Kelly Cobb

Practice Areas

Business Immigration & Compliance; International; Corporate & Securities; Labor & Employment

Career

Kelly D. Cobb is a partner in the Business Immigration & Compliance section of Jackson Walker’s Houston office. Kelly primarily focuses on U.S. corporate immigration law, including applications/petitions for all visa categories and paths to U.S. permanent residence and naturalization. She offers experienced counsel related to navigating the intricacies of ever-changing laws, regulations, and government processes in Immigration law.

She has more than 20 years of experience counseling clients in the development and implementation of strategic immigration policies and advising U.S. and international clients on immigration issues related to corporate restructuring, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and start-ups.

Kelly has in-depth experience working within Houston’s international energy sector, primarily focusing on large-volume corporate immigration, including management of both U.S. immigration and global migration. She has more than 20 years of experience counseling clients in U.S. Outer Continental Shelf compliance, particularly focusing on assisting international corporations in vessel exemptions, specialist work authorizations, crew member exemptions, and crew and specialist mobilization.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association; Houston Bar Association; American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA); Texas Women Lawyers; United Way Women’s Initiative; United Way Young Leaders; Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; Tahirih Justice Center; Women’s Business Alliance (WBA), Greater Houston Partnership; Greater Houston Partnership, Business Resource Group–Business Beyond Borders; The Women’s Resource of Greater Houston, Advisory Council

Publications

Guest, "Immigration Issues When Contemplating Layoffs or Reductions in Force," JW Fast Takes Podcast (February 2023)

Author, “Hiring Foreign Professionals Could Help Alleviate U.S. Labor Shortage,” Texas Lawyer (September 2022)

Panelist, “U.S. Business Immigration Virtual Roundtable,” Jackson Walker Webinar (September 2022)

Speaker, “US Immigration & Global Migration: Managing a Global Workforce in a Post-Pandemic World,” Austin SHRM Annual Conference (August 2022)

Author, "Update to L-2 Spousal Work Authorization: All I-94s in Government Database Receive S Annotation," Jackson Walker Insights (April 2022)