People

Lisa Ellis, Principal

I believe that estate planning and elder law planning can help enhance the lives of individuals and provide peace of mind. I decided to re-direct my law practice to Estate Planning, Medicaid Planning, Special Needs Trusts, and Probate and Estate Administration after caregiving for my grandmother with Alzheimer’s and helping my own relatives through aging issues. 

I started my legal career as an attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), a position I entered through the U.S. Attorney General’s Honor Program. I was a federal judicial law clerk to the Honorable Robert H. Whaley in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Washington, before working as an associate for eight years at a mid-size law firm in Seattle.

As an immigration lawyer, I represented hundreds immigration cases before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of Labor and the Board of Immigration Appeals involving foreign nationals, families, and employers. I was regularly selected to present at national and regional conferences and authored several publications including the book Visa Solutions for International Students, Scholars and Sponsors What You Need To Know, Quick Prep, (Thomson Reuters/Aspatore 2012).

Education

• B.A. Whitman College
• J.D. University of Oregon School of Law, executive editor for The Oregon Law Review

Bar and Court Admissions

• Washington State Bar Association
• U.S. District Court for the Ninth Circuit of Washington
• U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Washington
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
• King County Bar Association

Professional & Community

• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
• Washington Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (WAELA)

Awards/Honors

• Top 20 Best Immigration Lawyers in Seattle I Expertise 2022
• Top 18 Best Seattle Immigration Lawyers | Expertise 2021
• Top 20 Best Immigration Lawyers in Seattle, WA 2020
• Top 14 Best Probate Lawyers in Seattle I Expertise 2020
• Top 20 Best Immigration Lawyers in Seattle I Expertise 2019
• Washington Super Lawyer’s Rising Stars, 2011

Publications

• R-1 Classification Supplement to Form I-129R – Comments on Questions, Practice Advisory for AILA National Audio Seminar (Sept. 2015)
• Life After F-1:  U.S. Visa Options for Recent Graduates (July 2015)
• Navigating the Fundamentals of Immigration Law, “Employment Authorization for Nonimmigrants” Update author (AILA 2012-2016 eds.)
• AILA’s Guide to Immigration Law for Paralegals, “The R-1 Petition” (AILA 2013)
• AILA’s Guide to Immigration Law for Paralegals, “A Brief Overview of H Nonimmigrants” (AILA 2012)
• “Avoiding I-9 Enforcement by Identifying, Preventing, and Addressing Errors on the I-9 Form”, Inside the Minds New Developments in Immigration Enforcement and Compliance: Leading Lawyers on Understanding Changes to Policy, Responding to Investigations, and Developing Up-to Date Compliance Programs, (Thompson Reuters/Aspatore 2012).
• The Visa Processing Guide and Consular Posts Handbook, “Tips and Tactics at Select Posts:  Cape Verde, Africa” (AILA 2007-2010 eds.

Presentations

• February 2020, “Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia.”  Alzheimer Association of Washington in Bellevue, WA.
• August 23, 2018, “Religious Workers: Best Practices for Winning R-1 and EB-4 Cases”, AILA National Web Seminar.
• July 11, 2018, Faculty and Presenter at AILA National Fundamentals Online Course.
• March 15, 2018, “Alternatives to H-1B/L-1.2018″ AILA Regional Conference in Seattle, WA.
• August 2018, “Ethics and Money” 2017 AILA Fundamentals Conference in Denver, CO.
• February 24, 2017 “Executive Orders and Implications”, Association of Washington International Student Affairs (AWISA) in Seattle, WA.
• September 15, 2016, “When Immigration Law Crosses the Border Into Family, Business or Criminal Law”, King County Bar Association Solo and Small Firms Section in Seattle, WA.
• June 22, 2016, Speaker and faculty member of the 2016 AILA Annual Conference on Immigration Law in Las Vegas, NV.
• March 3,2016, “Commonly Used Work Visas”, 2016 AILA NW Regional Immigration Law Conference in Seattle, WA.
• 2015  “Who’s Training Whom? J-1 and H-3 Trainee Options”, AILA National Audio Seminar.
• 2015  “Religious Workers – Case Preparation and Strategies for R-1 and EB-4″, AILA National Audio Seminar.
• 2015  “Life After F-1: U.S. Visa Options for Recent Graduates” in Burien, Washington.
• 2015  “Immigration Law for Non-Immigration Lawyers:  Issues to Consider When Advising Your Client” King County Bar Association, Solo/Small Firms Law Section, Seattle, WA.
• 2014 “Basics of Consular Processing” 2014 AILA NW Regional Conference in Portland, OR.
• 2013 “The ABCs of Immigration Law”, Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, WA
• 2013 “Making Lemonade Out of Lemons- Utilizing the Trainee Visas”, AILA National teleconference.
• 2013  “NIV’s:  Part I”  2013 AILA Annual Conference held in San Francisco, CA.
• 2013 “Special Occupation Issues: Religious Workers & Health Care Professionals”, 2013 AILA Northwest Regional Conference.
• 2012  “Increasing Favorable Immigration Outcomes for International Students:  a Legal Perspective on F-1 Status and Beyond”. Keynote Speaker, Association of Washington International Student Association (AWISA) in Des Moines, WA.