Randall Allan Chamberlain

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Like most North Americans, I am the descendant of immigrants. My father’s family came to the United States from the British Isles many generations ago; my mother’s family fled poverty and persecution in Eastern Europe in the early twentieth century. I believe deeply that this country has always been enriched by the constant influx of new immigrants from around the world—whether they come to escape violence and persecution, to seek better job opportunities, to be closer to their families, or to live in the greatest city on Earth, New York.

I have always had a love for meeting people from other countries and learning about other cultures. I have lived in the Unites States, Canada, and Thailand, and have traveled to more then 40 countries in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia for work and pleasure.

Practicing immigration law gives me the opportunity to combine my interest in different cultures with my passion for the law. I see my role as helping you not only to get a visa or a work permit, but also to understand the complex process and feel comfortable as we navigate the immigration system together.

As a gay man, my expertise and passion includes the particular challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) immigrants, including helping people seeking asylum based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status. Having worked for many years as a manager in international nonprofit organizations, I am also particularly well suited to represent people seeking visas or green cards based on employment with nonprofits. And I have garnered substantial experience successfully representing people seeking visas based on “extraordinary ability” in the arts, science, and business.

Before becoming an immigration lawyer, I worked as a corporate lawyer in Bangkok, Thailand, and as a fundraiser for international organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Action Against Hunger. I have an undergraduate degree (A.B.) in public policy from Brown University, a law degree (J.D.) from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and a master’s degree in international affairs (M.I.A.) from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

I am an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), for which I serveas co-chair of the EOIR/Asylum Liaison Committee and the LGBT Committee, and of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. I am also on the advisory committee for the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. I am a competitive swimmer with Team New York Aquatics, and am on the board of directors of IGLA: International LGBTQ+ Aquatics.