Immigration Services
Julie Aponte is the Managing Director of J. Aponte & Associates and has extensive years of experience providing strategic legal counsel for complex immigration matters. Her clientele ranges from small start-up corporations to a global multi-billion dollar corporation.
A seasoned employment-based immigration lawyer, Julie has represented international clients in the civil engineering, wireless telecommunications, information technology, healthcare, food, tourism, trade and commerce, finance and securities, etc. industries. Her broad experience spans a number of areas within employment-based immigration law, including drafting corporate compliance manuals regarding the E-Verify and Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) processes; securing Treaty Investor visas for international start-up companies in the U.S.; petitioning for healthcare workers; petitioning for professional and executive workers; attaining outstanding researcher designations for individuals of national and international acclaim; and securing extraordinary ability classifications for individuals of extraordinary ability in their fields of endeavor. Her focus is on providing all of her clients with high quality, legal counsel with personalized, small firm attention.
Julie's interest in immigration law stems from her personal background as well as her education. She immigrated to the U.S. on a J-2 visa from
Venezuela as a child, and was raised speaking German and Spanish. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of 17.
Julie is actively involved in American Immigration Lawyers Association in
furthering her knowledge and serving as a mentor to others in the field.
Julie is well regarded in the immigration lawyers community and has an
active network of lawyers and professionals to which she provides legal
guidance and with whom she relies on to achieve solutions for her clients.
Julie is also actively involved in the Professional Women’s Club of Chicago, a network of professionals in the Chicago area. Her leadership abilities are well-regarded by the Professional Women’s Club of Chicago. She has actively sat on the Board since 2006.
Julie is a member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the German American Chamber of Commerce, the British American Business Council, Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, Society of Human Resources Management, and the Chicago Bar Association.
Julie graduated cum laude from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1994. Julie and several of her classmates were honored in their final year at Tulane for their success before the immigration court in representing Chinese nationals in their claims for asylum. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs and Economics, with a minor specialization in Mathematics and German from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1990. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a national honor society.