Olivia Serene Lee is a Partner at Minami Tamaki LLP in the firm’s Immigration and Nationality practice group, where her expertise is on startups and emerging companies in a variety of employment-based immigration matters. Olivia works with many companies in all stages of the startup process, including pre-formation, seed funding, accelerator/incubator programs, early and late stage, acquisitions and mergers, and public offering.
In addition to her legal practice, Olivia has been active in professional and civic affairs. Since 2009, Olivia has served on the Advisory Council and the Executive Board of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) of Northern California. From June 2016 to July 2017, she served as the Chair of AILA Northern California. Olivia has also met with Congressional offices in Washington, DC, and in the local San Francisco area to advocate for immigration reform. She has served on a number of AILA National committees, including University, Annual Conference, and Diversity and Inclusion committees. She also served as faculty on local and national AILA CLE panels on topics such as O-1s, H-1Bs, entrepreneur visa options, and business immigration litigation in federal court.
She has been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2014-2020 and listed in the 2018-2022 Best Lawyers in America® for Immigration Law.
Olivia received her Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2008. She was admitted to the California Bar in 2008 and is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Northern District of California.
In keeping with the firm’s tradition of community service, Olivia currently chairs the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for AILA National, serves on the board of Chinese for Affirmative Action, and is a member of the National Implicit Bias Network and the Barristers Diversity Task Force for the Bar Association of San Francisco.
While in law school, Olivia worked as a law clerk for the Immigration Practice Group at Minami Tamaki LLP. She also participated in her law school’s Immigration Appellate Practice and argued before the Ninth Circuit under her law professor’s supervision. Olivia interned at the San Francisco Immigration Court, where she researched removal, deportation and asylum issues. She also volunteered on immigration cases involving domestic violence and human trafficking at the Asian Law Alliance.
Olivia explored race and law issues as a Research Assistant to Professor Margalynne Armstrong. She received the Witkin Award for Critical Race Theory and a scholarship from the Asian Pacific Bar Association of Silicon Valley. She also volunteered in New Orleans through the Student Hurricane Network in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
EDUCATION
J.D., Santa Clara University School of Law, 2008
B.A. and B.S., Asian American Studies; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California, Davis
ADMISSIONS
California, 2008
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
PROFESSIONAL
American Immigration Lawyers Association
Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area
Bar Association of San Francisco
COMMUNITY
Chinese for Affirmative Action, Board Member