About Us

For more than thirty years Karen Gilbert has assisted clients in resolving challenges presented by the complicated immigration and nationality laws, regulations, and policies.

Ms Gilbert earned her Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Maryland Law School and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the School of International Service of the American University in Washington, D.C. Before moving to the Pacific Northwest, Ms Gilbert served as a Lecturer and as Supervising Attorney at the Legal Clinic at the American University's Washington College of Law, and as a litigation attorney with the Office of the Solicitor of Labor, U.S. Department of Labor, in Washington, D.C. She established Karen Gilbert Law in 1981.

Ms Gilbert has been admitted to practice law in Washington State, Washington, D.C. and Maryland, and before the Ninth, Fourth, Fifth, and D.C. Circuit Courts of Appeals.

The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings which "serve as an objective indicator that a lawyer has the highest ethical standards and professional ability" provides Karen Gilbert with the highest peer rating - AV® preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5.

A founding member of the Board of Directors of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Ms Gilbert served on the Board for sixteen years and directed the organization's legal committee during its early years. In 1998 she was the recipient of NWIRP's Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication and contributions to the organization and to the struggle for dignity and justice for immigrants and refugees. In 2003 she received the Pro Bono Award from the Seattle Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association for her successful litigation on behalf of a deported U.S. citizen.

Immigration-related professional memberships: American Immigration Lawyers Association; National Immigration Project.

Personal interests and activities include music, art, dance, hiking, jogging, traveling, and sail boat racing. Karen Gilbert races on a one-design Thistle with a team of three.