Melissa Bledsoe Harms

MELISSA HARMS started her legal career at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker before she joined a small immigration firm specializing exclusively in immigration law.  She has advised multinational corporations, large public universities, private research entities, as well as small start-up ventures on a variety of immigration issues.  Additionally, Ms. Harms has represented individuals in family-based permanent residence, naturalization, trader/investor, national interest waiver immigrant visa, and asylum applications. 

Ms. Harms has served in a number of leadership positions on the American Immigration Lawyers Association Northern California Executive Board, most recently as the liaison with the California Employment Development Department. Ms. Harms teaches courses through both California State University and the University of California for human resource professionals on immigration law.  Her speaking engagements include the American Immigration Lawyers Association national conferences, the NAFSA: Association of International Educators national and regional conferences, Employers Advisory Council meetings in the Bay area, the Marin County Bar Association, among others.

Ms. Harms graduated cum laude from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in both History and Public Policy.  Additionally, Ms. Harms participated in a scholar exchange program studying international relations and government at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.  Ms. Harms earned her law degree from the University of Georgia where she served on the Editorial Board of the Georgia Law Review and graduated cum laude.