Gretchen Ekerdt began practicing immigration law in Chicago in 2011 and joined Kempster, Corcoran, Quiceno & Lenz-Calvo, Ltd. in 2017. Ms. Ekerdt’s focus on immigration law includes family and employment cases, as well as removal defense. She was recognized as an Emerging Lawyer in immigration law by Leading Lawyers in 2018, and selected by Super Lawyers as an Illinois Rising Star from 2018 through 2022. While in college, Ms. Ekerdt studied in León, Spain. During law school, she interned at the National Immigrant Justice Center and the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender.
Education
- DePaul University College of Law, Magna Cum Laude, 2011
- CALI Excellence for the Future Award for highest mark in Foreign Relations
- College of the Holy Cross, B.A., 2004
- State of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Chicago Chapter (currently serving on the Ethics Committee; past committee memberships include Advocacy, CLE, Customs and Border Protection Liaison, and Immigration & Customs Enforcement Office of Chief Counsel; previously co-chaired Ethics Committee, 2014-2017)
- National Immigration Project member
- AILA, Chicago Chapter Ethics Conference, "Navigating Ethical Issues in an Environment that is Constantly Changing," Panel member, May 20, 2022
- AILA, Midwest Regional Conference, "H-1B Updates," Panel member, October 9, 2020
- AILA, Chicago Chapter Ethics Conference, "They Want us to Give them What?!," Discussion leader, May 5, 2017
- AILA, Chicago Chapter Litigation Conference, "Inadmissibility and 245i- Tricks of the Trade," Panel member, November 20, 2015
- AILA, Chicago Chapter Ethics Conference, "Effectively representing the LGBT client," Discussion leader, May 1, 2015
- AILA, Chicago Chapter Ethics Conference, " Ready, Set, Done! Beginning and Ending Representation," Discussion leader, May 2, 2014
- Spanish
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