About Our Leading
Immigration Lawyers
Guberman // Appleby Immigration Lawyers are equipped to handle all varieties of Canadian and US immigration matters. Learn more about our immigration lawyers below.
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Joel S. Guberman, B.A., LL.B.
Joel has been practicing US and Canadian immigration law for over 40 years. He advises his clients on immigration issues concerning conducting business across borders. Joel’s clients include senior executives and individuals, as well as institutions and large multinational organizations. He advises on various matters including North American free trade, treaty investors and treaty traders, and other issues related to worldwide skilled worker immigration.
Licensed to practise law in Ontario, Canada and Massachusetts, USA, Joel has been at the forefront of Canada/US cross border issues since prior to the inception of NAFTA. He has a particular expertise in US immigration matters for businesses and individuals. Joel was a founding member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Canada Chapter and is a past Chair of that organization, as well as the Ontario Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Law section. Joel lectures and participates in numerous seminars, panels and symposiums on both Canadian and U.S. immigration law.
Education: Osgoode Hall Law School
University of Manitoba
License: Law Society of Ontario
Attorney at Law, Massachusetts
The E-visa. Specifically, the E-1. This is a great tool for Canadian companies (and numerous other countries) and individuals who are buying and selling goods and services into the US and looking to expand without the need for investment, infrastructure or US employees.
Value in hiring Guberman // Appleby Immigration Lawyers?
We have decades of Canadian and US immigration law experience. We have been continuously recognized by our peers as leading experts in the field. We are responsive and passionate about what we do and every case is a new challenge and a new opportunity.
Lainie Michelle Appleby, B.A., J.D.
Lainie Michelle practices exclusively in the area of immigration law and has worked only in immigration law throughout the course of her entire legal career. She advises her clients on all matters relating to Canadian immigration law and U.S. consular and port of entry matters. Lainie Michelle provides creative and thoughtful solutions to complex immigration matters. Her clients appreciate her sensitivity, humour and responsiveness. She is a past chair of the Citizenship and Immigration Section of the Ontario Bar Association and has been noted by Who’s Who Legal as an expert in Corporate Immigration Law.
Lainie Michelle is a frequent speaker and panelist at immigration law conferences in Canada and the US. She is an author of papers on immigration topics and quoted media source in Canada and internationally.
Education: Osgoode Hall Law School
University of Western Ontario
License: Law Society of Ontario
Work permit files that require creative solutions. It could be a CEO that a Canadian company requires on an urgent basis or a production company looking to hire foreign hosts or judges for a Canadian competition series.
Value in hiring Guberman // Appleby Immigration Lawyers?
Immigration lawyers deal with immigration issues and problems day in and day out. Immigration lawyers have extensive knowledge and familiarity with ever changing processes, laws, regulations and guidelines. We are required to hold and maintain professional licenses and a formal legal education.
Ginger Devaney, B.A., J.D.
Ginger Devaney is a US-licensed immigration attorney with over a decade of experience across government, litigation, and nonprofit practice settings. She brings deep expertise in US immigration law and works effectively with clients from a wide range of backgrounds and circumstances.
Ginger previously worked at US Citizenship and Immigration Services, including as a Senior Asylum Officer, and has extensive experience in adjudicating complex petitions. Earlier in her career, Ginger represented immigrant survivors of domestic violence in humanitarian and family-based immigration cases. She is an experienced presenter on immigration law matters and has presented to groups ranging from students to social workers to police officers. During her time at USCIS, she was part of a group recognized with the Champion of Equity Award for its work on improving inclusion of transgender and gender non-conforming employees at USCIS.
Originally from Georgia, Ginger has lived in Boston, China, and Chicago. She has volunteered as an English as a second language teacher and tutor since high school, an experience that sparked her interest in immigration law and continues to inform her approach to practice.
Education: Harvard University
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
License: Attorney at Law, Illinois
Foreign Legal Consultant (Law Society of Ontario)
Favorite kind of immigration file?
Files that require sifting through voluminous documents to find the most compelling details and articulate them into a persuasive argument.
Value in hiring Guberman // Appleby Immigration Lawyers?
Guberman // Appleby is small enough to provide personalized client service but still offers the decades of experience one often finds in a large firm.
Most rewarding aspect of being an immigration lawyer?
The opportunity to help clients achieve their goals and learn about their diverse business and artistic pursuits.
Favorite musical genre?
Modern Broadway
Favorite book:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (the unabridged version)
City to return to again and again?
Boston
Three things in your desk drawer?
Lip balm, protein bar, and colorful sticky notes.
Noah Cole Lewis Pinhas, B.A., J.D.
Articling Student
Noah Pinhas is Guberman //Appleby Immigration Lawyer’s articling student this year. After his second year of law school, Noah worked at the firm as a Summer Student, when he discovered that immigration was the area of law he was most passionate about. After graduating from the University of Ottawa law school with the distinction of Magna Cum Laude, he has continued to immerse himself in immigration law to ensure the highest level of service for firm clients. He is trained to provide support in all matters relating to Canadian and U.S. immigration law. Noah brings a personal touch to his work while ensuring that he maintains an eye for detail and professionalism. Throughout his time in law school, Noah volunteered for various organizations including Reach Legal Referral Services for disabled individuals in the Ottawa community and took part in the uOttawa Refugee practicum.
Education: University of Ottawa Law School
Queen’s University
Files that require me to learn something new, whether it be about the immigration system itself or a client’s field of expertise.
Value in hiring Guberman // Appleby Immigration Lawyers?
Immigration lawyers provide expertise and an understanding of the complex requirements that the immigration system requires. We utilize our extensive education and training in research, writing, and consulting, to ensure that our clients are always represented in as professional and persuasive a manner as possible.
Most rewarding aspect of being an immigration lawyer?
The opportunity to help clients achieve their goals and learn about their contributions to their communities.
Favorite musical genre?
Hip-hop and pop
Favorite book:
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki
City to return to again and again?
Barcelona
Three things in your desk drawer?
Fidget toy, phone charger, and sunglasses
Our Team
Our lawyers are supported by a team of highly knowledgeable and technologically savvy clerks with international experience and the ability to serve clients in multiple languages. Guberman // Appleby Immigration Lawyers recognizes that every immigration situation requires a unique approach. We have the patience, the passion and persistence to solve challenging legal problems by applying our knowledge to achieve positive outcomes, whether it is cross border or international immigration.
