Ellen Ma Lee

Born in the Philippines, raised in Hong Kong, and educated in the U.S., Ms. Lee received her Juris Doctorate from Loyola University School of Law in 1974. She is admitted to practice in the Federal District Court, Central District of Calfornia and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

She served as a Staff Attorney for Long Beach Legal Aid (1974-77), a Staff Attorney and the Executive Director of One Stop Immigration Center (1977-81), and in the private practice of immigration law (1981 – present).

Ms. Lee served on the national Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), was the Chairperson of AILA, Southern California Chapter, and is active in various AILA activities.

She has earned the highest rating (“AV”) in legal ability and ethics from the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory.

She has organized innovative seminars including a three-day conference in which various U.S. Consuls from posts in Asia, Canada and Mexico made presentations and answered questions. She also organized a seminar on waivers of excludability and deportability, and another seminar which featured the U.S. Consul from Guangzhou, China and the Consul representing the People’s Republic of China.

She served as the Editor-in-Chief of a major AILA publication and has spoken at various AILA Conferences on the national, state and local levels. She is a member of the national Board of Trustees of the American Immigration Law Foundation.

Ms. Lee testified before the President’s Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy; served on the Executive Committee of the Immigration Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association; participates in numerous liaison committees with the Los Angeles District Office of USCIS; and is a volunteer legal advisor to the Chinatown Service Center.

Year after year, she has been voted as a Super Lawyer in Southern California by her colleagues in the bar.

Ms. Lee is fluent in various dialects of Chinese.

“Mr. Carl Michael Shusterman’s firm helped with my Green Card interview process, and I successfully obtained my Green Card soon after. I would like to express my special appreciation to attorney Ellen Lee and Judy who were extremely hands-on on my case… Thank you! I would very much recommend this firm to anyone. “ (More client reviews…)