Carolyn Lee is the Founder of Carolyn Lee PLLC. Carolyn has represented regional centers, developers, funds, and investors for over a decade, helping U.S. project clients raise $2.5 billion in EB-5 capital. She holds leadership positions in the EB-5 bar and industry and is considered a preeminent authority on EB-5 law.
Carolyn is the Chair of American Immigration Lawyers (AILA) national EB-5 Committee. She has served as Chair, Vice-Chair, or Co-Chair for 6 years. In these capacities, Carolyn has authored key EB-5 legislative commentary since 2012 advocating for workable reform. Her current advocacy focuses on long-term EB-5 program reauthorization and expansion.
Carolyn authors leading publications, including the recently-published New USCIS EB-5 Redemption Policy Update (ilw.com, Nov. 2018), Analysis of Litigation to Expand EB-5 Visa Capacity (Regional Center Business Journal, Oct. 2018), and Straight Talk on Redeployment (EB5Investors Magazine, Nov. 2017). Her scholarship covers a wide array of EB-5 issues, with special focus on investment “at risk” analysis, material change, and targeted employment areas (TEAs).
Carolyn has helped organize international EB-5 conferences for various organizations, including AILA and EB5 Investors Magazine. Recent conferences she co-organized include the 2018 EB-5 Investors Magazine Convention in Los Angeles and the 2019 AILA National EB-5/Advanced Business Conference in Bangkok.
Carolyn is listed among The Best Lawyers in America, Who’s Who Thought Leaders – Corporate Immigration, and Top 25 Immigration Lawyers. Her awards include Outstanding 50 Asian-Americans in Business Award, AILA’s Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award, and AILA Presidential Commendation.
Carolyn is a member of the New York State bar and admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She received her J.D. from Cornell Law School where she served as Chancellor of the Moot Court Board. She received her B.A. cum laude from Williams College. She has been a visiting scholar at Exeter College, Oxford University and is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School in New York City.