Marina Fooksman is a principal of the Fooksman Law Firm, P.C. She immigrated to the United States with her family as a refugee from the former Soviet Union. Her family’s personal experience, in pursuing their hope of a brighter future in the United States and their ultimate success in achieving their American dreams, is at the cornerstone of her philosophy and approach to representing her clients.
Shortly after arriving in the United States, Ms. Fooksman was accepted to Stuyvesant High School, one of the most prestigious and selective high schools in New York City. She then graduated from New York University, cum laude, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree with honors and was repeatedly named to the Dean’s List. Her scholastic achievements were recognized by grants and scholarships including the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Scholarship, Dean’s Scholarship, and Founder’s Day Award.
Ms. Fooksman went on to earn her Juris Doctor degree, from Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she was also on the Dean’s List and was the recipient of a highly prestigious Law Dean’s Scholarship. After completing her first year of law school, Ms. Fooksman was awarded a Public Interest Grant to participate in an International Law Internship at the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, where she prepared a report on human rights violations which was submitted to the United Nations. Later, Ms. Fooksman was selected to participate in an Immigration Law Clinic at Legal Aid Society’s Immigration Law Unit assisting individuals with applications for political asylum and permanent residence, and taking part in deportation defense trials. In her final year of law school, Ms. Fooksman was awarded the distinguished Alexander Fellowship. As an Alexander Fellow, Ms. Fooksman was privileged to clerk in the Federal Chambers of Honorable Judge Deborah A. Batts, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She also served as an Articles Editor for the Journal of Comparative and International Law.
Following graduation, she joined one of the oldest and prominent U.S. Immigration & Nationality law firms, Barst Mukamal & Kleiner LLP where she represented and counseled individuals and corporations on all aspects of U.S. immigration law related to permanent residence (“green cards”) through employment and family sponsorship, a wide range of work visas, student visas, political asylum, defense from removal and deportation, naturalization, and other immigration matters. Over the years, Ms. Fooksman has successfully represented over a thousand individuals and hundreds of corporations before administrative agencies such U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, as well as U.S. Immigration Courts, Board of Immigration Appeals and Federal Courts.
After many years of practicing immigration law at a large firm, Ms. Fooksman decided to start her own practice and founded Fooksman Law Firm, P.C., with the goal of providing expert legal representation through personal attention to each client’s individual situation. Her practice focuses exclusively on U.S. Immigration & Nationality Law, and her clients range from individuals to privately held companies to large multinational corporations. Ms. Fooksman works diligently to deliver the right results for each and every one of her clients, helping them achieve their American dreams and turn their hopes of a secure and confident future into reality.
Ms. Fooksman is fluent in the Russian and Spanish languages, and has a working knowledge of French. She is admitted to the New York State and New Jersey State Bar and can represent immigration clients in any jurisdiction across the United States. She is a long-standing member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association where she has been a guest speaker on various Immigration Law topics. She has also been featured in the media, including news publications and television programs.
Ms. Fooksman currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two sons.
