AILA UPSTATE NY's 2024 NORTHERN BORDER CONFERENCE

The AILA Upstate NY Chapter invites you to its 2024 Northern Border Conference on September 20, 2024 at the Buffalo Marriott at LECOM HARBORCENTER in downtown Buffalo, New York. We will be joined by several representatives from federal agencies as well as national and local experts. Our speakers will share substantive law updates, agency developments, litigation news and more. Register today!

Conference Program (subject to change)

8:00 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.

Breakfast, Check-in, Networking

8:45 a.m.

Welcome and Introduction

Conference Co-chairs:

Zabrina Reich, Phillips Lytle LLP, AILA Upstate New York Chapter Chair (Buffalo, NY)

Elizabeth Buscaglia, Apa, Martin & Buscaglia PLLC, AILA Upstate New York Chapter Vice-Chair (Buffalo, NY)

8:50 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Danielle Rizzo, Phillips Lytle LLP (Buffalo, NY)

Alexis S. Axelrad, Barst Mukamal & Kleiner LLP, AILA First Vice President (New York)

Frank Russo, Director of Field Operations, CBP, New York Field Office

Jill Kulczyk, Program Manager, CBP, Buffalo Field Office

Gregory Bennett, (A) Assistant Port Director, CBP, Port of Buffalo, NY

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

U.S. Department of State

Elizabeth Buscaglia, Apa, Martin & Buscaglia PLLC (Buffalo, NY)

Zabrina Reich, Phillips Lytle LLP (Buffalo, NY)

Margaret Wilson, Pilkington Immigration Law (Guelph, Ontario)

D. Ian Hopper, Consular Section Chief/ACS Coordinator (Toronto)

Alexis S. Wolff, NIV Chief, U.S. Consulate General Toronto (Toronto)

11:05 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.

EOIR, OPLA, and USCIS

Kelly Carr, Fiegel, Carr & Joyce Law Firm (Buffalo, NY)

Chelsea Latta, Partner, Hodgson Russ, LLP (Buffalo, NY)

Jamy Patterson, Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project (Batavia, NY)

Jeffrey Fiut, OPLA Deputy Chief Counsel, Batavia, NY

Sara French, Buffalo Field Office Director, USCIS

12:10 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.   Lunch

Removal/Family Track 

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Review of Supreme Court and Circuit Court Decisions

Aaron Aisen, Senior Staff Attorney, Federal Litigation, Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project (Batavia, NY)

Jeff Joseph, Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP, AILA National President Elect (Aurora, CO)

Jesse Bless, Bless Litigation LLC (Georgetown, MA)

2:05 p.m. - 3:05 p.m.

Hot Topics in Humanitarian Relief

Brittany Triggs, Staff Attorney, Eric County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer’s Project (Buffalo, NY)

Dalya Kefi, Staff Attorney, Journey’s End Refugee Services (Buffalo, NY)

Richard Link, Staff Attorney, JustCause (Rochester, NY)

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Introduction to Removal Proceedings

Kelsey Hatfield, Richards and Jurusik Immigration Lawyers (Buffalo, NY)

Brenda Cisneros, Director of Detained Immigration Program, Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer’s Project (Batavia, NY)

Carol G. Bridge, Chief Counsel, ICE, Office of Principal Legal Advisor (Buffalo, NY)

Business Track

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Canada)

National Interest Waivers

Mark Popiel, Malik & Popiel, P.C. (Buffalo, NY)

Jonathan Grode, Green and Spiegel (Philadelphia, PA)

Robert Webber, Webber Arredondo Oja, LLC (Minneapolis, MN)

Brendan Venter, Harris Beach PLLC (Albany, NY)

2:05 p.m. - 3:05 p.m. (US)

Hot Topics

Andrew Wilson, Lippes Mathias LLP (Buffalo, NY)

Nell Barker, Kempster, Corcoran, Quiceno & Lenz-Calvo, Ltd. (Chicago, IL)

Vincent Lau, Clark Lau LLC (Boston, MA)

Jennifer Behm, Berardi Immigration Law (Buffalo, NY)

Jill Apa, Apa, Martin & Buscaglia PLLC (Buffalo, NY)

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

EB-5 Investor Visa

Dan Joyce, Of Counsel, Fiegel, Carr & Joyce Law Firm (Buffalo, NY)

Mollie McCabe, Vice President of Investor Relations, EB-5 New York State, LLC

Lindsay Schoonmaker, Carolyn Lee PLLC (Ithaca, NY)

4:25 pm – 5:25 pm

Ethical Issues for Lawyers in Leveraging AI/Technology

Charity Anastasio, Practice and Ethics Counsel, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center (Washington, D.C.)

Adrienne Larimer, Solutions Consultant, LexisNexis (Ithaca, NY)

5:30 p.m.

Happy Hour Networking Reception

Note: Final schedule subject to change.

CLE Credits

CLE credit generously sponsored by Phillips Lytle LLP. Attendees may obtain 7 NY CLE credits. Attendees must sign-into the conference and complete and submit a validation worksheet to obtain proof of credits.

Financial assistance is available for attorneys who wish to attend this program co-sponsored by Phillips Lytle LLP, and receive New York State CLE credits, but who are unable to attend due to cost considerations. Financial assistance will only be available for the cost of registration. Other costs such as travel and hotel will not be covered by financial assistance. Attorneys can contact Christine Kelly at [email protected] or (716) 847-5420 for an application. All information will be kept confidential.

Non-Profit Discount Code

AILA Upstate New York is pleased to offer a $75 per person conference fee to non-profit organizations when three or more attorneys from the same non-profit organization register to attend. Please use the discount code AILA3 at checkout.

Hotel

We have secured a small block of rooms at a special rate at the Buffalo Marriott at LECOM HARBORCENTER for $279 USD per night for Thursday, September 19, 2024 and Friday, September 20, 2024. Quantities are limited. The last day to book at this rate is Monday, August 26, 2024.

To book a room, please click here: Book your group rate for AILA Upstate New York Northern Border Conference

If registering by phone, please mention "Upstate NY Chapter American Immigration Lawyers" room block.