Profile

Caroline is co-chair of the firm's immigration law practice and has extensive experience counseling and representing employers in all facets of employment-based immigration. 

She represents employers in a broad array of sectors including: industrial/manufacturing, financial services, technology and communications, professional services, higher education and health care.

Caroline’s immigration practice focuses on the representation of employers in the preparation, filing and adjudication of employment-based applications for temporary (non-immigrant) workers (including H-1B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, E-1, E-2, E-3, O, and TN (NAFTA) petitions). In addition, she assists employers in their efforts to obtain employment-based permanent residency (green card) status for their employees in EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 categories. She has substantial experience in navigating employers through the Permanent Employment Certification process (PERM), including counseling on prevailing wage and recruitment issues. Caroline also routinely counsels clients on the F-1 student visa category, including issues related to Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Optional Practical Training (OPT), the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)), as well as the J visa exchange visitor category (including obtainment of J visa waivers). She advises multi-national businesses on non-immigrant international travel issues and B visitor visas.

In addition to her employment-based practice, Caroline also has experience in various family-based petitions, both for non-immigrant status and immigrant status (i.e. family-based green cards). Furthermore, she advises and assists individuals in the preparation and adjudication of N-400 naturalization petitions.

Caroline frequently counsels employers on other employment / immigration-related matters such as Labor Condition Applications (LCAs), public access files, prevailing wage issues, employee work authorization, E-Verify, I-9 compliance issues and Social Security No-Match matters.  She works with and has represented employers facing audits and enforcement actions by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Labor (DOL).

  • Listed in:
    • The Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation - Labor and Employment, 2020-2025 (listed for 5 years)
  • New York State Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
  • Onondaga County Bar Association
  • NDNY Federal Court Bar Association
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
  • Administrative Editor, Boston University Public Interest Law Journal

  • Important Changes in Employment and Tax Laws Relevant to Small Business Owners, Commerce Chenango, March 3, 2023
  • FMLA & ADA: Beyond the Basics, MACNY - The Manufacturers Association, March 15, 2016

  • Quoted in “The new I-9: Employment verification form updated; penalties raised,” Newsday, February 5, 2017
  • Quoted in "3 things to know if employees hail from ‘countries of concern’," Long Island Business Journal, January 30, 2017
  • Quoted in “Law firms field post-election immigration questions,” libn.com, December 14, 2016
  • Smith, O'Donnell, Westover, et al., "What Would Hippocrates Think? Physicians, Unions and the Drive to Organize", ACCA Docket, 1999

  • Cayuga County Community College Foundation, Board Member, 2012-2019
  • CNY SHRM, Board Member, Chair of the Legislative Committee, 2009-2012
  • CNY Projects With Industry, Business Advisory Council Member, 2005-2010
  • Cornell Alumni Association Admissions Network, Member, 2000-2005, 2007-2010
  • Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Member, Board of Directors, 2006-2009