Attorney Profiles


Susan Elizabeth Hill 
L.A. Pacific Center Bulding
523 West Sixth Street
Suite 737
Los Angeles, California 90014-1231
 

Communication Center  
Phone: (213) 622-8775
E-mail: Email Me
Fax: (213) 622-5383
Web site: http://www.hillandpiibe.com
http://www.immigrationrx.com
http://www.hillpvlaw.com


Susan E. Hill is a partner at the immigration law firm of Hill, Piibe & Villegas, in charge of complex appeals and motions before the Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Ninth and Fifth Circuit U.S. Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. After graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California in 1993, she went immediately into solo practice and has been working exclusively in the area of immigration law since 1995.

Distinguished Appellate Work

At any time, Ms. Hill has dozens of cases pending at the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, often focused on asylum issues and especially procedural due process and/or jurisdictional issues. Several published decisions and notable cases include:

  • Khodagholian v. Ashcroft , 355 F.3d 1003 (9th Cir. 2003)(LPR abandonment);
  • Andia v. Ashcroft , 359 F.3d 1181 (9th Cir. 2004)(in absentia motion to reopen);
  • Garcia-Gomez v. Ashcroft , 498 F.3d 1050 (9th Cir. 2007)(late-filed appeal brief);
  • Vargas-Garcia v. Ashcroft , 287 F.3d 882 (9th Cir. 2002)(failure to file appeal brief);
  • Falcon-Carriche v. Ashcroft , 350 F.3d 845 (9th Cir. 2003)(challenging BIA streamlining regulations).
  • "Ms. A," , an asylum case, gained national notoriety and Congressional attention on the issue of “honor killings” and asylum relief, and was handled with the assistance of U.C. Hastings’ Center for Gender and Refugee Studies. (See materials)

Domestic Violence Work and Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

Outside of her immigration practice, Ms. Hill served as Co-Chair (2005-2009) for the Domestic Violence Project of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles ( WLALA), which implements the Legal Clinic for Sojourn Services for Battered Women. This Legal Clinic is located in Santa Monica, California, and dispenses free legal advice to victims of domestic violence. She has been a volunteer of the clinic from 1994 until the present.

Ms. Hill also co-chaired the Solo and Small Firm Committee for WLALA from 2006-2009, organizing events and addressing issues for attorneys engaged in solo practice or employed at small firms.

She served as a Board Member for WLALA from 2005-2009.

Adjunct Professor

Ms. Hill currently serves as an adjunct professor for Pepperdine University School of Law, teaching in the following subjects:

  • Immigration Law , 2005 - present
  • Asylum Law Clinic , Supervising Attorney, 2008 - present
    Ms. Hill was active in the Clinic’s conception and development, consulting with Immigration Court officials and Pepperdine leadership. The Clinic handles asylum, withholding of removal and Convention Against Torture claims based upon an applicant’s fear of religious persecution. More Information

Mentoring

Ms. Hill mentors several volunteer attorneys handling pro-bono immigration work, advising them on the complexities of motions to reopen and other issues. She also mentors young attorneys and students interested in immigration law. Additional mentoring activities include:

  • National “Super Mentor” Committee for the National Center for Immigrant and Refugee Children , 2005-2006: advised on how to more effectively represent unaccompanied minors;
  • UCLA School of Law’s El Centro Asylum Law Clinic, Supervising Attorney , 2004-2007. This extra-curricular volunteer clinic handled asylum cases in Immigration Court and before the appellate Courts;
  • Pepperdine University School of Law Alumni Panel , 2006-2008: speaking to incoming law students about life in law school;
  • Mount St. Mary’s College , 2008: speaking to students in the Women and the Law course
  • Moot Court Judge, Pepperdine University School of Law , 1997-2003: judging mock trials and appellate arguments.

Speaking Engagements

Ms. Hill has also been called upon to speak at continuing education events for attorneys:

  • Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA): Process and Key Strategies Conference , Pincus Communications, Los Angeles, California, March 2009
  • Immigration Litigation in the Ninth Circuit , Second Annual Conference, Pincus Communications, Los Angeles, California, September 2008
  • DNA Issues; Child Status Protection Act , American Immigration Lawyers Association Southern California Chapter Monthly Meeting, Los Angeles, California, September 2008
  • Women and Immigration (Moderator), Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, January 2008
  • Updates on Immigration Law , Alianza Group, San Gabriel/Pomona Valley Regional Center, Pomona, California, August 2004
  • Ninth Circuit Training: Learning the Nuts and Bolts of Ninth Circuit Practice , Los Angeles County Bar Association, Los Angeles, California, May 2004

Continuing Education Event Organizer

  • Legal Issues Relating to Domestic Violence , Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, California, May 2009
  • How to Handle a Difficult Client , Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, January 2009
  • Women and Immigration , Los Angeles County Bar Association and Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, January 2008
  • Employee Discipline Without Discrimination , Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, April 2007

Published Articles