Prerna Lal

Prerna Lal

also known as Lal Legal, APLC

5.0
Rating: 8.5

Licensed for 11 years

Immigration Lawyer at Berkeley, CA
Practice Areas: Immigration, Unknown

2001 Addison Street, Suite 300, Berkeley, CA

About Prerna

Biography

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

Cost

Hourly Rates

$ 200-300 per hour

Retainer

Always


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 1 year

State: California

Acquired: 2024

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in District of Columbia for 11 years

State: District of Columbia

Acquired: 2014

Good Standing

No misconduct found

Location

Lal Legal, A Professional Law Corporation

2001 Addison Street, Suite 300, Berkeley, CA, 94704

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Prerna Lal's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

13 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (13) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.
Star rating
5 stars 13
4 stars 0
3 stars 0
2 stars 0
1 star 0
Practice Areas

Showing 1 - 5 of 6 reviews | Practice Area Knowledge

Posted by anonymous | January 08, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

Incredible Immigration Assistance

Prerna was such a great source of help at a truly difficult time in my and my husband's lives. We were scrambling to file his application for LPR status before application fees increased last year, and Prerna was able to file the application on extremely short notice. Throughout the process Prerna an...swered all of our silliest, most paranoid questions at all times of day and night and also thoroughly prepared us for our interview. As stressful as the process was, it was such a relief to have Prerna at our interview with us-- to our relief we were approved within the next hour and a half! My husband is now a Legal Permanent Resident thanks to Prerna's help. We truly could not have done this without their help and we were happy to have such an experienced, intelligent attorney with such a great sense of humor on our side.

Posted by Diana | January 02, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

Super Wonderful

Prerna is a superstar! She fought and made a way for my mom's tough and messy immigration case that finally granted both of us a green card. She's a fierce advocate for the marginalized and has been extremely impactful to our family!

Posted by Anita | November 19, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

Professional and caring lawyer

I'm very lucky that Prerna was able to represent me and my case. I've been consulting with her since the start of my time as a student at UC Berkeley and I can honestly say that she's been so helpful, informative and encouraging through it all. Every time I have any questions concerns, she always rep...lies incredibly fast. Prerna is caring and empathetic but at the same time keeps it professional. To be more specific, she helped walk me through my advance parole and green card process. Knowing that she was physically there to support us brought me so much security and comfort. I know that I can trust her to look out for me and my well-being.

Posted by Anny | July 23, 2017 | Immigration

Outstanding and Caring Immigration Attorney

Thank you Prerna, I appreciate your effort and time you spend working on my immigration case. You carry yourself in a confident manner, which might be a little intimidating, but as soon as you talk I felt secure. I felt save because you understand and share a similar background, it is easier to co...nnect with you because there is not a need to explain the trauma in such a way that you feel foreign or unwelcome. I appreciate you sharing your story as well, and I admire how you were able to complete a lot of things while doing so. This demonstrate how verse you are in immigration law and how familiar you are with the process. I am also grateful that you care about my emotional and mental health. How your reminded me of how important it is to take care of my well-being, and all the time you connected me with people that could help me further, always putting my security first. Prerna Lal has been great to work with. Prerna is quick to respond to any question that I have and answers my questions fully. Prerna has helped us, my family and I, every step of the way with our case. Prerna has provided me comfort and security so I can focus on myself so that I can get well and be able to focus on my journey at UC Berkeley and not have to worry about everything else. Prerna is professional, calm, caring, and very well versed in the law. I am very grateful for everything that Prerna has done for me.

Posted by Juan | July 17, 2017 | Immigration

One of the most holistic immigration attorneys

I wouldn't trust anyone else with legal advice as an undocumented immigrant than Prerna Lal. This is primarily because Prerna's past as an immigrant rights organizer (and former undocumented immigrant) gives them a holistic understanding of the laws we as immigrants are dealing with. From receiving l...egal advice on the immigration status of my family to being walked through the ramifications of my participation in civil disobediences, Prerna is my go-to attorney for all. I've to renew my Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals soon, and will fully entrust Prerna to walk me through that process.

See All Client Reviews

Prerna Lal's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Prerna
Andrew John Bartlett headshot
Andrew Bartlett

Immigration lawyer | Aug 01

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"When someone cares deeply about the problems you are facing and inspires the rest of us to become better lawyers, you know you have found the right person to advocate for you and be your wise counselor. I have learned a great deal from Prerna Lal's writing and tireless work to change a broken immigration system. I hope she thrives and educates all of us on Avvo."

Susan Renee Bond headshot
Susan Bond

Immigration lawyer | Jul 28

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Ms. Lal has been fighting to the rights of individuals and advocating fairness and equality for many years, including prior to becoming an attorney. She has founded immigrant youth groups that have helped countless children and young adults, is a contributor to newspapers such as the New York Times and USA today, and the Huffington Post. She assisted me directly performing research and drafting briefs on complicated legal issues so I have worked with her on legal matters, and can attest to her research and writing skills, and will to fight for what is right. Ms. Lal is an attorney who will fight for your rights and provide excellent legal service to you and your family."

View All Endorsements
Lizbeth Fabiola Mateo-Jimenez headshot
Lizbeth Mateo-Jimenez

Immigration lawyer

Heather Mirium Benno headshot
Heather Benno

Immigration lawyer

Wade B. Stano headshot
Wade Stano

Litigation lawyer

David Colin Bennion headshot
David Bennion

Immigration lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.5 (Excellent)

Honors

2013

Distinguished Accomplishment in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, The George Washington University

2011

DREAM Act Scholar Activist, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)

2011

Changemaker of the Year, South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)

2010

Award, Fiji Aid Society

Work Experience

2018 - Present

Founder and Managing Attorney, Lal Legal, A Professional Law Corporation

2015 - 2018

Staff Attorney and Clinical Supervisor, East Bay Community Law Center

2014 - 2015

Staff Attorney, Advancing Justice - AAJC

2012 - 2013

Law Clerk, Benach Ragland

2012 - 2013

Research Associate, The George Washington University Law School

2011 - 2011

Thomas Steele Fellow, National Lawyers Guild

2011 - 2011

Legal Intern, National Center For Lesbian Rights

2011 - 2011

Law Clerk, Trow & Rahal

2010 - 2014

Board Member, Immigration Equality

2007 - 2010

Founder and New Media Director, DreamActivist

Associations

2014 - Present

D.C. Bar Association

Licensed Attorney

2014 - Present

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Member

2014 - Present

Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice

Board Member

2013 - Present

South Asian Bar Association DC

Member

2011 - Present

American Immigration Lawyers Association

NMD

2011 - Present

American Immigration Lawyers Association (DC chapter)

Member

2010 - Present

American Bar Association

Member

2008 - Present

National Lawyers Guild

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Matter of XY and YC

Won

Matter of IR

Won

Matter of VC

Grant

De Osorio v. Mayorkas

Won

See More Legal Cases

Education

2013

George Washington University National Law Center

JD - Juris Doctor

2007

San Francisco State University

MA - Masters

2005

California State University, East Bay

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2018

United Against White Supremacy

Immigration

2017

Students, Borders and the Politics of Sanctuary

Undocumented Knowledge

2016

3rd CINETS Conference – Crimmigration in the Shadow of Sovereignty Sponsored by MLAW Programs

We are Criminals

2015

, Boston, Massachusetts, 2015.

Negotiating Diversity’s Boundaries: Diversity Policies for Asian Pacific Americans

2014

The Prison State: Our Collective Intersections with the Prison System

Crimmigration – But We Are All Criminals

2013

South Asian Americans Leading Together

LGBT Movement Building

2012

TEDTalk AdamsMorgan Women Inverting the Meaning of Model Minority

2012

Federal Bar Association DACA Nuts and Bolts Seminar CLE

2011

National Lawyers Guild

Emerging Issues for LGBT Immigrants, Asylees and Refugee Seekers CLE

Publications

2018

California Law Review Discover Our Model: The Critical Need for School-Based Immigration Legal Services

2017

Asian American Law Journal Legal and Extra-Legal Challenges to Immigrant Detention

2014

Accord Law Review Reforming a Visa to Snitch: The Case for Self-Petitioning

2009

Non Profit Quarterly Undocumented but Undaunted: Immigrant Youth at Work in the Nonprofit Sector (Co-authored with Tam Tran)

Languages

Hindi

Urdu

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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