Leigh Cole

My Approach

I am passionate about education, business and internationalization. My goal is to be a trusted team member for businesses, institutions, entrepreneurs and investors, as they start new initiatives, expand, manage ongoing operations, address complex legal issues, or enrich their culture, services and skill sets with international talent. I help clients make good strategic decisions, document appropriately, and comply with state and federal law and regulations at every step.

Practice Areas

Education

I advise and represent education institutions in compliance matters with a focus on immigration and international programs.  I advise institutions and campus safety and police departments regarding special considerations for international employees and students and undocumented students.

Immigration

Immigration compliance, employment-based immigration sponsorship, and immigration for students and scholars. I handle a wide range of employment-based immigration applications and advise clients who handle immigration cases in-house. I represent educational institutions and nonprofits applying to become F-1/J-1 sponsors of international students and exchange visitors.

Experience

• College outsourced to our firm its employment-based immigration functions for faculty and administration, based on our success supporting the college’s F-1 and J-1 program staff managing institutional compliance for international students and scholars.
• Designed and guided I-9 self-audit for employer whose HR staff discovered I-9 errors in a routine file review.
• Advise multinational business regarding US travel and employment for numerous professionals employed by the company in Canada and Europe, to overcome prior immigration denials based on employees’ unusual employment/citizenship history, criminal proceedings and other complications.
• Multiple presentations at college campuses for college leadership, international faculty and students, campus community, and other audiences regarding rapidly changing immigration climate in the United States.
• Frequent presenter on immigration topics for clients and national organizations, including NACUA’s online course “The ABCs of F-1, J-1 and H-1Bs: Immigration Basics for Colleges and Universities” (co-designer/co-presenter, 2011 to present). Presented NACUA’s premiere “NACUA Briefing”, a telephone update for the NACUA membership on the President’s Executive Orders on immigration, co-presented with the President of the American Council on Education (March 2017), and subsequent update briefing (September 2017).
• Practice experience with litigation and appellate advocacy, transactions and regulatory compliance in a range of contexts, including business, higher education, immigration and securities law
• Represented a variety of businesses from start-ups to publicly held companies, including formation, contracts, financings, private placements and SEC compliance.

Professional Affiliations

• Editorial Board, Journal of College and University Law, 2022 to present
• Immigration counsel to Hirschfeld Kraemer LLP in San Francisco and Santa Monica, CA
• Member, Board of Directors and Audit Committee, ISEP Study Abroad, June 2021 to present
• Member, Board of Directors, National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), 2017 to 2020; Finance Committee 2018 to present
• Member, Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Vermont Council on World Affairs, 2013 to 2016; Chair, 2016 to 2018
• Member, Board of Directors, Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, 2013-2014, 2016 to 2018
• Member, NAFSA: Association of International Educators
• Director, Opportunities Credit Union, 2020 to present
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Vermont Bar Association
• Member, New York Bar Association
• Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)