Dinsmore & Shohl LLP has welcomed partner Michelle Salter to its Morgantown, West Virginia office and the firm’s national immigration group. She expands Dinsmore’s reach to yet another state and deepens the group’s roots in the Pacific Northwest, given that she is also licensed to practice in Washington and continues to serve clients there.

Salter joins from a Seattle-based firm, where she helped businesses of all sizes manage and implement U.S. immigration programs. Her work includes permanent residence, temporary work authorizations, I-9 verification, international travel policies and more. She not only helps employees and executives at American-based companies, but she also assists international entrepreneurs who are launching subsidiary businesses in the United States.

“My practice has a particular emphasis on health care, namely for physicians,” Salter said. “In West Virginia, next to no one is doing this work for health care providers, so I am excited to provide this much-needed service.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Salter has helped physicians return to the United States after visiting their home countries, a process she said can be incredibly complicated for individuals or businesses to navigate alone, given regulatory red tape and COVID-related delays in approval for travel.

She cited Dinsmore’s national presence and reputation for her decision to join the firm at this time.

“Dinsmore is a great fit,” she said. “It’s a national firm that fits my national practice, and it is well-known within the business immigration community. The practice group has excellent knowledge in health care, so I was attracted to the firm’s infrastructure and ability to help my clients.”

Dinsmore’s leadership is equally excited for Salter’s arrival at the firm.

“We are thrilled that Michelle has joined the immigration practice. She brings a wealth of business immigration experience, and her expertise in health care immigration bolsters and continues to strengthen our ever-expanding expertise in that vital practice area,” said Immigration Practice Group Chair Matthew Gunn. “Her presence will allow our immigration practice group to better serve clients in Morgantown and the surrounding region and demonstrates our commitment to growing strategically in each of our markets.”

Salter is the third attorney to join Dinsmore’s Morgantown office this month, following associates Andrew Cranston and Lauren Cyphers, who practice with the firm’s corporate and commercial litigation groups, respectively. She is also the second immigration attorney to join the firm in September, following the associate Jazmin Harris in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dinsmore has grown by 13.4% percent since the beginning of the year, having added 90 attorneys across the country, with more expected through the rest of the year.