Derek Jay Poulsen

Derek Jay Poulsen

also known as Derek Poulsen, Derek J. Poulsen

5.0
Rating: 7.5

Licensed for 9 years

Immigration Lawyer at San Diego, CA
Practice Areas: Immigration

600 W. Broadway, Suite 700, San Diego, CA

About Derek

Biography

Practice Areas

1

Practice Area

Immigration 100%

Family Immigration and Naturalization, Employment-Based Visas, Non-Immigrant Visas, Sports and Entertainment Immigration, I-9 and Employer Compliance, Entrepreneurs and Investors, Immigration Court, and Asylum Cases, and Deportation Defense.

100%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in Nebraska for 8 years

State: Nebraska

Acquired: 2017

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in Iowa for 9 years

State: Iowa

Acquired: 2016

Exempt

No misconduct found

Location

Wilner & O'Reilly | Immigration Lawyers

600 W. Broadway, Suite 700, San Diego, CA, 92101

Wilner & O'Reilly, APLC

17777 Center Court Drive, Suite 200, Cerritos, CA, 90703

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Derek Jay Poulsen's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

44 Client Reviews

5 star (44)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (0)

Posted by Said | November 13, 2025 | Consulted Attorney

This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.

Derek Poulsen is very, trusted, honest and caring attorney

I Had a free consultation with Attorney Derek Poulsen, I received a lot of information and excellent legal advice, Derek directed me to the right approach to my case. I highly recommend him for all your legal matters. Derek was very kind and caring person.

Posted by Anna | May 2, 2025 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Huge thanks! Got my green card!

Huge thanks to lawyer Derek and the team! My case wasn’t easy, but Derek’s confidence and professionalism really helped me feel calm and supported. He explained everything clearly and knew exactly how to handle the tricky parts. Super grateful for his help — highly recommend!

Posted by anonymous | April 25, 2025 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Successful N-400 Application

Wilner & O'Reilly and Mr. Poulsen has provided exceptional legal services throughout my citizenship application process. The expert guidance I received was invaluable from the initial steps all the way to the successful completion of my case. I particularly appreciated his clear and comprehensive... explanations of each stage, ensuring I understood exactly what was required and what to expect. Derek's oversight of the interview process was also incredibly helpful, and I felt well-prepared and confident thanks to his guidance. I am very grateful for the dedication and professionalism of the entire Wilner & O'Reilly team, including Maza Wilner and case manager Valerie Tapia, which ultimately led to a positive outcome. I would highly recommend their services to anyone seeking assistance with immigration matters.

Posted by Oxana | August 18, 2022 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Lifesaver Attorney!

Our entire family wants to say thank you very much to Attorney Derek Jay Poulsen for the passionate, thoughtful, and brilliant work! He is a real lifesaver! He did amazing work from the start: consultations, paperwork, plan, representing at the immigration court, and finally after 12 years of the ba...ttle with immigration issues he was able to fix it! Our entire family is so grateful to him for representing us in court and for being a powerful advocate for our family throughout these difficult times.

Posted by anonymous | February 2, 2022 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Marriage Based Green Card

Thank you so much to Derek and Ruby for being organized, patient, flexible, and extremely professional. They filled out and submitted all my paperwork for adjustment of status through marriage. The application process without them would have been so stressful because there is a lot to keep track of. ... Ruby was my case manager and really made herself available to answer any questions I had. I'm sure I repeated my questions multiple times, but she ALWAYS answered them even if she was repeating herself. She made herself available outside of business hours to answer these questions or to receive any documents from me after I got off of work. I could go on and on about how amazing her work ethic is, and I'm very grateful to have worked with her. I only really interacted with Derek 3 times. The first time was through the consultation, second was a zoom call to prepare me for my interview, and third time was on my interview day. All 3 times Derek was also extremely helpful at answering my questions and put me at ease about the process. I'd like to note that interview day was chaotic. The USCIS interview office had overbooked people, and they ended up having to reschedule ~20 people's interviews. Unfortunately I was one of them, and Derek made himself available for anytime I wanted to reschedule the interview. We ended up going in at 7:00am the following day (which was a rare time and outside USCIS business hours), so he promptly showed up around 6:30am to make sure he was there for my interview. Thank you so much to Derek and Ruby for facilitating my green card process, and for making sure I always felt at ease/comfortable/safe in dealing with this immigration process.

See All Client Reviews

Derek Jay Poulsen's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Derek
Juliana Alexia Ramirez headshot
Juliana Ramirez

Unknown lawyer | Jun 05

Relationship: Co-worker

"Derek is a professional and skilled attorney. His skills have been proven in the courtroom and before USCIS. I unequivocally endorse and recommend him as a "go-to immigration attorney"."

Agnieszka Dolinska headshot
Agnieszka Dolinska

Immigration lawyer | Jun 05

Relationship: Co-worker

"I endorse this lawyer. He is a very diligent, dedicated, and knowledgeable attorney."

Lauren Marie Flores headshot
Lauren Flores

Immigration lawyer | Jun 05

Relationship: Co-worker

"Derek goes above and beyond for his clients, and is always searching for novel ways to help his clients. You would be wise to have Derek in your corner!"

Joshua Joseph Despain headshot
Joshua Despain

Immigration lawyer | Jun 05

Relationship: Co-worker

"Derek has been a great resource for me, with his courtroom experience and his expertise in removal defense. I highly recommend him, and if your case is with Derek, you can rest assured that your case is in good hands."

View All Endorsements
Nathan Kurt William Tenney headshot
Nathan Tenney

Litigation lawyer

Lauren Marie Flores headshot
Lauren Flores

Immigration lawyer

Agnieszka Dolinska headshot
Agnieszka Dolinska

Immigration lawyer

Joshua Joseph Despain headshot
Joshua Despain

Immigration lawyer

Experience

Rating:  7.5 (Very Good)

Honors

2014

Exceptional Skills in Litigation Theory and Practice, Creighton University School of Law

Work Experience

2020 - Present

Managing Attorney, Wilner & O'Reilly | Immigration Lawyers San Diego

2018 - Present

Associate Attorney, Wilner & O'Reilly, APLC

2018 - 2020

Attorney, Wilner & O'Reilly | Immigration Lawyers Orange

2016 - 2018

Attorney, Jason Finch and Associates, PC. LLO

2013 - 2016

Law Clerk, Jason Finch and Associates, PC. LLO

2012 - 2012

Legal, Utah First District Court

Associations

2014 - Present

J. Reuben Clark Association

Member

Education

2014

Creighton University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

2005

Utah State University

BS - Bachelor of Science

Speaking Engagements

2018

Seminar at Desert Reign Church

Immigration Updates

Publications

2019

Wilner & O'Reilly | Immigration Lawyers Blog GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: THE WALL OF IRONY

Languages

English

Spanish

Portuguese

Activity

Avvo Rating

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