Melissa Nonaka has always had an unwavering passion for the exclusive practice of immigration law and finds joy in navigating the ever-changing immigration rules, developing creative legal strategies, and providing thoughtful and individualized client representation.

Melissa was previously a member of the LAC team prior to attending law school, and has returned to the firm after over a decade of practicing immigration law based in Washington, DC at both a multi-disciplinary international law firm as well as boutique immigration law firms. Melissa’s practice focuses on counseling public and private companies, multinational corporations, start-ups and nonprofit organizations on both short and long-term options for hiring and retaining foreign national employees through sponsorship for temporary nonimmigrant visas such as H, L, E, TN, and O, as well as for immigrant visas/permanent residence based on qualifications under the EB-1, EB-2 National Interest Waiver, and EB-2/EB-3 PERM Labor Certification categories. She also represents individuals and their family members in seeking permanent resident status and naturalization in the United States. 

As an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Melissa has served on various national committees, to include the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Liaison Committee, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Liaison Committee, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Field Operations Committee, the Equity  and Belonging Committee (formerly Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), and the 2026 AILA Annual Conference Planning Committee (Fundamentals Track).

While in law school in Washington, DC, Melissa served as a Legal Extern for DOL’s Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA), where she drafted appellate-level decisions for the Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ); served as a Student Attorney in the Families and the Law Clinic at her law school, where she represented victims of domestic violence in securing civil protection orders and immigration benefits under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); and volunteered at the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC). While in DC, Melissa also served on the Board of Directors for the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of DC (APABA-DC) and dedicated her time to pro bono service by serving as an expert mentor for the DC Bar Pro Bono Center’s Immigration Legal Advice and Referral Clinic.