About me
Matthew L. Kolken is a trial lawyer with experience in all aspects of United States Immigration Law – including deportation defense before Immigration Courts throughout the United States, appellate practice before the Board of Immigration Appeals, the U.S. District Courts, and U.S. Courts of Appeals. He is admitted to practice in the courts of the State of New York, the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) since 1997.
Mr. Kolken has received the highest AV peer rating by Martindale-Hubbell, has been named a "Super Lawyer" in Upstate New York by Super Lawyers magazine, was recognized by Business First of Buffalo as being among the “Legal Elite of Western New York," and has received a "Superb" rating and "Client's Choice" award on Avvo.com. The New York Law Journal has awarded him a "Lawyer Who Leads by Example" for his work providing pro bono legal services to unaccompanied refugee children.
Mr. Kolken has appeared nationally on MSNBC and CNN, his legal analysis has been solicited by the Washington Post's Fact Check of the immigration statements of Secretary Hillary Clinton, and Presidential candidate Donald Trump, and his opinions on immigration issues have been published in Forbes Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Fox News Latino, and NBC Latino among others. He has been an invited speaker at AILA's annual conference on grounds of removability, is the author of the Deportation and Removal Blog on ILW.com, is a member of the advisory board of the Immigration Daily, an online immigration news periodical with more than 35,000 readers, and he is a prominent immigration reform activist listed as one of the top-ten most influential people on Twitter in the area of Immigration Law.
Languages spoken: English, Russian
Photos and videos
Practice areas
Licensed
- Immigration: 90%
- Criminal Defense: 5%
- Asylum: 5%
Payment
Fees:
Fixed (always)
Payment types:
Cash, Check, Credit card
Attorney endorsements
Are you an attorney? Endorse this lawyer
MoreMatt Kolken is a knowledgeable and experienced immigration attorney. He stands up for the rights of immigrants and is unafraid to challenge the Federal Government when they wrongly deny an immigration benefit to one of his clients. I strongly endorse him.
Carl Shusterman Immigration Attorney
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
MoreMatt Kolken has distinguished himself as a tenacious, eloquent and clear thinking attorney who is unafraid to take on the federal government in the most difficult of immigration matters. He is a fierce defender of our constitution and exactly the type of lawyer you will need at your side when ICE wants to deport you. I am proud to call him a colleague and a friend.
Charles Kuck Immigration Attorney
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
Contact info
135 Delaware Avenue
Suite 101
Buffalo, NY, 14202
Resume
| State | Status | Acquired | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| NY | Currently registered | 1997 | 07/10/2016 |
| Legal answers | |
| Legal guides |
| Award name | Grantor | Date granted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Clients' Choice | Avvo.com | 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top Rated Immigration Lawyer | Super Lawyers Magazine | 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Peter J. Murrett Pro Bono Award | American Immigration Lawyers Association (Upstate New York Chapter) | 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legal Elite | Buffalo Business First | 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lawyers who Lead by Example | New York Law Journal | 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clients' Choice | Avvo.com | 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Super Lawyer | Super Lawyers Magazine | 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated | Martindale-Hubbell | 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clients' Choice | Avvo.com | 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro Bono Champion | American Immigration Lawyers Association | 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMMI | Nation of Immigrators | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legal Elite | Buffalo Business First | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clients' Choice | Avvo.com | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Super Lawyer | New York Super Lawyers | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro Bono Guardian | American Immigration Lawyers Association | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Title | Company name | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration Lawyer | Kolken & Kolken | 1996 - Present |
| Association name | Position name | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Bar Association | Member | 2015 - Present |
| American Immigration Lawyers Association | Member | 1997 - Present |
| Bar Association of Erie County | Member | 1997 - Present |
| New York State Bar Association | Member | 1997 - Present |
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| Deportation Prevented for Missing Soldier's Undocumented Wife | Deportation prevented, Green Card issued. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| School name | Major | Degree | Graduated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas M. Cooley Law School | Law | JD - Juris Doctor | 1996 |
| McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific | English | BA - Bachelor of Arts | 1993 |
| Conference name | Title | Date | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Removal For Experts | Removal Ground and Defenses | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ILW.com Seminar Series | Comprehensive Immigration Reform | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hard Line Talk Radio | Immigration Reform | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AILA Media Training | Ethics and Professionalism Questions When Dealing with the Media | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AILA Education Department Seminar | Seeking Remedies from ICE Post-removal Order | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Huffington Post Live | More Immigrants, Please | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AILA's Annual Conference | Grounds of Inadmissibility | 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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