Dagmar Butte

Practice Areas

I do all types of employment and investor based cases - except EB-5 - with a focus on the health care, engineering, tech and start-up sectors. I also do a lot of cases for employers who have never employed a foreign national or have just a "one-off" need. My family immigration practice covers petitions for relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents in all categories. I also handle naturalization cases.

Our firm only does immigration work and therefore I often serve as specialty counsel to other law firms who do not have an immigration practice or businesses who already have counsel which does not do immigration work. I and my support team focus on ensuring that every client - whether is their first/only case or one of many cases - receives customized support in achieving their immigration goals, whether temporary or permanent. U.S. Immigration procedures are stressful for everyone involved and I try to minimize that stress by providing clear and straightforward explanations and guidance that seeks to minimize risk and optimize results.

Career

I became interested in immigration law because I emigrated to the U.S. from Germany in my early teens and wanted to help other get through the process with less anxiety than my family experienced.

In almost 30 years as an AILA member, I served as an Elected Director from 2005-2020, chaired AILA's FOIA, Service Center Operations, and Nebraska Service Center Liaison committees and served on its USCIS Headquarters Policy Committee and Business Immigration Response Taskforce. I also served on conference committees including two Annual Conferences. I have received numerous awards and recognition for my work including 3 AILA Presidential Commendations and the 2018 AILA Distinguished Service Award, listing as a SuperLawyer, Who’s Who Among Business Immigration Lawyers, and US News Best Lawyers. I have spoken at dozens of conferences in the U.S. and abroad, written articles and book chapters and served as an editor for various publications and provided expertise and information to the press including the New York Times, Forbes and Wired.

I am currently a director of the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers (ABIL) and serve on AILA’s Business Immigration Section Steering Committee and the AILA Law Journal Editorial Board. In my spare time, I am an Adjunct Professor teaching international law at Lewis & Clark Law School and a Director and Executive Committee Member of the International Law Students Association (ILSA) which administers the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court.

Professional Memberships

American Immigration Lawyer's Association (AILA)

Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers (ABIL) - Director

International Law Students Association (ILSA) - Director

Publications

Rights of Foreign Nationals, Associate Editor & Contributor - Oregon State Bar (2010)

US Business Immigration Law, Associate Editor & Contributor - Oregon State Bar (2014)

Waivers of Removal, Associate Editor & Contributor AILA (2011)

Immigration Options for Artists, Entertainers & Athletes, Associate Editor & Contributor - AILA (2014, 2016)

ARTICLES (AILA ceased printing conference books in 2009)

Butte, Dagmar Client Communications in Waiver Cases in Waivers of Removal (AILA, 2011)

Butte, Dagmar Immigration Issues for the Business Lawyer in Rights of Foreign Nationals, D. Butte, D. Ginsburg and T. Statler, eds. (OSB 2010)

Butte, Dagmar Playing “No You Can’t” in a Game of “Mother May I”: Issues of Inadmissibility and Deportability Involving Celebrities in Immigration Options for Artists and Entertainers, L. Ganchan and D. Butte, eds. (AILA 2007, 2014, 2020)

Butte, Dagmar; Bauerle, Diana C. L-1A Visas – A Quick Way to Work Fraught with Traps for the Unwary, in 2007-2008 AILA Annual Conference Handbook, R. Link, ed. (AILA 2007)

Butte, Dagmar; Lawler, Martin; Mailman, Stanley; McKee, Estelle, Rosenberg, Lory D.; Appealing Words for the BIA and AAO, in 2006-2007 AILA Annual Conference Handbook, S. Browning, ed. (AILA 2006)

Butte, Dagmar; Lawler, Martin; Mailman, Stanley; McKee, Estelle, Rosenberg, Lory D.; Appealing Words for the BIA and AAO, in Benders Immigration Bulletin, D. Kowalski, ed. (Lexis/Nexis 2006)

Butler, Diane; Butte, Dagmar; Weber, Cletus PERM Escapees: The Outstanding, the Extraordinary, and the National Interest NW Regional Conference Handbook, Spring 2006.

Butte, Dagmar; Chapman, Gerard M.; Williams, Cheryl B.; Unmet Labor Needs, NIV Strategies for the Non-Degreed Worker, in 2005-2006 AILA Annual Conference Handbook, Browning, ed. (AILA 2005)

Butte, Dagmar; Jacobs, Richard; Zulkie, Paul Advanced Issues in EB-1C Cases NW Regional Conference Handbook, Spring 2005.

Butte, Dagmar Issues for Employers in Sponsoring Non-Immigrant Workers The Seminar Group/Lorman (2004).

Personal

During my involvement with the Jessup International Law Moot Court, I have had the pleasure of co-authoring 4 problems since 2003 which were mooted by law students in over 100 countries. I have also gotten to edit almost every problem since 2003 and write several bench memoranda which I, as a deeply nerdy but practical person, enjoyed crafting to ensure students and the international lawyers who serve as judges learned something and had fun in the process.

In my non-lawyer life, I try to see as much live theater as my schedule will allow and love exploring new places (preferably on foot) and discovering new foods

Languages Spoken

English, German

Awards