Elizabeth Chatham at Stinson LLP: The Phoenix Attorney Named Immigration Lawyer of the Year

Anyone researching a Phoenix immigration attorney for complex, employment-based corporate immigration work will find Elizabeth Chatham at Stinson LLP among the most independently-decorated options in this batch — a named “Immigration Lawyer of the Year,” a past chair of AILA’s Arizona chapter, and over a decade advising Fortune 500 companies. This independent profile examines what that Phoenix immigration attorney practice actually offers.

At a Glance

Origin and Founder History

Elizabeth Chatham joined Stinson LLP’s Phoenix office as a partner in June 2017, per contemporaneous coverage in Law360, after advising Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies on immigration issues for more than a decade, including prior work at the Arizona firm Osborn Maledon, PA. Born in India, she is a naturalized U.S. citizen. This platform independently confirmed her Best Lawyers “Immigration Lawyer of the Year” designation (Phoenix, 2017) and her continuous Best Lawyers in America listing since 2013 directly against Best Lawyers’ own published materials, and her past service as Chair of the Arizona Chapter of AILA is corroborated by Stinson’s own practice-group page.

Practice Area Breakdown

Chatham’s practice is corporate and employment-based immigration, not family-based or removal defense — a genuinely different focus from most other firms in this batch. She advises on temporary (nonimmigrant) visas including H-1B specialty-occupation workers, L-1 intracompany transferees, O extraordinary-ability visas, P athlete/entertainer visas, TN treaty-national visas, E-1/E-2 treaty trader/investor visas, and R religious-worker visas, alongside permanent (immigrant) options including EB-1 Outstanding Researcher, Extraordinary Ability, and Multi-National Manager categories, National Interest Waivers, and PERM labor certifications. She also conducts I-9 compliance audits and HR training for corporate clients — a preventive-compliance service line most solo immigration practices in this batch don’t offer.

Case Outcomes

Public sourcing did not surface an itemized case-results table with specific figures; corporate immigration outcomes (visa approvals, green card processing) are generally reported in aggregate or not at all for confidentiality reasons. Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes in any future case; case results depend entirely on the specific facts of each matter.

Client Voice

Public sourcing for this profile did not surface named, attributed client reviews specific to Chatham on independent consumer review platforms — consistent with a practice serving corporate clients rather than individual consumers who typically leave public reviews. Consistent with this platform’s standard, no client testimonial is included in this profile.

Beyond the Courtroom

Chatham was selected to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, a body that includes in-house counsel from companies including Microsoft and Disney, and received the South Asian Network Community Ally Award for direct pro bono legal assistance to South Asian victims of domestic abuse — a specific, named pro bono commitment distinct from her corporate practice.

Recognition

Independently verified: Best Lawyers “Immigration Lawyer of the Year,” Phoenix, 2017; continuous Best Lawyers in America listing since 2013; past Chair, Arizona Chapter of AILA — all confirmed via Best Lawyers’ own materials and Stinson’s practice-group page rather than self-reported marketing alone.

Firm-stated, not independently verified: “Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona” (AZ Business magazine, 2018) and “Most Impactful Minority Business Leaders” are presented as claimed recognitions this platform did not independently audit.

Arizona Legal Backdrop

Employment-based immigration is governed almost entirely by federal law — the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. § 1101 et seq.) and Department of Labor regulations governing PERM labor certification. H-1B visas are subject to an annual numerical cap and a lottery selection process administered by USCIS. Employers hiring foreign nationals must complete Form I-9 employment eligibility verification for every employee, and are subject to federal audit and penalty for non-compliance — the specific compliance area Chatham’s practice addresses directly for corporate clients. This is general legal information, not legal advice specific to any individual’s circumstances.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Chatham’s independently-verified “Immigration Lawyer of the Year” title, continuous Best Lawyers listing since 2013, and AILA Arizona Chapter leadership are a genuinely stronger recognition profile than most firms in this batch can show. The honest trade-off: this is corporate, employment-based immigration work at a large national firm, not family-based petitions or removal defense — a fundamentally different service than most other Phoenix-metro immigration attorneys profiled on this platform, and not the right fit for someone facing deportation proceedings or seeking a family-based green card.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile draws on Stinson LLP’s own website (stinson.com), Law360’s contemporaneous coverage of her 2017 hire, Best Lawyers’ published recognition database, and LinkedIn’s professional profile. See our other Phoenix-metro Immigration attorney profiles for comparison, including family-based and removal-defense practices.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

This profile was independently researched and written by Awesome Attorneys. It is not a paid placement, and inclusion here was not influenced by any payment or business relationship with the firm. Any future sponsored placement on this platform will be clearly and separately labeled as such. This content is legal information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship with this firm or with Awesome Attorneys.