Attorneys
Butler, Diane M.

Practices & Industries

Diane M. Butler

Shareholder | Seattle | 206.223.7715 | butlerd@lanepowell.com

Areas of Practice

Diane Butler focuses her practice on business immigration and manages the Firm’s immigration practice. Diane graduated with honors from the University of Wyoming. After spending time in Shanghai, China, working for the Canadian law firm of Bull, Housser & Tupper, she received her law degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Diane is rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, which identifies a lawyer with very high to preeminent legal ability, recommended by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Immigration, and was named as a “Top Business Immigration Lawyer” in Seattle Business Monthly, as well as a “Top Lawyer” by her peers in Seattle Magazine. She is a member of the national American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) liaison committee for Customs and Border Protection issues. Her remarks have been quoted in The New York Times, and other publications, and she has been interviewed on KING-5 TV news.

Professional Experience

  • Bogle & Gates, 1994-1998
  • Tousley Brain, 1993 – 1994
  • McGee, Reno & Whitehead, 1992 – 1993
  • United States Coast Guard, Law Clerk, 1990
  • Bull, Housser & Tupper (Shanghai, China office), Legal Assistant, 1988 – 1989

Admitted to Practice

  • Washington
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • U.S. Court of International Trade

Academics

  • George Washington University, National Law Center (J.D., 1992)
  • University of Wyoming (B.A., cum laude, 1983)

Representative Clients

Nordstrom, Premera Blue Cross, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Weyerhaeuser

Representative Practice Areas

  • Temporary, Nonimmigrant Work and Business Status
  • Employment-Based Permanent Resident Status (“Green Cards”)
  • Company Compliance with Immigration Laws and Worksite Enforcement
  • Naturalization and Citizenship Issues
  • Strategizing and Problem Solving — Assessment of issues, development of strategies, and contact with government officials concerning issues including the following:
    • Applying for visas U.S. embassies and abroad
    • Applying for extensions of stay
    • Handling visa denials
    • Denial at U.S. border ports of entry
    • Waiver of inadmissibility for prior indiscretions or violations
    • Response to Request for Evidence from the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (“US CIS,” formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service “INS”)
  • Other Immigration Matters
    • Re-entry Permits (“White Passports”)
    • Special Immigrant Visas
    • Political Asylum

Publications

  • “On Thin Ice” (The Hamoui Family Political Asylum Story), Washington Law & Politics, December 2007
  • Thompson’s HR Employment Forms, Revised 3rd Ed., 2007 (Contributing author)
  • “Current Immigration Debate Masks Gap in the Law,” The Seattle Times Op-Ed, August 24, 2006
  • “Immigration Enforcement in the Construction Industry,” BUILDERnews Magazine, August 2006

Speaking Engagements

  • “Hot Topics in Immigration Issues for Employers,” Lane Powell Seminar, Anchorage, Alaska, November 2009
  • “Managing Immigration Compliance Issues in the Workplace,” American Healthcare Association Webinar, July 2009
  • “Employer Sanctions & Hot Issues in Employment Enforcement,” AILA Northwest Annual Conference, February 2009
  • “Responding to Increased Immigration Worksite Enforcement,” AILA Washington Chapter, November 2008
  • “Waivers and Relief for the Nonimmigrant, AILA Fall Conference, (Savannah, Ga.), October 2008
  • “Immigration Update 2007,” Washington State Bar Association, Annual Labor and Employment Conference, November 2007
  • “Immigration Compliance,” TOC Management Services Conference, September 2007
  • “What Does CBP Know About Your Client,” AILA Spring Conference, March 2007
  • “The Games and The Players, North and South of the Border,” 2010 Games Business Seminar, November 2005 (Organizer)
  • Lane Powell Employment Law School for Managers: “Don’t Get Irked by IRCA Regulations -Immigration and I-9 Compliance for Employers,” (Portland and Seattle), June 2004
  • Canadians Working in the United States, British Columbia Institute for Studies in International Trade, Vancouver, B.C., May 2004
  • Consular Processing Update, American Immigration Lawyers Association Conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 2004
  • Nonimmigrant Status Update, Northwest Regional American Immigration Lawyers Association Conference, Seattle, Washington, February 2004
  • Business Immigration Law, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (“ICE) Attorney Training Session, June 2003
  • Immigration Law Basics, Lorman Education Services, May 2003
  • Immigration Law, University of Washington Law School, International Tax Law Course, guest speaker, May 2003
  • INS Implications for Fishing Vessel Owners, December 1999 and December 2000
  • Cross Border Venture Transactions, Washington State Bar Association, December 2000
  • Immigration Law Under Homeland Security, Lane Powell Seminar, October 2002
  • Immigration Law Basics for Employers, Lane Powell Seminar, October 2001
  • Employment Law Conference, The Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C., May 2000
  • Various Training Presentations for Companies

Awards and Honors

  • Rated “AV” in Martindale-Hubbell
  • Recommended by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Immigration, 2008-2009
  • Named as a “Top Business Lawyer” in Immigration, Seattle Business Monthly, 2008
  • Named as a “Top Lawyer” by her peers in Seattle Magazine, 2005

Professional and Community Activities

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association, Chair, Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection Committee, 2005-2008
  • Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle, Advisory Committee, 2005-present
  • Gage Academy of Art, Advisory Board, 2003-present

Languages

  • Mandarin Chinese