H-1B Visa Attorney Jobs
Attorney roles qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations because they require a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or equivalent foreign law degree plus bar admission. Corporate law firms, in-house legal departments, and government contractors all sponsor H-1B petitions for attorneys, and the visa carries no annual cap exemption, so timing your job search around the April lottery filing window matters.
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Get Access To All JobsJOB DESCRIPTION
Supervises the operations of an assigned court and/or assigned cases including staff supervision, evaluation and training.
Management Scope: May generally supervise staff.
Responsibilities
-
Manages the court docket by assigning cases and work to felony prosecutors, attorneys and other staff.
-
Authorizes reduction in level or class of offenses, recommends PR bonds, approves granting of probation and signs various types of dismissals.
-
Resolves disputes between the court, defense attorneys and staff, and determines appropriate actions to be taken for unusual, extremely serious or complex situations.
-
Ensures that records and documents are accurate, up-to-date and processed in accordance with standard procedures.
-
Evaluates assigned cases or lawsuits by:
-
reviewing documentation,
- conducting and interpreting legal research on applicable law, rules and regulations,
- interviewing witnesses or persons with knowledge of the cases,
- gathering evidence, and
-
determining the appropriate action(s) to be taken.
-
Drafts, files and responds to motions, briefs or other legal documents for trials and/or hearings.
-
Explains legal process to potential witnesses, prepares witnesses for court testimony and ensures clients or victims/families are kept informed on status of case.
-
Gathers, prepares and presents evidence, exhibits and related materials for trials or hearings.
-
Represents the State or clients in pre-trials, evidentiary hearings and jury/court trials by:
-
conducting jury selection,
- presenting opening statements,
- conducting direct and cross-examinations of witnesses, and
-
presenting closing arguments.
-
Assesses strengths and weaknesses of cases, negotiates settlements or plea-bargains and obtains approval, if necessary, of plea-bargain agreements.
-
Prepares legal documents if settlements or plea-bargain agreements are reached and ensures proper signatures are secured and documents filed as required.
-
Conducts presentations at conferences and seminars; instructs law enforcement and other criminal justice personnel in legal aspects of investigations, prosecutions and other litigation; and speaks before community and citizens groups.
-
Performs other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education, Experience and Training:
Graduation from an accredited law school. Four (4) years of experience practicing law.
Special Requirements/Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
Requires a current license to practice law in the State of Texas. Requires experience as lead prosecutor for more-complex felony cases, as lead counsel in conjunction with more serious or complex civil litigation, or extensive appellate work on direct appeals and capital writs.
Physical/Environmental Requirements:
Standard office and court environment.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Supervises the operations of an assigned court and/or assigned cases including staff supervision, evaluation and training.
Management Scope: May generally supervise staff.
Responsibilities
-
Manages the court docket by assigning cases and work to felony prosecutors, attorneys and other staff.
-
Authorizes reduction in level or class of offenses, recommends PR bonds, approves granting of probation and signs various types of dismissals.
-
Resolves disputes between the court, defense attorneys and staff, and determines appropriate actions to be taken for unusual, extremely serious or complex situations.
-
Ensures that records and documents are accurate, up-to-date and processed in accordance with standard procedures.
-
Evaluates assigned cases or lawsuits by:
-
reviewing documentation,
- conducting and interpreting legal research on applicable law, rules and regulations,
- interviewing witnesses or persons with knowledge of the cases,
- gathering evidence, and
-
determining the appropriate action(s) to be taken.
-
Drafts, files and responds to motions, briefs or other legal documents for trials and/or hearings.
-
Explains legal process to potential witnesses, prepares witnesses for court testimony and ensures clients or victims/families are kept informed on status of case.
-
Gathers, prepares and presents evidence, exhibits and related materials for trials or hearings.
-
Represents the State or clients in pre-trials, evidentiary hearings and jury/court trials by:
-
conducting jury selection,
- presenting opening statements,
- conducting direct and cross-examinations of witnesses, and
-
presenting closing arguments.
-
Assesses strengths and weaknesses of cases, negotiates settlements or plea-bargains and obtains approval, if necessary, of plea-bargain agreements.
-
Prepares legal documents if settlements or plea-bargain agreements are reached and ensures proper signatures are secured and documents filed as required.
-
Conducts presentations at conferences and seminars; instructs law enforcement and other criminal justice personnel in legal aspects of investigations, prosecutions and other litigation; and speaks before community and citizens groups.
-
Performs other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education, Experience and Training:
Graduation from an accredited law school. Four (4) years of experience practicing law.
Special Requirements/Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
Requires a current license to practice law in the State of Texas. Requires experience as lead prosecutor for more-complex felony cases, as lead counsel in conjunction with more serious or complex civil litigation, or extensive appellate work on direct appeals and capital writs.
Physical/Environmental Requirements:
Standard office and court environment.
See all 1,050+ H-1B Visa Attorney Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new H-1B Visa Attorney Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship as an Attorney
Verify your foreign law degree equivalency
If you earned your law degree outside the U.S., get a credential evaluation from a NACES-member service before applying. USCIS requires proof your degree is equivalent to a U.S. J.D. to satisfy the specialty occupation standard.
Target employers with dedicated immigration counsel
Large law firms and Fortune 500 legal departments file H-1B petitions routinely and have internal processes for it. Smaller firms without in-house immigration counsel often decline sponsorship not from unwillingness but from unfamiliarity with the filing mechanics.
Check LCA filings for attorney-specific wage levels
Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up prevailing wages under SOC code 23-1011 before your offer stage. Knowing the Level I through IV wage tiers helps you negotiate a salary your employer can certify on the LCA without triggering a compliance issue.
Search verified H-1B sponsors on Migrate Mate
Filter Attorney roles by employers with confirmed H-1B filing history on Migrate Mate. This cuts out firms that list J.D. requirements but have never sponsored a visa, saving you application cycles on non-starters.
Register for the lottery by late March each year
H-1B cap-subject attorney roles require your employer to submit a registration during USCIS's March window for an October 1 start date. Missing this window means waiting a full year unless you find a cap-exempt employer such as a university legal office or nonprofit.
Clarify bar admission requirements before the offer
Some attorney H-1B petitions are filed for specific state practice, and USCIS scrutinizes whether the offered role requires admission in that jurisdiction. Confirm with the employer whether the position requires active bar admission and in which state before accepting.
H-1B Visa Attorney: Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Attorney role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes. USCIS classifies Attorney positions under SOC code 23-1011 as specialty occupations because they normally require a minimum of a J.D. or equivalent foreign law degree. The degree requirement must be directly related to the duties of the specific role, so a general counsel position at a tech company qualifies just as a litigation associate role at a law firm does.
Can a foreign-trained lawyer get H-1B sponsorship without a U.S. law degree?
Yes, but the path is narrower. USCIS accepts a foreign law degree if a credential evaluation confirms it is equivalent to a U.S. J.D. Additionally, some attorney roles require bar admission, and most U.S. states limit bar eligibility for foreign-trained lawyers to specific pathways such as the California or New York foreign attorney bar exam rules. Confirm bar eligibility in the relevant state before pursuing sponsorship.
Which types of employers most commonly sponsor H-1B visas for attorneys?
Corporate law firms, in-house legal departments at large corporations, government contractors, and financial institutions are the most active H-1B sponsors for attorney roles. Universities and nonprofits are cap-exempt employers, meaning their H-1B petitions are not subject to the annual lottery. You can find employers with verified H-1B filing history for attorney positions on Migrate Mate.
What is the H-1B prevailing wage for Attorney roles and how is it determined?
DOL sets prevailing wages for attorneys using wage survey data tied to SOC code 23-1011 and geographic location. Wages are broken into four levels based on experience and supervision. Your employer must certify on the LCA that your offered salary meets or exceeds the applicable level wage. You can look up the specific wage floor for any metro area using the OFLC Wage Search before your offer negotiation.
Can an attorney on H-1B work at multiple law firms or handle outside clients?
H-1B status is employer-specific, so you're authorized to work only for the petitioning employer. Working at a second firm or taking on outside clients generally requires a concurrent H-1B petition filed by that second employer. Unauthorized work outside your petition scope is a status violation, so any arrangement involving multiple employers needs separate USCIS filings before work begins.