Immigrants First

Ms. Johnson-Firth is the principal of Immigrants First. She has been practicing immigration law exclusively since 2001 and has developed particular expertise in removal defense, family-based adjustment, asylum and Convention Against Torture claims, naturalization, U and T visas, and Violence Against Women Act petitions.

Ms. Johnson-Firth was the Director of Legal Services at Tahirih Justice Center, an organization providing legal representation to immigrant women and children, and the Director of Legal Services at the Institute for Policy Studies’ program Break the Chain Campaign, which represents immigrants who have been trafficked into the United States. She has been an adjunct professor of international and human rights law, and she is a frequent speaker on immigration law, human rights, international law, and transformative justice.

Prior to her focus on immigration law, Ms. Johnson-Firth practiced for seven years at international law firms in the United States and the United Kingdom where her concentration was in corporate, contract, and intellectual property law. During those years, Ms. Johnson-Firth handled pro bono cases involving immigration and human rights issues. After winning a cutting-edge asylum case in 2001, involving a young mother from Turkey who had been horribly abused by her husband and faced death if returned to Turkey, Ms. Johnson-Firth committed herself to the full-time practice of immigration and human rights law.

Ms. Johnson-Firth has considerable experience and training in working with severely traumatized persons. She has also been trained in mediation, alternative healing, and shamanic practices, all of which have allowed her to effectively create a safe space for clients to freely discuss traumatic life events that impact their legal representation. Ms. Johnson-Firth’s unique approach facilitates an open and trusting relationship between herself and her clients that often results in the successful resolution of complex cases.