Immigration Attorney Martin W. Lester Joins Baker Donelson
02/21/2022
Immigration Attorney Martin W. Lester Joins Baker Donelson
Martin W. Lester, an immigration attorney, has joined Baker Donelson's Chattanooga office as of counsel.
Mr. Lester represents businesses and individuals in immigration matters, including E-2 petitions to start or purchase businesses, L-1A petitions for foreign businesses opening new offices or transferring executives and managers to the U.S., H-1B and TN petitions for U.S. employers hiring workers in specialty occupations, PERM petitions for U.S. businesses seeking immigrant visas for employees, EB-2 petitions with National Interest Waivers for highly-skilled individuals seeking permanent residence in the U.S. and a range of family-based visa petitions and naturalization applications.
As an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Mr. Lester has served in leadership positions at both the local and national level. He is the immediate past chair of AILA's Military Committee, where he helped lead a nationwide program providing pro bono immigration services to service members and military families. Mr. Lester currently serves on AILA's National Ethics Committee, which provides substantive materials and resources on legal ethics issues members face in today's immigration law practice. He is a frequent speaker at AILA conferences.
Prior to joining Baker Donelson, Mr. Lester practiced immigration law and criminal defense with firms in Tennessee and Florida. He also served as a public defender in Virginia for nearly a decade, culminating in his appointment as the Public Defender for the City and County of Fairfax, Virginia. His criminal jury trial experience includes multiple death penalty cases in Florida's First Judicial Circuit. He is currently a member of the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Mr. Lester has been recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers since 2019 and has earned the Tennessee Supreme Court's Attorney for Justice Recognition since 2018.
Immigration Attorney Martin W. Lester Joins Baker Donelson
Martin W. Lester, an immigration attorney, has joined Baker Donelson's Chattanooga office as of counsel.
As an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Mr. Lester has served in leadership positions at both the local and national level. He is the immediate past chair of AILA's Military Committee, where he helped lead a nationwide program providing pro bono immigration services to service members and military families. Mr. Lester currently serves on AILA's National Ethics Committee, which provides substantive materials and resources on legal ethics issues members face in today's immigration law practice. He is a frequent speaker at AILA conferences.
Prior to joining Baker Donelson, Mr. Lester practiced immigration law and criminal defense with firms in Tennessee and Florida. He also served as a public defender in Virginia for nearly a decade, culminating in his appointment as the Public Defender for the City and County of Fairfax, Virginia. His criminal jury trial experience includes multiple death penalty cases in Florida's First Judicial Circuit. He is currently a member of the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Mr. Lester has been recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers since 2019 and has earned the Tennessee Supreme Court's Attorney for Justice Recognition since 2018.
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