Introduction

KoKo counsels companies on work authorization for executives and essential employees, immigration compliance strategies, and government investigations.

KoKo Ye Huang has experience at the intersection of immigration compliance and litigation, representing companies in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division. 

KoKo advises clients on sophisticated matters, developing immigration strategies, programs, and processes for employers to reduce exposure, safely navigate immigration systems, and manage foreign national workers. This includes helping multinational businesses align their operations standards and developing immigration strategies for the transfer of executives and other key employees. She counsels companies on compliance requirements from governmental agencies, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of State, and the DOL, and she assists with disclosure and documentation requirements. When companies need assistance on behalf of their foreign national employees in the United States, KoKo helps secure work authorization visas, including H-1B, L, TN, E and O, and permanent labor certifications. She represents companies and individuals in the preparation of employment-based immigrant petitions and permanent residence applications. She also regularly conducts I-9 and other compliance audits and drafts immigration sponsorship policies. 

KoKo maintains an active pro bono practice, assisting organizations including Kids in Need of Defense, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the King County Bar Association's International District Legal Clinic. She regularly authors articles, conducts trainings, and presents immigration law topics. 

Education & credentials

  • Seattle University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, Executive Editor, Seattle Journal for Social Justice, 2008
  • Bowdoin College, B.A., Government & Legal Studies and Asian Studies, 2000
  • Washington
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
  • Jackson Lewis, Seattle, WA, Principal, Business Immigration, 2018-2019; Associate, Business Immigration, 2012-2017
  • Williams Kastner, Seattle, WA, Associate, 2008-2011

Professional recognition

  • Ranked by Chambers USA as “America’s Leading Lawyer" for Immigration, 2021-2026

  • Listed in Super Lawyers Magazine, “Washington's Rising Star," 2014-2019

Impact

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association, Member
  • Asian Bar Association of Washington, Member
  • National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Member
  • Washington State Bar Association, Past Chair of International Practice Section
  • Asian Bar Association of Washington Student Scholarship Foundation, Board Member
  • Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence, Inc., Advisor
  • Bowdoin Club of Seattle
  • Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Pro Bono Lawyer
  • Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), Pro Bono Lawyer
  • YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, Board Member