Anne A. Corsano
USCIS PNW District Director, 2007-2023
I had the privilege of working with Carolyn Kim during my tenure as a USCIS District Director, when she served as legal counsel supporting my leadership of nine Field Offices in the Pacific Northwest. Carolyn's immigration law expertise is unparalleled. She brought sound judgement, professionalism, creativity, and a complete understanding of the entire immigration system to her work. Her experience with USCIS gives her valuable insight into both the legal and practical dimensions of immigration matters, and a unique ability to problem solve. She is responsive and an absolute pleasure to work with. I am thrilled to see Carolyn bring her experience and skill to her own private practice and am confident that she will serve her clients with care, integrity, and dedication.
Peter Gregory
Of Counsel, Lemon & Hale, PLLC
Carolyn is truly a superstar attorney and an even better person. I served as Chief of USCIS’ Commercial and Administrative Law Division and Carolyn became my first-line supervisor. As Chief of CALD, my team was responsible for all legal issues other than immigration. Even though Carolyn’s background was primarily in immigration law and she had little or no experience with commercial law issues, she quickly was able to understand the legal issues that my team was responsible for and was able to provide me with expert guidance and advice. Even though the atmosphere at work was problematic due to the change in administration, Carolyn provided unlimited support and made the situation far more tolerable. One of the few regrets I had about retiring was that I was not able to continue to work closely with Carolyn. I cannot imagine that any attorney will provide better legal analysis and advice than Carolyn.
John Miles
Former Principal Deputy Chief Counsel, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
I worked with Carolyn for more than a decade at the USCIS Office of the Chief Counsel. She approached every legal issue with clear goals, thorough research and creative problem-solving. As a result, I never hesitated to assign her difficult projects, and I trusted her to complete them with the care and attention they deserved. She is a consummate professional and someone you can trust completely.
Robert W. Donaldson, Esq.
Lawyer Carolyn Kim previously worked at my law firm doing a wide variety of cases. She is one of the best immigration lawyers in the Northwest, but she also can handle high stakes litigation, take the lead in business transactions and can accomplish clients’ estate planning needs. Carolyn has the ability to analyze legal issues and then bring her client’s case to a successful conclusion. She is a lawyer you can trust!
Robert W. Donaldson is a retired lawyer in Portland, Oregon who practiced law for 50 years. He was one of the founding members of the Oregon Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyer Association, He presented lectures on Immigration Law on numerous occasions. For 10 years he served as the Honorary Consul General for the Republic of Korea for Oregon. He also served as the Managing Partner for the Portland law firm Black Helterline, LLP.
University of Washington students
Feedback from Carolyn’s guest lecture sessions
“ I loved how you talked about your role as a mother and how your life as an INS attorney changed your perspective on different cases from your lived-experience. I loved the connection between someone who is a naturalized citizen and how that educated the decisions you made when meeting with asylum seekers. Everything you shared was so impactful and I am so grateful that you were able to bring an entirely new dimension to our learning bringing lived and professional experienced.”
“You really know how to simplify complex ideas and relate them to your experiences. What stood out to me the most was the fact that you understood the values of your job and saw how those same values were being undermined, causing you to leave, but with a purpose. You standing up for your rights and values is also simultaneously standing up for those unheard and underrepresented.”
“Your presentation was incredibly enlightening. I found your discussion about the different types of visas informative. Your explanations, grounded in your own experience working across several of these areas, made those difference much clearer and helped me understand how broad and complex the field truly is. Also, the integrity you showed in sharing your experiences was inspiring.”