Lisa Johnson-Firth

Ms. Johnson-Firth is a managing member and immigration lawyer at Immigration and Human Rights Law Group.  Ms. Johnson-Firth’s immigration law practice is broad-based, with particular expertise in complex immigration litigation.  Prior to co-founding Immigration and Human Rights Law Group, Ms. Johnson-Firth was the director of legal services at two prominent immigrant-rights organizations, a consultant on immigration law and an adjunct professor of international and human rights law.  She is a frequent speaker on immigration, human rights, international law and women’s human rights issues. 

Before focusing on immigration and human rights law, Ms. Johnson-Firth practiced for seven years at top corporate law firms in the United States and the United Kingdom where her concentration was on corporate, contract and intellectual property law.  During the years that she worked as a corporate lawyer, Ms. Johnson-Firth handled many 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 upon her return, Ms. Johnson-Firth committed herself to the full-time practice of immigration and human rights law. 

Ms. Johnson-Firth achieved a J.D. from Northeastern University, Boston, MA; an LL.B. from the University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England; a B.A. from Allegheny College, Meadville, PA; and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.  Ms. Johnson-Firth is a member of the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. Bar Associations, as well as being a member of the Law Society of England and Wales.

She is the founder and Chair of the Board for Spirit of Justice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to awareness-raising about and garnering support for immigrant women and children who have suffered human rights abuses.  In addition, she is Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women Campaign Coordinator for Virginia.  She serves on various regional committees engaged in advocating on behalf of domestic violence prevention and immigrant rights. 

Ms. Johnson-Firth’s experience of the Oneness and Divinity of all Creation, and the power of unconditional Love in all Beings, guides her life and work.  She has been trained in various healing modalities and energy work, and she engages in regular meditation and spiritual retreats.  This foundation, combined with her formal training and experience in representing persons who have suffered trauma, enables her to effectively handle difficult asylum, refugee, trafficking in persons, Convention Against Torture, and Violence Against Women Act cases.  She is able to provide a sacred and safe space for clients to discuss traumatic life experiences that arise during the course of their legal representation.  Ms. Johnson-Firth’s unique approach facilitates an open and trusting relationship between her and her clients, which directly contributes to Ms. Johnson-Firth's record of  winning cases.