Contact:
Email: josie@sggimmigration.com
Josie Gonzalez
Of Counsel
Josie Gonzalez is Of Counsel to SGG Immigration LLP, and has represented employers in all aspects of immigration law for 30 years. She is a former public defender and criminal defense attorney. Ms. Gonzalez is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she received Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Juris Doctorate (Law) degrees.
Experience
She has testified twice in Washington, D.C., regarding the impact of U.S. immigration laws on the business community, and is a frequent commentator on agency regulatory activities. She serves on the Board of Directors for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), an 11,000 member voluntary bar association in the field of immigration and nationality law, and is Founding Chair of AILA’s Worksite Enforcement Committee. She is an AILA Mentor for member-attorneys needing assistance in the areas of Employer Sanctions and PERM Labor Certification. Ms. Gonzalez publishes numerous articles for legal and trade journals, and is Editor-in-Chief of AILA’s Guide to Worksite Enforcement and Corporate Compliance (2008), and Editor (1998) and Co-Editor (2005) of the David Stanton Manual on Labor Certification. She has been recognized by AILA with a Founders Award (2008) for the most substantial impact on the field of immigration law and policy, a Presidential Award (2006) for her work as Lead Counsel for the Amicus Brief submitted to BALCA for the first PERM appeal on record and for “Excellence in Advancing the Practice of Immigration Law” (1999), and by the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Immigration Law Section with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” (2005).
Ms. Gonzalez works with several employer-based organizations, and is designated by Employers Group, the nation’s largest and oldest nonprofit employer association, as its immigration attorney on behalf of California employers. Ms. Gonzalez is a frequent guest speaker to many trade and business organizations including the Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA), the California Restaurant Association, Employers Group, the Employer Advisory Council, the California Professional Association of Specialty Contractors, the Building Industry Association, the National Human Resources Association, and the Southern California Chapter of the College and University Personnel Association.
Ms. Gonzalez has been selected for inclusion in Southern California Super Lawyers®and The International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers, and for more than 10 years in The Best Lawyers in America®.