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James E. Morrison

Member
fax +1 202.772.0921

James E. Morrison advises clients in a variety of industries on the employment of foreign national employees in the United States.

The advice and guidance that James provides includes: long and short term planning for corporate sponsorship of all types of nonimmigrant and immigrant visas; immigration-related issues involved in mergers & acquisitions and corporate restructuring; the international movement of personnel including E Treaty designation and Blanket L approvals; issues related to the hiring and retention of foreign medical graduates within the healthcare industry including J-1 waivers, National Interest Waivers, and cap-exempt H-1Bs; I-140 Schedule A nurses; and foreign investment options including EB-5 and E-2.

James represents individuals and companies of all sizes. His clients include Fortune 100 companies, start-up companies and new offices, large international clients, hospitals and behavioral health care facilities, investors, private clients, professional athletes, musicians, artists, entertainers, and celebrities.

James represents clients in the following industries:

  • Academic Institutions
  • After Market Automotive
  • Automotive Production
  • Automotive Sales
  • Banking
  • Behavioral Health Facilities
  • Building Maintenance
  • Capital Management
  • Construction
  • Cyber Security
  • Data Mining
  • Data Protection
  • Distribution
  • Educational Institutions
  • Financial Institutions
  • Graphic Arts and Design
  • Grocery Store Chains
  • Hedge Funds
  • Hospitality
  • Hospitals
  • Importers of Consumer Packaged Goods
  • Information Technology
  • International Hauling
  • Investment Banking
  • Manufacturing
  • Marketing
  • Material Handling
  • Media
  • Nanotechnology
  • Nutrition
  • Oil & Gas
  • Online Academic Institutions
  • Pay Day Lenders
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Private Equity
  • Radio
  • Real Estate Development
  • Reservation Systems
  • Restaurant Management
  • Robotics
  • Snack Food Production
  • Supply Chain
  • Television
  • Trucking
  • Universities
  • Wearable Technology
  • Website Design and Maintenance

Education

J.D., Pace University School of Law, White Plains, New York, 2001
B.S., Radford University, Radford, Virginia, 1996

Recognitions

Named among Best Lawyers in America® for Immigration Law by Best Lawyers (2026)

Best Immigration Specialist for Fortune 500 Companies, Michigan, Global Mobility and Immigration Awards, Acquisition International (2014)

Best International Immigration Team, Michigan, Legal Awards, Acquisition International (2014)

Business Immigration Law Firm of the Year – Washington DC, Corporate INTL Magazine Global Award (2018-2021)

Business Immigration Law Firm of the Year – Washington DC, GlobalLawExperts (2018-2021)

Excellence in Immigration Law, Michigan, Global Immigration & Logistics (2015)

Immigration Law Firm of the Year, USA, Finance Monthly Law Awards (2017)

Immigration Law Team of the Year, Legal Award Winner, Corporate LiveWire (2016)

Immigration Law Team of the Year, International M&A Awards, Corporate LiveWire (2015-2016)

Immigration Law Team of the Year, Global Award Winner, Corporate LiveWire (2015)

Immigration Law Firm of the Year, ACQ Law Awards (2014-2015)

Legal Team of the Year, Corporate Immigration, Lawyerissue (2017)

Regional Immigration Law Firm of the Year, US, ACQ Law Awards (2014-2015)

Tier 1 Ranking for Immigration Law, Washington, DC, US News and World Report (2015, 2017)

Memberships

American Bar Association, Member of Advisory Panel, Labor and Employment Law Section, Immigration Law Committee, International Law Section

American Immigration Lawyers Association

Federal Bar Association

Society for Human Resources Management

Board of Directors, The Children’s Heart Fund of Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY

Resources, Inc. of the Diocese of Brooklyn, Board of Directors

State Bar Licenses

District of Columbia, Connecticut

Publications

  • Author, The Irish Times, “Trump Immigration Changes Problematic for Firms Planning to Hire Irish People” (2019)
  • Author, Inside the Minds: Employing International Workers, West Thomson/Aspatore Books, “Immigration Compliance Requirements and Challenges” (2010)
  • Author, Bryant Park Capital: Middle Market Update, “Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Compliance and Immigration Enforcement” (2007)

Presentations

  • Speaker, “Webinar: US Immigration – What to Expect Under President Trump” (2017)
  • Speaker, “Webinar: Options for Employing J-1 Physicians” (2016)
  • Speaker, “Webinar: Hiring Foreign Medical Graduates and Related J-1 Visa Waiver Issues” (2016)
  • Speaker, “Webinar: EB-2 v. EB-3, PERM and the Visa Bulletin Backlog” (2015)
  • Speaker, “I-9 Audits, Achieving Best in Class” (2015)
  • Speaker, “Hiring Foreign Medical Graduates and Related J-1 Visa Waiver Issues” (2014)
  • Speaker, “Life After Training, Options for J-1 and H-1B Physicians” (2014)
  • Speaker, “Webinar: US Immigration and the Healthcare Industry” (2013)
  • Speaker, “Immigration Law and Employer Compliance: What Every Business Should Know to Protect Itself in the New Era of Enforcement” (2008)

The Clark Hill approach is equally pragmatic and growth-minded, which is why we understand our clients’ toughest business challenges. Our multidisciplinary, global team of advisors focuses on smart legal solutions, delivered simply.

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