Sharon Barney

Partner

Sharon Barney is a Partner with Leech Tishman and a member of the Immigration Law, Family Law and Employment Practice Groups. Sharon is based in Leech Tishman’s State College office, and focuses her practice in the area of immigration and family law matters.

Sharon regularly advises individuals and corporate clients on immigration issues and has a unique focus on the needs of international students, scholars, and research scientists. She guides corporate clients and foreign nationals on the process to obtain nonimmigrant visas, extend statuses, and ultimately permanent residence in the United States. Sharon also has expertise working with entrepreneurs and start-up companies in the STEM fields and recognizes their unique challenges in hiring workers and exploring immigration and business options.

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Sharon advises her clients on permissible B-1 business visitor activities, F-1 CPT/OPT issues, H-1B petitions, L-1A and L-1B petitions, E-1 and E-2 treaty visas, the PERM process, employment-based petitions (EB-1/EB-2/EB-3), National Interest Waiver (NIW) petitions, I-9 compliance, adjustment of status issues, responses to Requests for Evidence, extensions of status and porting, as well as other immigration issues. She is also adept at representing clients in family sponsorship cases, including complicated matters involving criminal histories and previous removal orders; complex naturalization and citizenship matters, such as derived citizenship cases; and humanitarian cases, such as DACA and VAWA petitions.

In addition to her immigration law work, Sharon counsels clients on family law matters including adoption, divorce, alimony and spousal support, equitable distribution, custody (including relocation and modification issues), child support, and Protection from Abuse (PFA) matters. Sharon offers a unique blend of expertise on the intersection of immigration law and family law matters, including guidance on prenuptial agreements and affidavits of support, as well as the impact of divorce on immigration petitions.

Prior to joining Leech Tishman, Sharon was a solo practitioner, where she provided client-centered legal services in family law, immigration law, and victim rights matters. She is an active member of the State College community and headed the first Multicultural Unity Fair in Centre County in 2018. Sharon holds leadership positions within the Pennsylvania Bar Association, is an active member of the Centre County Bar Association, and has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) since 2013. She regularly educates the community on immigration law issues as a guest speaker.

Academics
J.D, Northeastern University School of Law
B.A. in English, University of Rochester

Admissions
Pennsylvania

Experience
Law Office of Sharon Barney
International Institute of New England
Centre County Women’s Resource Center, Civil Legal Representation Project

Professional Memberships
American Bar Association
Pennsylvania Bar Association (Co-Chair, Legal Services to the Public Committee; At-Large Chair to Committee and Section Liaisons, Young Lawyers’ Division Executive Council; Diversity Summit Co-Vice Chair, Minority Bar Committee; 2017-2018 Bar Leadership Institute Class; Member, Immigration Law Committee; Member, Family Law Section)
Centre County Bar Association (Past Chair, Young Lawyers’ Division; Past Co-Chair, Public Interest/Pro Bono Committee)
American Immigration Lawyers’ Association – Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Chapters
Center of Immigrants’ Rights, Penn State Law (Participant, Interdisciplinary Roundtable on Immigration)

Community Involvement
Community Diversity Group (Past Chair, Multicultural Unity Fair Committee)
MidPenn Legal Services (Pro Bono Attorney)
State College Sunrise Rotary (Past Member)

Insights

Apr. 4, 2019  |  Client Alerts

USCIS Launches H-1B Employer Data Hub

Feb. 15, 2019  |  Client Alerts

USCIS Announces Updates to Form I-539 Prior to H-1B Season

On February 11, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced a revision to Form…

Jan. 14, 2019  |  News

Leech Tishman Elects Two New Partners

Dec. 11, 2018  |  Client Alerts

USCIS Announces Proposed Rule that May Impact H-1B Visa Lottery Process in 2019

On November 30, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced a notice of proposed…

Sep. 20, 2018  |  Client Alerts

With New Federal Fiscal Year Beginning on October 1, Tips for H-1B Employers and Cap-Gap Students

Aug. 10, 2018  |  Client Alerts

International Students Facing Additional Scrutiny and Restrictions

With the new academic year approaching, students are preparing for classes, homework, and extracurriculars. However,…

Jul. 23, 2018  |  Client Alerts

New USCIS Policy Memos Create Additional Burdens for Foreign Workers and Employers

Earlier this month, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced two major policy changes that…

Jul. 18, 2018  |  Press

Immigration Attorney Featured on Front Page of Pennsylvania Business Central

Leech Tishman Immigration attorney, Sharon Barney, was featured on the front page of the July…

Jun. 1, 2018  |  Press

Immigration Attorney Named Co-Chair of the PBA’s Legal Services to the Public Committee

Leech Tishman Immigration attorney, Sharon Barney, has been named Co-Chair of the PBA’s Legal Services…

Apr. 25, 2018  |  Press

Leech Tishman Attorney Featured in Pennsylvania Business Central Article

Leech Tishman Immigration attorney Sharon Barney was interviewed by Pennsylvania Business Central regarding entrepreneurship. Sharon…

Mar. 7, 2018  |  Press

Leech Tishman Immigration Attorney Quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle

Leech Tishman Immigration attorney Sharon Barney was recently quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle. Read…

Sep. 7, 2017  |  Client Alerts

Trump Administration Announces Rescission of DACA Program

On September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Department of Homeland Security…

 
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