Cole West Enabnit

I'm an immigration lawyer at Portland Immigration Law. Thank you for taking the time to read a bit about what made me want to practice immigration law.

I was born in Oregon and have spent most of my life here. After finishing Sandy High School and Oregon State University, I worked abroad teaching English as a second language in South Korea and Kyrgyzstan. While away, I missed my home and family here in Oregon, but was treated with great generosity and hospitality throughout my travels. In Kyrgyzstan, I met my wife--the first person with whom I would navigate the U.S. immigration process.

During law school, I worked for Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees (SOAR) and later the Oregon Justice Resource Center (OJRC)--both Portland-based non-profits--providing immigration legal services to individuals who did not have the means to hire a private attorney. These were meaningful experiences for me because they gave me the opportunity to use the knowledge I had been cultivating at Lewis & Clark Law School to make real and positive changes in people's lives.

Later, I spent a year working for the Troutdale City Attorney's Office prosecuting misdemeanors in municipal court. Spending time as a prosecutor provided me with a valuable look into the criminal justice system. It gave me the opportunity to understand the process and reasoning behind the charges leveled against those I now assist.

In my daily life, I try to remember the kindness strangers showed me when I was far away from everything and everyone I knew. In doing so, I can remind myself of how vulnerable we are at times and how we all have a duty to one another as neighbors, no matter the physical locations of our domiciles. At Portland Immigration Law, I work hard to understand your situation, your concerns, and your case. People come to our office during some of the most difficult times in their lives and I believe it is our job to ease as much of this difficulty as possible. If you want to talk about your case with someone eager to listen, contemplate, and advise, please give us a call.