Sophie Alcorn

Background

My mission is to transcend borders, expand opportunity, and connect the world by practicing compassionate, visionary, and expert immigration law in service of the betterment of humanity.  I want everybody to have the chance to do well, and the chance to live their dreams.

That’s one of the main reasons why I founded Alcorn Immigration Law from my kitchen (as the mom of toddlers!). My dad, who was an immigration lawyer, instilled in me to be a person of honesty and integrity and to always be a creative solution seeker.

Every challenge is an opportunity. If a law cannot be overcome, let’s change the law! Recently I’ve been honored to draft immigration legislation for Members of Congress that I hope will soon become law and shape the field of immigration permanently, creating new opportunities for people around the world.

How did I get hooked on immigration? At the tender age of 15 years, during my first summer job at my dad’s law office, I helped free a Cuban man from indefinite detention in an immigration jail. I wrote a legal brief that summer that my dad argued in federal court. We succeeded and our client was freed after years of never knowing if he would see the light of day again. For me, there was no going back.

I’m also drawn to immigration because I’ve always loved meeting people from around the world, learning new languages, traveling, and having cultural immersion experiences.  My mom is an immigrant from Germany, and growing up in Southern California, I spent years living and studying in Germany, Italy, Russia, and Spain.

I’m proud that thousands of people have thanked me for supporting them in successfully navigating our U.S. immigration system. To continue my mission to help people find their strength and live their dreams, I host the podcast Immigration Law for Tech Startups and author the TechCrunch weekly immigration advice column “Dear Sophie.” On a weekly basis I talk about the latest information on immigration to empower motivated professionals to take charge of their immigration path.  I also founded the nonprofit, the Community for Global Innovation, to support international students in the U.S. to obtain subsidized high-quality legal advice and access to employment opportunities.

As an expert on U.S. immigration, I’ve been quoted in publications around the globe such as The New York Times, Financial Times, NBC News, TechCrunch, and The Atlantic. I’ve also been invited to speak about immigration at numerous global conferences, including TechCrunch Disrupt, the Bar Association of San Francisco, Stanford University, and more.

As a Board Certified Specialist in United States Immigration and Nationality Law by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization, I am one of only a handful of immigration attorneys in Silicon Valley with this designation.  My dad was also a Certified Specialist, and I’m proud to have volunteered to support the State Bar of California to write the examination for the certification of new immigration law specialists.

Ich spreche Deutsch. Я изучала русский язык. Ho studiato italiano. Ég lærði fornnorrænu. Y hablo un poco de español.

When I’m not practicing law, I hang out with my kids, meditate daily, work out, and travel the globe.