Legal expert leads community presentation on immigration

An expert on immigration law will lead a community forum at Lawrence University to address questions and concerns regarding the latest developments.

A headshot of chair of the immigration practice group at the Burlington, Vt., law firm Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew, P.C. Leigh Cole.
Leigh Cole

Leigh Cole, chair of the immigration practice group at the Burlington, Vt., law firm Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew, P.C., presents “Understanding Immigration in the Current Environment” Wednesday, March 1 at 4:30 p.m. in Lawrence’s Warch Campus Center cinema. The program is free and open to the public.

In her presentation, Cole will discuss issues ranging from the president’s latest executive order, the unstable immigration environment and travel restrictions to how employers are and should be responding, the reduction in admitted refugees and border searchers for travelers entering the United States.

Cole, who also serves as immigration counsel to the California law firm Hirschfeld Kraemer LLP, is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and serves as the senior editor of AILA’s annual Immigration and Nationality Law Handbook.

She is the current chair of the Board of the Vermont Council on World Affairs, which is a member of the World Affairs Councils of America, a network dedicated to educating, inspiring and engaging Americans in international affairs and current critical global issues.

A photo of the United States map with immigration issues.Cole earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Cornell University and her J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University in New York.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, there are currently more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, including eight million in the work force. On Feb. 21, the Department of Homeland Security issued new orders in support of President Trump’s plan to increase immigration enforcement.

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Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.