Roberta Freedman is a member in Clark Hill’s Washington, D.C. office, who co-chairs the Immigration Practice Group and concentrates her practice in the area of immigration and nationality law. Roberta has more than 29 years of experience in representing clients, including business professionals physicians, healthcare provid¬ers, outstanding professors and researchers, and Fortune 500 corporations. She has been selected by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) to lead high-profile joint CIS-private sector projects.

Roberta is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and is the past Chair of the Washington, D.C. Chapter and past Director of the Board of Governors and has been appointed to serve and chair on a number of AILA national committees. She is a former member of the Coordinating Committee on Immigration Law of the American Bar Association (ABA).

Professional Activities

• American Immigration Lawyers Association 1986- Present; National Appointments and Elected positions; Director, Board of Governors (1996-1999); Member, Student and Scholars Committee (2011-present); Member, Health Care Professionals – Physicians Committee (2008-2010); Chairper¬son, Department of State Visa Office Liaison Committee (1998-1999); Chairperson, Information and Technology Committee (1997-1998); Co-Chairperson, Vermont Service Center Liaison (1996-1997); Chairperson, Improved Adjudications Task Force (1994-1995); Co-Chair, INS Headquarters Liaison Committee (1993-1994); Co-Chair, Physicians Task Force (1991-1992); Chairperson, Washington DC Chapter (1991-1993);
• American Bar Association (1983-present); Vice-Chair Immigration Law Committee (1998-2000) Mem¬ber, Coordinating Committee on Immigration Law (1999-2002)

Honors and Awards

• Listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers, 2006-2012 editions
• Listed in Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Status, 2012
• Listed in Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers for Immigration, 2008-2012
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2006-2012
• Listed in Washington DC’s Best Lawyers, 2004-2012
• Listed in The International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers 2008-2012
• Listed in Washington D.C. & Baltimore’s Top Rated Lawyers 2012 Edition
• Named top Immigration Attorney by Washingtonian Magazine, 2004-2012
• “Certificate of Appreciation” in recognition of service in advancement of immigrant’s and refugees’ rights and access to justice, ABA Coordinating Committee on Immigration Law, 2002
• “Community Service Award,” Federation of Greater Washington, Washington, D.C., 1998
• “Certificate of Appreciation” for outstanding volunteer services in Legal and Consumer Protection in the Latino Community of the Washington, D.C. Area, by Ayuda, Inc., 1981

Civic and Charitable Activities

• Capital Area Immigrants Rights Coalition (CAIR), Member, Legal Advisory Board, 2001-present
• The American International Recruitment Council (AIRC), Member, Certification Board, 2009-present
• Judge, “Regional Competition,” ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition, Washington, D.C., 2003
• Develop and Mentor Volunteer Attorney Program, Federation of Greater Washington, Community Resettlement Program, “Project Citi¬zenship”, Rockville, Maryland, 1997-2001
• Participant, Council of Latino Agencies, Washington, D.C., 1997
• Peer Reviewer, National Institute of Justice’s Illegal Immigration Peer Review Panel, Washington, D.C., 1995

Selected Publications

• Contributing Author, “J-1 Physicians: A Recruitment Opportunity Comes Knocking,” The Journal of Medical Practice Management, Nov.! Dec. 2005
• Contributing Author, Professionals: A Matter of Degree, 4th Ed., 2003
• Contributing Author, The Visa Processing Guide, 1994-2000, 2002-2003
• Co-Author, “A Survey of J-1 Physicians Interested Government Agency Waiver Programs Available Following the Completion of the Exchange Visitor Program,” Immigration Law Committee Update, 1998
• Contributing Author, Annual AILA Conference Handbook, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2008

Selected Speaking Engagements

• Guest Lecturer, George Washington University School of Law, Washington, D.C., 2004-present
• Guest Lecturer, American University School of Law, Washington, D.C., 2004-present
• Panelist, “Neufeld H-1B Memo Issues,” AILA Series, Aug. 28, 2012
• Panelist, “Physicians for Experts,” Immigration Lawyers on the Web (ILW.com), Immigration Physician Seminar Series, April 5, 2012
• Speaker, “Dealing With Problems at Consulates,” 12th Annual Immigration Law Conference, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Newark, NJ, March 21, 2012
• Panelist, ABA Section on Immigration, “Lunch and Learn,” “Intersection of Tax and Immigration Law,” October 26, 2011
• Faculty Member, “Employment Based Immigration Alternatives to Kazarian AILA Washington,” DC Chapter 2010 Annual Conference, Washington Harbor, MD, November 2010
• Faculty Member, “Schedule A Professions and Group II; revisiting and Old Friend”, AILA’s Annual Conference on Immigration Law, Washington, DC July 2010
• Speaker, “What Every Employer Needs to Know about Hiring Physicians in J-1 or H-1B Status”, webinar, Clark Hill PLC February 4, 2010
• Faculty Member, “National Interest Waiver to PERM”, Immigration Options for Physicians: Advanced Strategies for Providing Proper Diagnosis and Treatment” AILA Advanced Series, Washington, DC October 2009
• Faculty Member, “Three of a Kind; or a Full House? The Trainee Visas: J-1, H-3 and B-1” AILA’s Annual Conference on Immigration Law, Las Vegas, NV, June 2009
• Faculty Member, “Problematic Adjustment Cases,” AILA’s 22nd Annual Central Florida Chapter Immigration Law Seminar, Clearwater Beach, FL, October 2008
• Faculty Member, “Advanced Business Visas”, AILA D.C. Chapter Fall 2008 Conference, Columbia, MD
• Faculty Member, “Updates, Trends and Forecasts in Visa Issuance and Entry into the United States: From Post to Port (DOS!CBP), AILA’s 2008 Midyear Conference, Kohala Coast, Hawaii, January 2008
• Faculty Member, “Show Me the Money - Financial Issues in Employment Based Immigration,” AILA’s Annual Conference on Immigration Law, Vancouver, BC, Canada, June 2008
• Faculty Member, “Unlawful Presence and Immigration Visas” and “Enforcement Issues in Family-Based Immigration,” AILA’s Annual Conference on Immigration Law, Orlando, FL, June 2007
• Faculty Member, “Adjustment of Status & Consulor Processing Workshop With The Experts,” AILA’s Fundamentals of Immigration Law Practice Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 2007
• Faculty Member, “Advising Clients Of Their Business Visa Options,” AILA Chapter Spring Conference, Washington, D.C., April 2007
• Faculty Member, “Determining The Correct Type of Nonimmigrant Visas To Minimize Organization Risk,” Council on Education Management’s “Immigration Law Update 2007, Ensuring Compliance to Avoid Costly Fines and Minimize Liability Risks,” Baltimore, Maryland, March 3, 2007
• Faculty Member, “Navigating the maze of employment-based immigration options to ensure compliance with regulations,” Immigration Law Update 2007. Council on Education in Management, Baltimore, MD, March 8, 2007
• Faculty Member, “Bars to Admission and Waivers for Immigrant Visa and Non-Immigrant Visa Employees,” 2005 Annual Conference on Immigration Law, AILA, Salt Lake City, UT, 2005
• Faculty Member, “Visa Retrogression, Strategies for Surviving the Visa Crisis,” AILA D.C. Chapter Fall Conference, 2005
• Moderator, “Consular Processing Today: Visa Procedures, Security Clearances and Waivers,” Three (3) Part Series sponsored by the Immigration Lawyers on the Web, Feb. 2005, March 2005, April 2005
• Faculty Member, “NIV Waivers,” 2004 Annual Conference on Immigration Law, AILA, Philadelphia, PA, 2004
• Faculty Member, “Practicum for Intermediate and New Lawyers,” AILA D.C. Chapter Fall Conference, 2004
• Faculty Member “J-1 Physician Conference Series,” American College of International Physicians, Bethesda, Maryland; New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas, 2002-2005
• Panelist, “Helping Your Clients Get Another Chance,” AILA DC Chapter Fall Conference, 2003
• Panelist, “New Systems: New Challenges for Immigration Attorneys, In-House Counsel & Human Resource Personnel,” New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 2003
• Resource Panelist for Medical Professionals, Fall CLE Conference, AILA, San Antonio, Texas, 2003
• AILA, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2003
• Panelist, “AILA Teleconference With Senior State Department Officials MOUs, PAWs & SAOs,” AILA, Washington, D.C., 2003
• Speaker, Town Hall Meeting, Human Rights Campaign, Washington, D.C., 2002
• Faculty Speaker, “Adjustment of Status and Consular Processing,” Law Education Institute, Inc., Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 2002
• Moderator, “Liberty and Justice Denied: The Struggle for Immigrant and Refugee Rights in America,” ABA Coordinating Committee on Immigration Law, San Diego, California, 2001
• Panelist, “What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About Immigration Law,” ABA Coordinating Committee on Immigration Law, New York, New York, 2000
• Faculty Member, “Immigrant Visa Processing,” 2000, AILA, Annual Conference on Immigration Law, , Chicago, Illinois, 2000
• Faculty Member, “Department of State Open Forum,” 1999 Annual Conference on Immigration Law, AILA, Seattle, Washington, 1999
• Speaker, “The Marriage Interview; Removing the Condition on Permanent Residence; Special Cases,” AILA Immigration Law Basics Conference, Washington, D.C., 1999
• Speaker, “Affidavits of Support and Consular Issues,” D.C. Community Coalition, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., Washington, D.C., 1999, 1998
• Panelist, Immigration Law Basics Conference, AILA, Cleveland, Ohio, 1999
• Panelist, “Immigration Law: Basics and More,” American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education, Washington, D.C., 1999
• Panelist, “Overview of the Internet,” Technology Training Program, AILA, Washington, D.C., 1999
• Panelist, “Consular Practice Roundtable,” 1998 Annual Conference on Immigration Law, AILA, Houston, Texas, 1998
• Faculty Member, “Consular Practice,” 1998 Annual Conference on Immigration Law, AILA, Houston, Texas, 1998
• Faculty Member, “Regional Service Center and INS District Office Update,” 1997 Annual Conference on Immigration Law, AILA, Orlando, Florida, 1997
• Speaker, “International Network of Employment Services,” American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 1997
• Panelist, “A Washington Town Meeting: Public Liaison Meetings with Government Decision-Makers,” Spring Conference, AILA, Washington, D.C., 1996
• Faculty Member, “Procedural Issues for Nonimmigrants,”-1995 Annual Conference on Immigration Law, AILA, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995
• Faculty Member, 1994 Annual Conference on Immigration Law, AILA, San Francisco, California, 1994 Faculty Member, Fall Conference on H-1B Issues, AILA, Chicago, Illinois, 1994
• Speaker, “Survey of U.S. Immigration Laws,” Caribbean Basin Professional Association, 1992
• Faculty Member, “TIVPC/Day at the Consulate,” 1993 Annual Conference on Immigration Law, AILA, Toronto, Canada, 1993
• Speaker, Comprehensive Seminar on the New Immigration Act of 1990, AILA, Washington, D.C., 1991
• Speaker, “Seminar on Immigration Law,” Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, Annapolis, Maryland, 1990
• Speaker, “How to Legally Employ Aliens,” The International Association of Hospitality Accountants, Inc., Washington, D.C., 1989
• Speaker, “In-Service Training Regarding Current Immigration Laws,” St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Washington, D.C., 1987
• Speaker, “A Review of Current U.S. Immigration Laws,” Anne Arundel County Women’s Law Center, Annapolis, Maryland, 1984

Articles

• Contributing Author, “Summary of J-1 Regulations about Interns and Trainees,” AILA 2008 Midyear Handbook, January 2008
• Contributing Author, “Summary of Law and Issues Regarding ‘Ability to Pay’ the Proffered Wage on Employment-Based Petitions,” Immigration and Nationality Law Handbook 2008-2009