- Handled more than 10 workplace raids by the Department of Homeland Security. Provided immediate and hands-on advice during actual raid, as well as follow-up.
- Has managed over 35 Department of Homeland Security related subpoenas, audits and investigations.
- Managed more than 17 Social Security Administration audits; coordinated efforts of corporate record keeping, hiring procedures, verification programs, etc.
- Regularly establishes corporate policies and procedures in ongoing restructuring and transactional situations, to both comply with the law and prepare for sensitive internal and external investigations related to hiring procedures, I-9 compliance, employment of foreign nationals, IRCA compliance and Office of Special Counsel national origin discrimination issues; address issues of philosophy, record keeping, documentation, compliance, documented use, penalties, enforcement.
- Undertook internal investigations on behalf of clients in an effort to assess compliance with immigration, employment and discrimination laws; address issues of personnel files, documentation retention policies, potential liability arising from investigations, privacy issues, workplace monitoring, and work with the company to develop new policies and procedures to avoid losses and/or damages.
- Regularly provides employment-related immigration training to human resource and legal staff of major companies.Provides outsourcing advice to clients in ways that protect the fluid movement of knowledge and key people.
- Liaises on a national and local level with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (including the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcements and the Bureau of Citizen Immigration Services), the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Member of select national American Immigration Lawyers Association committees and regular lecturer on behalf of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, as well as other organizations.
- Regular speaker at corporate and association-sponsored seminars.
- Advises on national and state level legislative advice and drafting expertise on legislation related to employers, employer compliance and employer sanction issues.
- Manages over 1000 immigration cases per year for over 120 companies regarding employees from over 40 countries.
- Provides investigation, assessment of facts and legal opinion regarding wrongful hire claims in state court.
- Provided assessment and written opinion in wrongful death case where decedent was allegedly an illegal alien. In light of damages issues, and allegations of inflammatory evidence, statements were used in conjunction with Motion in Limine.
- Worked with defense counsel in federal investigation by U.S. attorney of lawyer allegedly abusing non-immigrant visa options and processes, and possible RICO claim.
- Provided expert opinion of immigration issues, options, law and restrictions on behalf of child protection services seeking to keep minor as a ward of the state so that medical treatment can proceed in the U.S. and not return to U.S. citizen parents in Africa
Counsel,
- Phone: +1 404 881 7375
- Email: eileen.scofield@alston.com
It's not just her 25 years of experience and management of more than 35 Department of Homeland Security cases that make Eileen a valuable resource in immigration law worldwide. After providing hands-on advice during DHS raids and 1000s of immigration cases, her clients trust her with their toughest and most complex audits and investigations.
Eileen Scofield has over 25 years of experience concentrating on immigration law and related legal matters for U.S. and foreign-based clients. She has successfully managed over 35 Department of Homeland Security (ICE) subpoenas, audits, and investigations on behalf of various clients. She has also provided advice to clients on audit response, internal processing, follow-up, and conclusion.
Eileen is listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers 2010 and 2012 and was named one of “Georgia’s Best Lawyers.” She is a member of the National Verification & Documentation Liaison Committee and chairperson of E-Verify National Liaison Committee. She has been published in Employment Law360 and quoted in the U.S. News and World Report. She has been invited to work with various DHS departments, such as ICE. She received her J.D. in 1985 from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she was a Hatton Lovejoy Scholarship recipient. She received her B.A. in 1981 from the University of Hawaii.
Bar Admissions
- Georgia
Education
- University of Georgia (J.D., 1985)
- University of Hawaii (B.A., 1981)
Memberships
- Childspring International
- Gigi’s Playhouse / Down Syndrome Awareness Centers
- Federal Bar Association Immigration Law Section Advisory Board
- National Chair of the Federal Bar Association's Immigration Law Section