrant Women, the largest organization of immigration and domestic violence advocates in the U.S. She is also a member of MaleSurvivor (formerly known as The National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization), offering services to abused male immigrants. Her work assisting abuse survivors with permanent residency has also been commended by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. She also currently serves on the legal advisory and community advisory boards of the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women (LACAAW, now called Peace Over Violence) and on the YWCA Racial Justice Committee for her immigration expertise and dedication to assisting abused immigrants. She co-authored the first-ever article on the new "V visa" published by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the pre-eminent, leading organization of immigration attorneys nationwide. She has been internationally published on various family-immigration issues including conditional green card waivers, marriage-based immigration, and options for abused immigrants. She is a regular lecturer on various immigration topics in her local community and a regular CLE instructor on immigration issues, training other attorneys and paralegals on the complexity of immigration law. Heather has been honored by her fellow immigration attorneys for her expertise. Heather has been on Neighborhood Legal Services' Immigration Referral list for years and is a participant in NLS monthly immigration clinics, giving free immigration case analysis for low income clients. Heather is also on the private attorney referral list of Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles' immigration unit, the largest immigration non-profit in Los Angeles for low income individuals. Heather is currently one of three National New Member Division liaisons for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, arranging national tours of immigration courts, immigration agencies, and border offices for other immigration attorneys. She previously served as the Southern California Chapter's NMD Chair for three years in a row. AILA's SoCa chapter is the largest chapter of immigration attorneys in the U.S., arranging programs of interest to the leading and up-and-coming attorneys in Southern California. She served as the past pro bono liaison for the American Immigration Lawyers Association Southern California Chapter, arranging attorney representation for very low income individuals who cannot afford an attorney. She currently serves on the Executive Board of the Los Angeles County Bar's Immigration Section, organizing "Lunch with the Experts" training seminars for immigration lawyers. Heather's experience and practical knowledge is enhanced by her involvement in substantive professional organizations including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the National Network to End Violence Against Immigrant Women, the American Bar Association and the Los Angeles County Bar Association's immigration law section. Heather has been recognized by leading publications, including a feature article on the front page of the Pasadena Star News. Her biography is published in Who's Who in American Law, the leading publication of select outstanding and top legal professionals in the U.S. Her biography is also published in Who's Who of American Women, a critical national reference publication featuring the U.S.'s most accomplished women whose achievements have proven to be of lasting value to society. Her expertise has also been recognized by her local community. She is a regular lecturer to local health care and domestic violence agencies and schools on immigration issues. Heather was honored to be offered the first immigration law professor position at the People's College of Law, a public interest law school in Los Angeles, California. Heather currently teaches Immigration Law at Fullerton College, located in Southern California. She has been a long-term volunteer for many years helping survivors obtain restraining orders in family court for the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Barrister's Project. Heather graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with two bachelor's degrees while founding one of the most successful National Organization for Women (NOW) College Chapters in NOW's history. She earned her law degree from New York Law School where she worked for the National American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) President, the New York Supreme Court, and the New York City and State Human Rights Commissions, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. While at the EEOC, Heather focused her work on outreach efforts to immigrant communities who are often victims of national original discrimination. Heather is also the recipient of many honors by her peers for her dedication to the public interest and civil rights. * * * * * The woman behind the lawyer . . . When she's not working, writing or volunteering (whew!), Heather can be found playing ice hockey at the Pasadena Ice Skating Center (getting out that stress of dealing with CIS), Scuba Diving with SoleSearcher dive club, sleeping (never underestimated!) or traveling. She's a collector of anything Wonder Woman and enjoys watching thrillers and reading novels (no, not just Grisham novels). * * * * * Some publications written by or about Heather:
Check out Heather's latest comments on the Marriage & Immigration Law Blog Check out Heather's latest tips on her immigration podcast (and subscribe for free!) _____________________________________________________________________________ Questions or comments? Contact us at info@humanrightsattorney.com.
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Photo: Heather was a Day Coordinator for the 2005 American Immigration Lawyers Association's Annual Conference, chosen out of 6,000 immigration attorneys to oversee the Advanced Citizenship Panel.
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Photo: Heather being honored at Cal Poly Pomona's Commencement Ceremonies as the "2006 Distinguished Alumna" for her excellence achieved in immigration law, her involvement in the local community and continuing involvement in Cal Poly Pomona mentoring activities.
Photo: Heather participating in the New York AIDS Walk;
Photo: Heather with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after she argued against him about a civil rights case decision in 1999;
Photo: Heather in her all her glory - her hockey gear( !) after her team won the local championship.
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© 2004 - 2010 Heather L. Poole, PC, Professional Law Corporation. All rights reserved. |