AILA Presents Eleanor Pelta with the 2014 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, June 21, 2014

AILA PRESENTS ELEANOR PELTA WITH THE 2014 EDITH LOWENSTEIN MEMORIAL AWARD

BOSTON,MA — The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) will award Eleanor Pelta, of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, with the 2014 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law. She will receive the award today during AILA's Annual Conference in Boston, MA.

Ms. Pelta has been a national leader in business immigration issues for more than a decade through her substantive law practice, advocacy, writing, and media work. With her efforts, she has brought the inadequacies of the business provisions of immigration law into sharper focus for the public, stakeholders, and policymakers.

After joining AILA in 1986, she jumped right in, helping to draft regulations that AILA proposed for the implementation of certain provisions of IRCA, and writing a study of the immigration decisions of Judge Robert Bork, then nominated to the Supreme Court, to allow AILA to determine whether to oppose the nomination.

Over the years, she only increased her involvement, including speaking, writing and mentoring, serving on the executive board of her local chapter, being one of the founders of the AILA Young Lawyers Division (now the New Members Division), serving on and chairing the Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services committees, co-authoring an AILA publication on AC-21, being a co-creator of the American Immigration Council's (AIC) Immigrant Achievement Awards and a co-creator of their Public Education Center, serving on the task force that evaluated and enabled AILA's move to its' G Street headquarters, conceptualizing and serving on AILA's Transparency Committee, and serving on AILA's Board of Governors, on its Executive Committee and ultimately as national President of AILA.

For all of her work, energy, enthusiasm, and guidance for nearly 30 years, AILA is honored to present Ms. Pelta with the 2014 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.