KoKo Ye Huang
KoKo serves as a trusted advisor to companies, helping them secure work authorization for executives and essential employees.
Partner KoKo Huang also has developed noteworthy experience at the intersection of immigration compliance and litigation, defending companies in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division.
Clients turn to KoKo for her ability to handle sophisticated matters. As an advisor to and trainer for her clients, KoKo develops immigration strategies, programs, and processes for employers to reduce exposure, safely navigate immigration systems, and effectively manage foreign national workers. This includes helping multinational businesses align their operations standards and developing immigration strategies for the transfer of executives and other key employees. KoKo counsels companies on compliance requirements from governmental agencies, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), and the DOL, and assists with the requisite disclosure and documentation requirements. When companies need assistance on behalf of their foreign national employees in the United States, KoKo helps secure work authorization including H-1B, L, TN, E and O visas as well as PERM labor certifications. She represents companies and individuals in the preparation of employment-based immigrant petitions and permanent residence applications. She also regularly conducts I-9 and other compliance audits and drafts immigration sponsorship policies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, KoKo assisted her clients in negotiating challenges posed by immigration restrictions.
KoKo's client service skills have drawn praise from her clients, who have said she is "well prepared and extremely knowledgeable" and "good at making a very complicated immigration matter easy to understand by breaking it down into multiple steps and stages".
KoKo maintains an active pro bono practice, assisting organizations including Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the King County Bar Association's International District Legal Clinic. She regularly authors articles, conducts trainings, and presents on immigration law topics.
Areas of focus
Industries
Services
Education & Credentials
Education
- Seattle University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, Executive Editor, Seattle Journal for Social Justice, 2008
- Bowdoin College, B.A., Government & Legal Studies and Asian Studies, 2000
Bar and Court Admissions
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Washington
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
Related Employment
- Jackson Lewis, Seattle, WA, Principal, Business Immigration, 2018-2019; Associate, Business Immigration, 2012-2017
- Williams Kastner, Seattle, WA, Associate, 2008-2011
Additional Languages
- Chinese - Mandarin
Professional Recognition
Ranked by Chambers USA as “America’s Leading Lawyer" for Immigration, 2021-2024
Listed in Super Lawyers Magazine, “Washington's Rising Star," 2014-2019
Impact
Professional Leadership
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, Member
- Asian Bar Association of Washington, Member
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Member
- Washington State Bar Association, Past Chair of International Practice Section
- YWCA, Board Member
Community Involvement
- Asian Bar Association of Washington Student Scholarship Foundation, Board Member
- Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence, Inc., Advisor
- Bowdoin Club of Seattle
- Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Pro Bono Attorney
- Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), Pro Bono Attorney