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Sarah S. Thomas

Immigration Attorney at Albuquerque, NM

5.0   5 reviews

also known as née Sarah Kate Simons


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About Sarah

Learn Sarah’s areas of practice.

2
Practice areas
  1. Immigration
    80%
    Employment-based and business immigration.

    8 years

  2. Business
    20%
    Employer compliance (I-9) & worksite enforcement.

    8 years

Sarah S. Thomas specializes in business immigration, including employment-based immigration and I-9 compliance. She works with clients to address the visa and work authorization needs of U.S. and global personnel, including professionals, managers and executives,  essential workers, and students. With I-9 compliance, she assists companies in drafting employment eligibility verification compliance policies; she conducts training sessions, internal audits, and  represents employers undergoing I-9 inspections (or audits). 

Ms. Thomas is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). She graduated with honors from the University of New Mexico School of Law and earned her B.A. in English summa cum laude from UNM in 2007. 

Ms. Thomas is an Amigos de las Americas alumna volunteer where she was placed near La Esperanza, Honduras, building stoves with chimneys to help alleviate respiratory illness there. She, her spouse, and their child reside in Albuquerque’s South Valley, along with various chickens, dogs, cats, roadrunners, lizards, and crawdads.  

 

Photos and videos

Licensed for 8 years
State NM
Status Active
Acquired 2015
Updated 10/03/2016

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

Contact Sarah

Sarah S. Thomas
Sarah S. Thomas at Law
Albuquerque, NM

Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
  5 customer reviews
5 Star
 
100%
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Posted by Vatsal | July 2, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Sarah Thomas - Amazing Immigration Attorney
Sarah has been really helpful and did an incredible work on drafting the work visa application with extensive research on providing the supporting documents !!
Posted by Minnie | June 22, 2018
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
| Consulted Attorney
Sarah Thomas- Amazing lawyer and person!
This is a review for Sarah Thomas at Noble and Vrapi. I had some questions on immigration that several other lawyers did not have clear answers to. She was not only knowledgeable but extremely compassionate, in short, she gave me clear answers and most importantly hope. I am so glad that a friend of mine referred me to her, she most definitely had all the answers!
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Posted by anonymous | May 22, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Great Immigration Attorneys
Sarah and the team at Noble & Vrapi were able to accomplish what other national law firms could not. I’m very pleased with my employer’s decision to hire this firm for my immigration case. Sarah is not only a great professional, but a person really committed to make a real difference in today’s increasingly challenging immigration world.
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Posted by Dr.Nick | July 12, 2017
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Best lawyer I have worked with.
I did a lot of research and consulted numerous immigration lawyers throughout America and i eventually spoke to Ms.Sarah Thomas, who gave me hope in my immigration issues concerning my H1b and J1 visa.She is meticulous,thorough,simple and easy to work with and a true professional.She successfully resolved my very complicated case and i am really thankful to her.I feel very confident in recommending people to Ms.Sarah Thomas and i wish her all the very best in her future endeavors.
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Response from Sarah Thomas July 19, 2017
Nick, it was an absolute pleasure working with you! The highest praise an attorney can ever receive, particularly an immigration attorney, is appreciative clients sending their friends, associates, and family to me: Thank you. Appreciatively, Sarah
Posted by Guo (Apple) | October 27, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Professional and Personal
As many of us know, getting a work authorization from the U.S. as an international employee can be extremely stressful because there is nothing guaranteed. I am very thankful that my employer was willing to sponsor me and I am equally thankful if not more that I have found Sarah. We had misunderstandings in the process because the legal system is just so confusing and I am not familiar with all the legal terms and processes. However, Sarah was willing and able to hear my concerns, complains, and fears and she went above and beyond her professional responsibilities during this process. She worked extra hours for documentation to gain as much time as possible after we got on the same page. We set up a conference call and she called in when she just got to a hotel where she had a conference even before she checked in after her flight to collaborate with another coworker to create the best plan for my case. No one would blame her if she has taken some time for herself but she placed my needs first when I needed her the most. As an international employee, I often feel helpless, exhausted, angry and terrified when it comes to getting the work authorization or any process because I am not familiar with the system and NO ONE can guarantee anything, and I am in trouble if there anything goes wrong, such as out of status, and it's not-preferred to return to my home country due to various reasons. From this experience, I have learned that the process can be as stressful for lawyers if not more because it's not fun to be responsible for someone and it's a lot of pressure to think that any mistakes can change an international employ's life. Establishing the trust between us was the key to our successful experiences. We both were honest with each other and we both were willing to communicate with each other. Sarah was extremely considerate of my needs and stress level and responded my emails or phone calls with a timely manner and I was proactive to follow up with her on the progress of my case. It was extremely helpful that she provides details explanations of what is happening and the timeline of what to expect. Sarah has demonstrated her expertise in employment law, great communication and problem solving skills, willingness to collaborate with others for the best interest of her client, and her personal caring for her client, which was the hope I had during the stressful waiting period. I wanted a local law firm because I prefer person to person contact. Though Sarah is located in a different city, the local law firm office in my city was friendly and willing to collaborate to support the process. After I received my H1B, Sarah traveled from her city to my city to treat my HR staff and me a lovely lunch. It was nice to finally meet her in person after all those emails and phone calls. I highly recommend Sarah without any reservation. For any international employee who is seeking legal service, I highly encourage you to collaborate with your lawyer and connect with them from a human level first so you can see them as humans who have feelings and struggles before see them as lawyers. Don't be afraid! Currently, I am in a process of discussing the possibilities for permanent residency sponsorship with my employer and I would love to continue to work with Sarah if my employer agreed.
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Response from Sarah Thomas July 19, 2017
Thank you Apple! I hope that everything is going wonderfully for you. Wishing you many blessings, Sarah

Cost

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer

Resume

AVVO RATING 10.0 (Superb)

Work Experience

  • Associate Attorney
  • Noble & Vrapi, P.A.
  • 2015 - Present
  • Law Clerk
  • Noble & Vrapi, P.A.
  • 2015 - 2015
  • Clinical Law Student
  • UNM School of Law Clinical Law Program
  • 2015 - 2015
  • Legal Extern
  • New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty
  • 2015 - 2015
  • Legal Extern
  • Albuquerque Business Law
  • 2014 - 2014
  • ADR Office of Legal Department Extern
  • City of Albuquerque
  • 2014 - 2014
View all work experience

Education

  • University of New Mexico School of Law
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 2015
  • University of New Mexico
  • BA - Bachelor of Arts
  • 2007
  • University of California - Berkeley
  • N/A
  • N/A

Associations

  • Girls Scouts of New Mexico Trails
  • Co-Leader
  • 2016 - Present
  • Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails
  • Member
  • 2016 - Present
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (Texas Chapter: this Chapter includes New Mexico and Oklahoma)
  • Member
  • 2015 - Present
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • Member
  • 2015 - Present
  • State Bar of New Mexico, Young Lawyers Division
  • Member
  • 2015 - Present
  • State Bar of New Mexico, Immigration Law Section
  • Member
  • 2015 - Present
  • State Bar of New Mexico
  • Member
  • 2012 - Present
  • American Bar Association
  • Member
  • 2012 - Present
  • State Bar of New Mexico, Young Lawyers Division
  • Liaison (Immigration Law Section); Member
  • 2017 - 2018
  • State Bar of New Mexico, Immigration Law Section
  • Committee Member: Bylaws & Mission Statement
  • 2017 - 2018
  • State Bar of New Mexico, Immigration Law Section
  • Secretary
  • 2017 - 2018
  • State Bar of New Mexico, Immigration Law Section
  • YLD Liaison
  • 2017 - 2018
  • State Bar of New Mexico, Immigration Law Section
  • Board Member
  • 2017 - 2018
  • New Mexico Christian Legal Aid
  • Volunteer Attorney/Pro Bono
  • 2016 - 2018
  • Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce
  • Member
  • 2015 - 2017
  • Albuquerque Bar Association
  • Member
  • 2012 - 2017
  • National Society of Collegiate Scholars
  • Member through Cal (U.C. Berkeley)
  • 2000 - 2002
View all associations

Languages Spoken

  • English

Honors and Awards

  • Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Law School
  • University of New Mexico School of Law
  • 2015
  • Cum Laude (J.D.)
  • University of New Mexico School of Law
  • 2015
  • CALI Award Wills and Trusts
  • The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction
  • 2014
  • Summa Cum Laude (B.A.)
  • University of New Mexico
  • 2007
  • Presidential Scholarship
  • University of New Mexico
  • 1998
View all awards

Publications

Speaking Engagements

View all speaking engagements

Attorney endorsements

Received (8)
Given (10)
Endorse Sarah
Immigration Attorney | Aug 09
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"Sarah Thomas is passionate, meticulous, clear-headed, and thoughtful. Everything you could want in an attorney."
Unknown Attorney | Aug 03
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I've known Sarah since she was an ambitious law student and she's now a full-fledged attorney who's not just smart, but also personable, outgoing, and altruistic. I endorse her."
Immigration Attorney | Mar 14
Relationship: Co-worker
"Sarah is an incredible business immigration attorney with a wide range of knowledge. She is thoughtful and dedicated. I recommend Sarah without reservation."
Immigration Attorney | Mar 14
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"Sarah Thomas is an excellent immigration attorney. She is an expert in the field of business immigration and excels at obtaining the desired result for her clients. If you need business immigration advice, Sarah is your lawyer!"
Business Attorney | Dec 13
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I endorse this lawyer."
Immigration Attorney | Oct 05
Relationship: Co-worker
"Sarah is an incredibly thoughtful and dedicated attorney with an impressive knowledge of business and related immigration matters. As a specialist in employment-related immigration issues, she is able to stay current with all of the latest trends. She is truly at the forefront of business immigration, providing much-needed guidance to students, workers, and employers."
Business Attorney | Oct 05
Relationship: Co-worker
"Sarah is an excellent attorney with particular expertise in business immigration law. She is dedicated to helping her clients get through the immigration process and explores all the options available."
Immigration Attorney | Oct 03
Relationship: Supervised lawyer
"Sarah is an excellent business immigration attorney. She is dedicated and has great attention to detail which is a must for this area of law."
View more endorsements