Sarah Hanlon

We are proud to mark our twentieth year helping businesses and individuals realize their dreams to move to the US. Jennifer Hallett is the founding partner of Hallett McCann Law Group Ltd. and has practiced exclusively in the field of immigration law for over twenty years. Born and raised in the Chicagoland area, Jennifer has established a thriving practice in Countryside, Illinois. While corporate immigration has long been her primary area of practice, Jennifer continues to dedicate a distinct portion of her practice to family-based immigration, naturalization, fiancé visas, DACA recipients, as well as asylum matters. Jennifer was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1999, and is a long-time member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Over the past two decades, Jennifer has spoken extensively on the topic of immigration to state bar associations, community groups and religious not-for-profit organizations. On a more personal level, Jennifer was drawn to immigration law early in her legal education. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree and prior to attending law school, Jennifer worked as a crisis counselor for homeless families in the Chicagoland area. With her dedicated social services background, Jennifer wanted to practice in an area of the law which directly and positively influenced the lives of those she served. “I wanted to devote my legal career to advising and guiding my clients through a very complex and highly legislated process. Whether immigrating as an employee or as a family member, the U.S. immigration process is often lengthy, confusing, and scary for immigrants. I enjoy working with my clients. I take great pride in explaining to them, in non-lawyer terms, how U.S. immigration policy directly affects their particular case, and how we should address each and every requirement. Of course, the end result is the most rewarding — being able to witness first-hand that moment when someone realizes their own personal American dream, or when someone has been approved as a brand new American citizen. It’s extremely gratifying professionally.”After completing her Juris Doctorate in 1998, Jennifer continued her legal education and obtained an LLM degree in International Business and Trade Law. Her LLM studies included an externship in Dublin, Ireland, under the auspices of the Supreme Court of Ireland. As a private attorney, Jennifer possesses a unique perspective on corporate immigration which is based on her professional experience. She started her legal career as an associate for a Chicago-based immigration practice. She later moved across the country to assume an in-house counsel position for a software development company. This change from a law office environment to a corporate setting provided Jennifer with a unique insight into the daily operations and needs of technology corporations within the United States. Her experience includes business-based immigration advocacy, corporate immigration compliance, immigration case management of petitions/applications, appeals, USCIS and DOL audit management, USCIS fraud investigations, I-9 audits, and Consular Processing. Sarah Hanlon is an Associate Attorney with Hallett McCann Law Group. She comes to Hallett McCann after earning her Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law in 2021. Prior to that, Sarah graduated magna cum laude from DePaul University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in both Economics and Sociology. After graduation in 2014, she worked as a Lead Investigative Analyst for a consulting firm in Chicago, IL until she started law school in 2018.Coming from a family full of lawyers, Sarah has always had an interest in the law. But it wasn’t until she was exposed to US immigration law during her undergrad studies that she developed a deep interest in immigration law. From that point forward, Sarah knew immigration law would be the focus of her studies in law school.In law school, Sarah spent a significant amount of time learning from DePaul’s Asylum & Refugee Legal Clinic. Here, she managed several of the Clinic’s clients and was exposed to the asylum process, both affirmative and defensive, and the continuing immigration needs of asylees after a decision has been made on their case.Additionally, Sarah was a staff writer and Managing Editor of Articles for the DePaul Journal of Sports Law. As an avid sports fan, and aspiring immigration attorney, Sarah published an article discussing the precarious journey Cuban baseball players endure in order to play in the MLB caused by the seemingly arbitrary US executive power and longstanding history of US foreign policy with Cuba.In 2019, Sarah had the opportunity to study abroad in Madrid, Spain where she studied European Human Rights Law and European Business and Commercial Law. Studying abroad furthered Sarah’s appreciation for other cultures and solidified her passion for immigration law.Sarah earned the DePaul University College of Law Dean’s Certificate of Service in recognition of her pro bono and community service work and continues to contribute to DePaul’s tradition of public service to the community in her current role as an Associate Attorney. As an Associate for Hallett McCann Law Group, Sarah specializes in family-based immigration, employment-based immigration, and asylum. She enjoys the personal aspects of working with her clients and helping them comfortably navigate US immigration law. Sarah is licensed to practice before the Illinois Supreme Court, and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, American Bar Association, and American Immigration Lawyers Association.When not in the office, Sarah loves travelling, hanging out with friends and family, attending concerts, and trying new restaurants. Sarah was born and raised in the Chicagoland area, spending most of her adolescent years in La Grange, Illinois. She currently lives in Chicago.