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Kelli was an indispensable part of getting our pastor and his family from Cuba to the United States. Her careful and persistent work was exactly what they needed. The pastor, his family, our new congregants and I are deeply grateful.”

Roger Ross, Director of Congregational Excellence, Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church

Overview

Kelli co-leads the firm’s Business Immigration and Global Mobility team, representing a wide range of employers in obtaining and maintaining employment authorization for foreign national employees on a temporary and permanent basis.

Kelli represents employers across various industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, technology, engineering, healthcare, and education, working with employers to develop long-term immigration planning for foreign national employees. Her work includes counseling clients through the temporary visa (H-1B, TN, L-1, E-2) and labor certification application processes and assisting employers in developing policies for employer-sponsored work authorization.  

Kelli’s skillset includes workplace compliance. She regularly counsels employers on proper completion and maintenance of Form I-9 and E-Verify participation. She has extensive experience assisting with Form I-9 and E-Verify audits and responding to governmental audits and investigations related to immigration compliance. She represents clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration Customs and Enforcement, and other federal agencies. 

A significant portion of Kelli’s practice also focuses on the special rules for healthcare organizations and colleges and universities. Kelli regularly advises healthcare organizations on work authorization for foreign national physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers. For colleges and universities, Kelli counsels on issues related to F-1 students and the Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP) and on a variety of matters related to foreign national employees, including H-1B status and permanent residence for professors and researchers. 

Kelli was an indispensable part of getting our pastor and his family from Cuba to the United States. Her careful and persistent work was exactly what they needed. The pastor, his family, our new congregants and I are deeply grateful.”

Roger Ross, Director of Congregational Excellence, Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church

Industries

Services

Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers in America®
    •  Employment Law - Individuals, 2025 and 2026
  • The Legal 500 United States
    • Labor and employment: Immigration, Recommended lawyer, 2023-2025
  • Missouri Lawyers Media, Women’s Justice Awards, Pro Bono Award, 2023
  • Missouri Bar Pro Bono Wall of Fame, 2018-2019
  • Ingram's Magazine, 40 Under Forty, 2022

Education

  • J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law
    • cum laude
      • Seton Hall Law Review, Executive Editor
  • B.A., University of Kansas
    • with distinction
      • Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society
      • University Honors Program

Admissions

  • Missouri
  • New Jersey
  • New York

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  •  
  • International Relations Council, Board Member 2017-2021
Experience
  • Completed H-1B petitions for foreign national employees for a wide variety of companies, colleges and universities, health care organizations and other non-profit organizations, and advised clients on issues related to maintaining H-1B status, including travel and visa issuance.
  • Successfully prepared multiple L-1 intracompany transferee petitions for multinational manufacturing company that was shifting manufacturing operations to the United States.
  • Counsel for large, multi-state health care organization in obtaining and maintaining TN status for Registered Nurses and H-1Bs for physicians and advised in the application process for the Conrad 30 J-1 waiver program for physicians.
  • Assisted client in planning and drafting e-verify and I-9 policies for human resource personnel and managers at multi-state company with a large number of hiring sites and assisted in evaluating electronic I-9 systems for purchase.
  • Successfully completed labor certification applications for engineers working at various subsidiaries of large manufacturing company.
  • Successfully prepared multinational manager permanent residence case for executive of large manufacturing company following approved L-1 intracompany transferee status.
  • Advised private university on developing policies for admission and tuition for foreign national students who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
  • Advised landscaping company in responding to Department of Labor audit of H-2B workers.
  • Lead counsel for pro bono immigration cases, including asylum and special immigrant juvenile status.
  • Assisted the Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church with a complex immigration process to bring a pastor from Cuba to Missouri to launch a new Spanish-speaking ministry. The year-long process included bringing the pastor and family to Guyana to process visas.