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Murty Gollakota

Murty Gollakota

Senior Counsel
Overview

Murty helps clients overcome the complexity of immigration law and obtain the visas necessary to grow their businesses.

Growing up in an immigrant family, Murty was well aware of the stress of navigating the immigration system. As a young graduate, he found himself working as a paralegal at an immigration-focused law firm, where he was fascinated by the legal side of his parents’ experience. His personal history helped him better understand client needs, and his work with clients helped him understand his family experience in greater depth. Murty immediately knew that a career in immigration law was his calling.

Today, Murty supports businesses who need to recruit, employ, or transfer foreign nationals. He handles H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-1, and R visa petitions as well as TN, E-1, E-2, and E-3 visa applications, immigrant petitions, green card applications, and naturalization applications. He also provides guidance to both c-suite executives and human resources managers on the appropriateness of different visas and a variety of other immigration issues, as well as counsel on their overall foreign national employment strategies. Murty has a particular interest in the investor visa to help companies launch and grow in the United States, as well as visas based on extraordinary ability, which require a deep dive into client industries and professional background.

Known for his personal understanding of the daunting immigration process, Murty takes his work and his responsibility to clients and their employees deeply seriously. He knows how much this matters to foreign nationals and their families, and he knows how important these employees are to clients’ businesses. Murty has a reputation for clear, concise, and thorough communication with clients, ensuring that they’re empowered through a full understanding of the process and its regulations.

Industries

Services

Education

  • J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law
  • B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University

Admissions

  • Illinois
  • Colorado - Practice temporarily authorized pending admission under C.R.C.P. 205.6.

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association

Languages

  • Telugu, conversant


*Contact Murty to set up an in-person consultation by appointment in the Denver office.
Experience
  • Advised c-level executives and HR Managers on U.S. visa, green card, and citizenship eligibility for foreign national employees or recruits.
  • Conducted research on immigration laws, policies, and legal opinions and drafted memoranda analyzing client issues.
  • Oversaw preparation and submission of H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-1, and R visa petitions as well as TN, E-1, E-2, and E-3 visa applications, and responded to requests from immigration authorities.
  • Oversaw preparation and submission of immigrant petitions, green card applications, and naturalization applications, advising on eligibility issues and representing clients at interview appointments as needed.
  • Advised clients on Department of Labor compliance issues.
  • Prepared first-preference immigrant petitions based on extraordinary ability, multinational manager/executive, and outstanding research/professor.
  • Prepared second-preference immigrant petitions based on national interest waiver, advanced degree, and third-preference professional or skilled worker.
  • Prepared adjustment of status applications and advised on inadmissibility issues.
  • Advised Virginia state agencies on in-state tuition eligibility and driver's license eligibility for foreign nationals.
Outside the Office

Most of Murty’s free time is devoted to his family. They especially enjoy going on hikes as well as snowshoeing in the winter: after a couple years in Colorado, Murty deeply appreciates the natural beauty of his adopted state.

Community Leadership

Murty is active with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which advocates with the federal government on issues that routinely impact immigration clients. After a stint in the Illinois Attorney General’s office after law school, Murty knows how to look at policies on the macro level and aims to influence the regulations that govern clients’ world.