Christopher G. Beckerson
Associate Attorney

Chris is an Associate Attorney whose practice focuses on employment-based immigration matters including: PERM labor certification applications; EB-1 outstanding researcher, extraordinary ability, and multinational executive/manager petitions; and adjustment of status applications. He also works on nonimmigrant matters including H-1B petitions and responses to complex requests for evidence from USCIS.

Prior to joining the firm as a lawyer, Chris acquired immigration law experience both as a Law Clerk at Jewell & Associates, and on the legal staff of deportation defense firms in San Francisco and London, United Kingdom.  He also served as a Legal Research Attorney at the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco.

Chris obtained his LL.M. degree from Boalt Hall in 2009, where he was Senior Articles Editor of the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law and published the note "Amaral v. Cintas Corporation: Attacks on Hayward's Living Wage Ordinance Defeated" 30 Berkeley J. Emp. & Lab. L. He has a Master's degree in Law from the University of Oxford (BCL 2004), where he was Associate Editor of the Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal and developed an interest in United States constitutional law. Chris obtained his Bachelor's degree in Law from King's College, London (LL.B. 2002) where he graduated with First Class Honors and won the Albert Kiralfy Prize (Best Dissertation) in History of English Law.

Chris is a member of the California State Bar and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Brenda is Of Counsel to the firm in all matters involving extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, exceptional ability, and national interest waivers. Before serving the firm in an Of Counsel capacity, Brenda was an Associate Attorney with the firm, helping numerous companies and employees obtain temporary and permanent employment-based visas. She has developed a reputation for successfully handling difficult and complex cases in the "extraordinary," "exceptional," and "national interest" areas.

Brenda earned a J.D. from the University of Memphis Law School where she graduated with multiple academic excellence awards. She is a member of the Tennessee Bar, the American Bar Association, and the America Immigration Lawyers Association. She serves as a member of the Executive Board of the Northern California chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Coalition of Legal Professionals. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Prior to her career as a lawyer, Brenda was an award-winning journalist. She received her undergraduate degree in Journalism from Northwestern, worked as a television news reporter, and taught broadcast journalism at her alma mater.

Christine is currently a senior member of the firm's PERM/I-140 practice group, having prepared and filed PERM labor certification applications and PERM-based I-140 petitions since the U.S. Department of Labor inaugurated the PERM program in 2005. Her experience in immigration law spans more than 15 years, and includes all employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant matters, including EB-1 immigrant matters for outstanding researchers, multinational executives/managers, and individuals of extraordinary ability, as well as nonimmigrant visas in the B-1, H-1B, TN, L-1, and O-1 classifications. In addition, Christine has extensive experience with the law and procedure of applications for adjustment-of-status to permanent residence, and the consular processing of immigrant visas, including immigrant waivers of inadmissibility. She also counsels employers on I-9 compliance issues.

Christine graduated from Santa Clara University with a double Bachelor's in Political Science and German in 1990 and graduated from Whittier Law School in December 1993. During law school, she interned with immigration lawyer David L. Neal, who subsequently was appointed Acting Chairman of the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals, the nation's highest immigration court. Since her admission to practice in 1994, Christine has practiced U.S. immigration law on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. She has also been of service to the Bay Area's Scandinavian community, and is fluent in Norwegian.

Christine is a member of the California State Bar and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Olivia's practice spans the full range of employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant matters, including advice and representation in H-1B, TN, L-1, B-1and O-1 visa matters; PERM labor certification applications; EB-1 outstanding researcher and extraordinary ability petitions; EB-2 petitions with National Interest Waivers; and adjustment-of-status applications. Additionally, Olivia has extensive experience with consular processing of nonimmigrant and immigrant visas.

Olivia joined the firm as an Associate Attorney in 2008, following almost ten years of experience as a Paralegal and Case Manager at business immigration law firms. Through her extensive experience, she has assisted a multitude of clients in achieving their immigration goals, including early-stage startups, large corporations, biotechnology companies, health care facilities, and individuals seeking pro bono legal services.

Olivia graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor's degree in Rhetoric in 2000. She earned a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law, where she served on the Law Review and was the recipient of numerous law school awards, including the Roderick S. Polentz Memorial Endowed Law Scholarship; numerous Witkin Awards for Academic Excellence; and CALI Awards for Future Excellence.

Olivia is a member of the California State Bar and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Practicing immigration law since 2006, Claire handles a range of nonimmigrant visa categories, as well as immigrant visas (green cards) in the EB-1 and EB-2 categories. She primarily focuses on leading the firm's L-1 intracompany transferee practice, preparing both individual and Blanket petitions for top executives, managers, and specialized knowledge employees. She also handles the firm's J-1 intern and trainee practice, including 212(e) waivers and related advice. Prior to joining the firm, Claire was selected for the U.S. Department of Justice's Attorney General Honors Program, serving as an Attorney Advisor to the San Francisco Immigration Court (EOIR). She continues to use her Immigration Court background as the point person at the firm for research and advice regarding immigration consequences of arrests and criminal convictions.

Claire graduated with Highest Honors from Golden Gate University School of Law, where she was the Managing Editor of the Law Review's three journals and published an article during her 2L year -- Note, "Dangerous Balance, The Ninth Circuit's Validation of Expansive DNA Testing of Federal Parolees," 35 Golden Gate U. L. Rev. 31 (2005). She was the recipient of numerous law school awards, including the Law Review Award for Dedication and Excellence, Witkin Awards, and CALI Awards, and served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Edward M. Chen, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. She attended the University of Washington for her undergraduate studies, where she majored in Political Science and was Co-Captain of the UW Sailing Team.

Claire serves as Co-Chair of the Immigration Section for the Bar Association of San Francisco's Barristers Club, which named her Barrister of the Year (2010) for her significant contributions to BASF. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and serves on the Advisory Council for AILA's Northern California Chapter. AILA National named Claire a Pro Bono Guardian (2010) for her volunteer work on humanitarian- and asylum-related matters. Claire is a member of the California State Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Wendy is a senior member of the firm's PERM/I-140 practice group, having prepared and filed PERM labor certification applications and PERM-based I-140 petitions since the U.S. Department of Labor inaugurated the PERM program in 2005, and having also handled I-140 petitions based on extraordinary ability, outstanding researcher, and multinational executive/manager classifications. She serves as primary contact for business immigration issues for some of our larger employer clients, providing guidance on nonimmigrant matters, and on immigration consequences of divestiture, mergers and acquisitions, and reductions-in-force.

Wendy was called to the bar of Ontario (Canada) in 1990 as a Barrister and Solicitor. She received her initial legal education at the University of Western Ontario (LL.B.1988), and was awarded the Canada-U.S. Law Institute Writing Prize. Wendy worked for the Law Society of Upper Canada as a Research Lawyer and also led bar admission courses for the Law Society on legal research and legal writing for several years. Wendy also brings to our firm her experience working at one of Canada's national law firms, which provided her with a comprehensive foundation in corporate law.

Wendy received an LL.M. (Honors) degree with a concentration in Immigration Law from Golden Gate University School of Law in 2005. She has been engaged in the practice of U.S. immigration and nationality law since her admission to the California Bar in 2005. Outside of her legal practice, Wendy has donated many happy hours of volunteer time to the United States Pony Clubs, as a member of their Regional Council, as a leader in her local club, and as a parent.

Wendy is a member of the California State Bar, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the Law Society of Upper Canada.