Teodora Purcell

Law School
University of San Diego School of Law

Major Cases
*Assisted foreign entrepreneurs with complex U.S. investor visas and green cards.
*Successfully presented an oral argument on a complex asylum case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
*Successfully handled numerous EB-1 immigrant petitions in the highly scrutinized outstanding researcher and multinational manager/ executive categories.
*Advised a global telecommunication company on the immigration consequences of complex corporate reorganization on its employees.
*Assisted individuals with derivative citizenship and naturalization applications.
*Successfully represented individuals in their requests for humanitarian parole or immigrant visa waivers, as well as in complex naturalization and derivative citizenship cases.
*Represented pro bono indigent asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors in Immigration Court.

Professional Background
I am a specialist in immigration and nationality law, certified by the California State Bar and have extensive experience in all facets of immigration law, including administrative and federal appeals and immigration compliance. I specialize in employment and family-based immigration for individual and corporate clients, and am frequently invited to present on immigration topics. I obtained my LLM degree from University of San Diego and my JD and LLM degree from Sofia University in Bulgaria, where I am also licensed to practice law. I am a multiple recipient of the California State Bar Willey Manual and Casa Cornelia Pro Bono Publico awards.

Professional Affiliations
I am a chairwoman of the Immigration Law section of the San Diego County Bar Association, a past executive committee member of the San Diego Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and an active member of AILA Liaison Committees. I am also a member of the Lawyers Club Professional Advancement Committee and the BIOCOM International and Capital Development Committees. I teach immigration law at the University of California San Diego Extended Studies ABA-approved Paralegal Program, serve on the Inn of Court Benchers’ Committee for Casa Cornelia Law Center and on the Board of Directors for Vasil Levski Education and Cultural Foundation.

Personal Background
Originally from Bulgaria, the immigration practice is near and dear to my heart. I feel fortunate that my work has a direct impact on people’s lives and that I had the opportunity to immigrate to the United States 16 years ago. Outside the law, I enjoy spending my free time with my family and friends, as well as biking, tennis, CrossFit, practicing yoga, Zumba, reading, and traveling.