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Heidi Heyward Boas
About Heidi
Biography
Heidi Boas has dedicated her legal career to assisting asylum-seekers, refugees, and other immigrants through her work with the U.S. Government, United Nations, and non-profit organizations. Ms. Boas joined Wilkes Legal in 2018 after four years of government service with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State. From 2014-2017, Ms. Boas worked at the Arlington Asylum Office, where she adjudicated the asylum claims of applicants from around the world. As a Senior Asylum Officer, Ms. Boas handled complex applications for asylum, including long-pending cases involving national security and terrorism-related issues. Ms. Boas began her legal career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow with the Immigration Legal Services program at Catholic Charities in Washington, D.C. During her six years at Catholic Charities (2007-2013), Ms. Boas was promoted to Senior Attorney and successfully represented hundreds of clients in humanitarian and family-based immigration cases. As an attorney, Ms. Boas has focused on serving the African immigrant and refugee community in the Washington, D.C. area. Ms. Boas has represented clients from over 40 African countries and founded the African Women’s Empowerment Workshop in 2008 to empower African women who are survivors of domestic violence.
Practice Areas
1
Practice Area
Immigration
100%
18 years | 1,200 cases
Fees and Rates
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Chat withLicenses
Licensed in Maryland for 18 years
State: Maryland
Acquired: 2007
No misconduct found
Location
Wilkes Legal, LLC
7050 Carroll Avenue, Suite 202, Takoma Park, MD, 20912
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Heidi Heyward Boas's Reviews
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Practice Areas
What Clients Mention
Showing 1 - 1 of 1 review | Practice Area Knowledge
Posted by Simon | February 05, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Immigration
Dedicated and Compassionate Immigration Attorney
Heidi Boas represented me in my fiance visa petition and helped me obtain my green card based on marriage to a U.S. Citizen. She thoroughly prepared my application and guided me through every step of the process of immigrating to the United States. Heidi has also provided helpful immigration advice t...
Heidi Heyward Boas's Lawyer Endorsements
"I have known Attorney Boas for close to 10 years, and have consistently experienced her professionalism, expertise and compassion for her clients and the law. This combination is both rare and asset all at once. I have, and will, continue to refer matters to her. A client of hers will be a well represented and satisfied client."
"Heidi is the epitome of excellence. She takes great care with her cases always ensuring the client has agency over his/her case. Her diverse professional background in immigration law, which includes government positions, gives her a holistic and insightful perspective that most attorneys lack."
"I'm an experienced immigration attorney, and I worked with Heidi Boas for years in a busy immigration practice. I know her well and recommend her highly. Here are a few things that you get with Heidi that you won't get with most attorneys (including competent ones, like me): 1. She has worked on the inside. Most immigration lawyers don't know what it's like inside the government. Heidi does. She spent years at the Asylum Office as an adjudicator, which means that she has seen more asylum cases than most lawyers see in a whole career. 2. Emotional commitment Most lawyers are emotional blockheads. Heidi's emotional intelligence and passion help her to connect with her clients in a deep way. If you want a lawyer who cares about your case deep in her gut - and you should! - you'll get that with her. 3. Extraordinary thoroughness. She red-pencils everything. She overkills legal briefs. Is that good for her? No, probably not. Is that good for you? Yep."
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Experience
Honors
2018
AILA-DC Annual Conference Scholarship, American Immigration Lawyers Association (Washington, D.C. Chapter)
2017
10th Anniversary Honorary Award, African Women's Empowerment Workshop
2013
Michael Maggio Memorial Scholarship, American Immigration Lawyers Association
2007
Equal Justice Works Fellowship, Equal Justice Works
2007
John Stauffer Memorial Merit Scholarship, Berkeley Law
2006
2nd Place, National Law Student Writing Competition, American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence
2006
Human Rights Center Summer Fellow, Berkeley Human Rights Center
2005
American Jurisprudence Award in Refugee Law, Berkeley Law
2005
American Jurisprudence Award in Global Migration Issues, Berkeley Law
2002
John Gardner Public Service Fellowship, John Gardner Fellowship Association
2002
Phi Betta Kappa, Phi Betta Kappa Society
2002
Dean's Award for Academic Accomplishment, Stanford University
2002
Rosaldo Prize for Outstanding Thesis in the Social Sciences, Stanford University
Work Experience
2018 - Present
Immigration Attorney, Wilkes Legal, LLC
2017 - 2018
Foreign Affairs Officer (Policy), Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
2014 - 2017
Senior Asylum Officer, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, Arlington Asylum Office
2012 - 2014
Resettlement Consultant, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - Senegal & Uganda
2007 - 2013
Senior Attorney, Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services
2006 - 2006
Judicial Law Clerk, Executive Office For Immigration Review, San Francisco Immigration Court
Associations
2018 - Present
American Immigration Lawyers AssociationMember
2012 - 2013
American Immigration Lawyers Association (DC chapter)Co-chair, Baltimore Immigration Court Liaison Committee
2010 - 2012
American Immigration Lawyers Association (DC chapter)Co-Chair, New Members Division
2008 - 2013
American Immigration Lawyers AssociationMember
2006 - 2007
Boalt Hall Committee for Human RightsCo-President
Sample of Legal Cases
Marriage-based adjustment for client with final order of deportation
Permanent Residence Granted
Asylum granted for client who overcame a mandatory bar
Asylum granted
Permanent residence for domestic violence survivor
Permanent Residence Granted
Asylum based on forced marriage and domestic violence
Asylum granted
Education
2007
University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law
JD - Juris Doctor
2002
Stanford University
BA - Bachelor of Arts
Speaking Engagements
2018
Maryland State Bar Association Webinar
Affirmative Asylum: Tips & Strategies for Representing Clients at the Asylum Office
2018
Federal Bar Association Webinar
Challenges & Changes in Family-Based Consular Processing
2018
American Immigration Lawyers Association (DC chapter) Webinar
Terrorist-Related Inadmissibility Grounds (TRIG) Waivers
2017
2017 Justice AmeriCorps Training
Mock Asylum Interview
2015
D.C. Bar Foundation Pro Bono Training
Mock Asylum Interview
2015
2016 Justice AmeriCorps Training
Mock Asylum Interview
2014
African Women's Empowerment Workshop
Immigration Law
2013
Pro Bono Training at Foley Lardner
Asylum Law
2013
Catholic Legal Immigration Network Annual Convening
U Visa Hot Topics
2013
AILA National Conference
Career Panel
2012
Pro Bono Training at Maggio Kattar
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
2012
Pro Bono Training at Bryan Cave
Asylum Law
2012
African Women's Empowerment Workshop
Immigration Law
2010
AILA Fall Conference
T Visas and Adjustment of Status
2009
USCRI Annual Conference
Immigration Law
2009
Pro Bono Training at Dickstein Shapiro
VAWA, U and T VIsas
2009
Physicians for Human Rights Annual Conference
VAWA, U and T VIsas
2009
ECDC 15th Annual National Conference
Understanding Cultural Perspectives on Domestic Violence in African Immigrant Communities
2008
Pro Bono Training at Beveridge & Diamond
VAWA, U and T VIsas
2008
Pro Bono Panel at Beveridge & Diamond
Introduction to Pro Bono Representation
Publications
2018
The Asylumist
Tips from a Former Asylum Officer
2018
NPR All Things Considered
Asylum Seekers in the United States
2011
AILA Law Student E-News
Spotlight on Heidi Boas
2009
American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence E-Newsletter
Understanding Cultural Perspectives on Domestic Violence in African Immigrant Communities
2007
Georgetown Immigration Law Journal
The New Face of America's Refugees: African Refugee Resettlement to the United States
2006
2006
The UN Refugee Agency Bureau for the Americas Refview
Field Visit to Refugee Communities in Jaqué, Panama
2004
CEDAW: The Treaty for the Rights of Women
Impact of CEDAW on Trafficking
Languages
English
French
Spanish