CONCENTRATION
Lori Chesser is a senior shareholder of the Davis Brown Law Firm and the chair of the Firm's Immigration Department. She has a background in Finance and Corporate Law, but has been practicing primarily in Immigration Law for more than 15 years.
PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION AND AWARDS
• AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. An AV certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment - a testament to the fact that a lawyer's peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.
• The Best Lawyers in America 2010, Immigration Law
• Pro Bono Award from the Iowa State and Polk County Bar Associations in 1999
• Business Record's Forty Under 40 Class of 2002
• Mary Louise Smith Human Rights Award from the Des Moines Human Rights Commission (2007)
• Business Record's Women of Influence Award (2008)
• Footsteps Award from the Diocese of Des Moines for work in social action (2009)
SUMMARY
Lori represents individuals and companies in employment-based immigration applications for both temporary and permanent positions, assists in making visa applications, trains and advises companies on I-9 compliance and employer sanction issues, and helps plan immigration strategy for business owners and entrepreneurs. She also assists in family-based immigration, including fiancé(e) visa applications and marriage-based and other family-related immigration issues. Finally, she advises clients on maintaining permanent residence and applying for naturalization, and works in conjunction with the firm's tax and estate planning departments to optimize immigration status for financial planning purposes.
Lori has been active in immigration advocacy and as a liaison with the federal government regarding immigration issues, as well as in the Des Moines community:
• She co-founded the American Immigration Lawyers Association Iowa/Nebraska Chapter, and was its first Chapter Chair. She is now a member of AILA's national USCIS Benefits Liaison and Media Committees.
• She was involved in advocating for the opening of the Des Moines Suboffice of the Immigration Service so that Iowa residents would not need to travel to Omaha for their immigration applications.
• She served on AILA's Nebraska Service Center liaison committee for two years, helping to bring areas of concern to the government's attention, as well as assisting on individual cases. She currently serves as a resource for other immigration lawyers on Nebraska Service Center questions in AILA's Mentor Program.
• She co-founded the Iowa Immigration Education Coalition, a non-profit committed to providing factual information and education to people across Iowa regarding immigration law and policies.
SEMINARS, LECTURES AND PUBLICATIONS
She is a frequent speaker at continuing education and advocacy programs on immigration issues, both locally and nationally. She helped organize and maintain local and state-wide grassroots advocacy groups to push for positive immigration law reform.
• Overview of Immigration Law, Just Faith program on Immigration, Trinity United Methodist Church, Sunday, January 24, 2010
• Immigration Law & Economics (with Dr. David Swenson, Iowa State University), Drake University Choral Program Series, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010
• Immigration Issues in Education, Iowa Culture and Language Conference, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010
• Immigration Law and Policy Discussion, "On the (L)edge" (radio show), Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2010, 6 - 7 PM
• Immigration Update, 18th Annual Legal and Legislative Conference, Presented by Central Iowa SHRM and The Iowa State SHRM Council, February 23, 2010, West Des Moines, Iowa
• Immigration Law and Policy, Des Moines Women's Club, Wednesday, March 31, 2010
• What All Lawyers Should Know about Immigration Law, Dubuque County Bar Association, Tuesday, April 13, 2010
• An Exploration of America’s Immigration Past, Present and Future, Ray Society, Wednesdays in April 2010
MEMBERSHIPS
She is active in the community, having been past president of Polk County Women Attorneys, a member of the 1993 class of Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, and on several non-profit boards, including serving as the president of the Iowa Council for International Understanding ('07-'08), and Catholic Charities ('06). She was appointed to the national American Immigration Council Board of Trustees in 2007, and serves on its Immigration Policy Center subcommittee. She serves as Chair of the Iowa State Bar Association International Law Section.
Resources
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The Davis Brown Tower 215 10th Street, Ste. 1300 Des Moines, IA 50309 |
American Immigration Lawyers Association
Iowa State Bar Association
Polk County Bar Association