Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams is Chair of Hawley Troxell’s Immigration Department and a member of the firm’s Litigation, Business, and Employment practice groups. She focuses her practice on business and employment-based immigration law, partnering with employers across a wide range of industries to navigate complex workforce, compliance, and global mobility challenges.

Michelle represents employers, executives, entrepreneurs, and foreign national employees before numerous government agencies and tribunals, including the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), the Department of State (DOS), the Department of Labor (DOL), Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), federal district courts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She assists clients with temporary work visas, PERM labor certifications, employment-based permanent residence, intracompany transfers, and strategic workforce planning initiatives.

As a trusted advisor to businesses, Michelle counsels employers on workforce authorization requirements, I-9 compliance, E-Verify obligations, government audits, and immigration-related employments issues. She works closely with human resources professionals, in-house counsel, and executive leadership teams to develop practical compliance programs, prepare for government inspections, and respond to enforcement actions and investigations.

In addition to her business immigration practice, Michelle assists individuals and families with a variety of immigration matters, including family-based immigration petitions, adjustment of status applications, consular processing, humanitarian relief, and other pathways to lawful immigration status. She is committed to helping clients navigate the immigration process with practical guidance and effective advocacy.

Michelle also advises businesses on international workforce mobility matters and collaborates with legal professionals in other jurisdictions to help clients address cross-border immigration, corporate, and tax considerations. Her multidisciplinary approach enables employers to navigate the legal and operational challenges that arise when recruiting, transferring, and retaining talent across international borders.

Michelle is committed to helping employers build and maintain a diverse, global workforce while managing risk and achieving their business objectives. Through strategic guidance, training, and advocacy, she helps organizations attract and retain the talent necessary to compete in an increasingly interconnected economy.