Laura Dominica Vilim

I am a founding partner of Valdez & Vilim, LLP and of my previous firm, Valdez Vilim & Wunrow, LLP. I focus my practice in the area of immigration and nationality law, including family-based immigration, humanitarian immigration (asylum, VAWA, U Visas, T Visas and SIJS), naturalization, immigration appeals, and removal defense. I represent clients with cases before the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, and the Department of Justice. I have been selected to the 2019, 2020 and 2021 Illinois Rising Star list by Super Lawyers, an honor that is received by no more than 2.5% of attorneys within Illinois.

In addition to maintaining my own private practice, I am a Practitioner in Residence with the Asylum & Refugee Law Clinic at DePaul University’s College of Law. In that role, I mentor immigration practitioners at community-based organizations in the Chicago area and gives presentations on removal defense. During the 2017-2018 school year, I was an adjunct professor at Valparaiso University School of Law, where I taught and supervised the immigration law clinic. 

Prior to co-founding Valdez & Vilim, LLP, I practiced immigration law at a private firm in Chicago. I also served a 2-year term as an Attorney Advisor through the U.S. Attorney General Honors Program at the Chicago Immigration Court, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Department of Justice. I have a background in human rights and advocacy work, which I gained by working at Amnesty International before I became an attorney.

I speak Spanish. I am a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and sit on the AILA EOIR Liaison Committee and Midwest Regional Conference Planning Committee. I have been invited to speak at events sponsored by the Chicago Bar Association’s Immigration and Nationality Committee as well as community organizations such as the Albany Park Community Center, Southwest Organizing Project, and Latinos Progresando. I obtained my J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center with a Certificate in Refugee and Humanitarian Emergencies. I obtained my B.A. magna cum laude in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. I am admitted to practice law in Illinois.