Choosing immigration counsel in Middle Tennessee involves significant stakes. Family reunification petitions, employment-based green card filings, removal defense before the Memphis Immigration Court, asylum claims tied to the one-year filing deadline under 8 USC 1158, and naturalization interviews at the USCIS Nashville Field Office each move on separate procedural tracks. The three firms below were selected on the basis of verifiable American Immigration Lawyers Association membership, sustained Nashville-area practice, and published practice scopes covering the full statutory range of the Immigration and Nationality Act at 8 USC 1101.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Rose Immigration Law Firm, PLC | Tennessee and Hawaii bar admission, U.S. Supreme Court and Middle District of Tennessee admission, fourteen years of AILA Board of Governors service, AILA DOL Liaison Committee tenure. | Family-based petitions, naturalization, healthcare-industry employment immigration, information-technology hiring streams, multinational corporate transfers, music and entertainment visas, religious-worker filings, university researcher cases, PERM labor certification and H-1B work. |
| Yankey Law Group, PLLC | New York State Bar admission, federal immigration court admission, Board of Immigration Appeals admission, AILA, ABA, and Christian Legal Society membership. | Family-based immigration, employment-based filings, deportation and removal defense before EOIR, asylum, naturalization, VAWA self-petitions, U-visa and T-visa applications, hardship waivers, BIA and AAO appeals, federal Mandamus actions, parole-in-place for military family members. |
| The Cassell Firm | Tennessee bar admission 2017, Middle District of Tennessee admission 2018, EOIR registration since 2017, AILA, NBA, TBA, and ABA membership. | Waivers of inadmissibility, adjustment of status on humanitarian and family petitions, naturalization, visa filings, humanitarian petitions, removal defense before EOIR, Tennessee family law matters intersecting with immigration including VAWA filings and custody questions tied to U-visa derivative petitions. |
1. Rose Immigration Law Firm, PLC #
Linda Rose founded Rose Immigration Law Firm in 1990, anchoring a practice that has run for more than three decades from the firm’s office at 105 Westpark Drive, Suite 330, in the Maryland Farms area south of downtown Nashville. The reachable line is (615) 321-2256. Ms. Rose earned her JD at the University of Hawaii in 1986 and is licensed in Tennessee and Hawaii, with admission to the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Practice scope and AILA leadership #
The office concentrates exclusively on immigration and nationality matters. Published practice areas include family-based petitions, naturalization, healthcare-industry employment immigration, information-technology hiring streams, multinational corporate transfers, music and entertainment visas, religious-worker filings, and university researcher cases. The firm publishes work on PERM labor certification, H-1B Labor Condition Applications, and Department of Labor process matters, reflecting Ms. Rose’s tenure as an elected Director on the AILA Board of Governors over fourteen years and her service on AILA’s DOL Liaison Committee.
Language access and intake #
Spanish-language intake is supported, and the office publishes both English and Spanish intake forms. The practice serves clients across Middle Tennessee and operates in all fifty states for federal immigration matters that do not require state-bar admission elsewhere.
2. Yankey Law Group, PLLC #
Francis A. Yankey, Esq. established Yankey Law Group in May 2014 at 301 S. Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 218, Nashville, TN 37211. The firm phone is (615) 530-5360. Mr. Yankey holds an LL.B./JD from the University of Ghana and an LL.M. from Bristol Law School at the University of the West of England, and he is admitted to the New York State Bar, the U.S. federal immigration courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Removal defense and humanitarian filings #
The practice handles family-based immigration, employment-based filings, deportation and removal defense before EOIR, asylum, naturalization, VAWA self-petitions, U-visa and T-visa applications, hardship waivers, and appeals to the BIA and the Administrative Appeals Office. The group also handles Requests for Evidence, federal Mandamus actions when adjudication delays warrant federal-court intervention, and parole-in-place matters for qualifying military family members.
Personal immigration background #
Mr. Yankey is an immigrant himself, a fact reflected in the firm’s stated commitment to ethical and approachable representation. Memberships include AILA, the American Bar Association, and the Christian Legal Society. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
3. The Cassell Firm #
Jane Ellen Cassell leads The Cassell Firm at 2000 Glen Echo Rd #113, Nashville, TN 37215, reachable at (615) 475-7041. Ms. Cassell earned her JD at Belmont University College of Law in 2017 and a B.S. in Political Science magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2013. She is admitted to the Tennessee Bar (No. 036079, 2017), the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (2018), and was registered with the Executive Office for Immigration Review beginning in 2017.
Adjustment, waivers, and EOIR appearances #
The office handles waivers of inadmissibility, adjustment of status on humanitarian and family petitions, naturalization, visa filings, humanitarian petitions, and removal defense before EOIR. Initial consultations are offered at $150 per hour, with the consultation fee credited toward representation if the client retains the firm. The practice also includes Tennessee family law matters such as divorce, custody, and child support, which can intersect with immigration filings where domestic-relations orders affect petition eligibility.
Bar associations and committee work #
Ms. Cassell holds membership in AILA, the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. The dual practice in immigration and family law allows a single office to address cases where the two areas overlap, including VAWA filings and custody questions tied to U-visa derivative petitions.
https://www.thecassellfirm.com/
Selection Methodology #
Immigration practice is a federal-court matter under EOIR and USCIS, but the Tennessee bar admission and BPR register still apply to attorneys appearing in state proceedings such as criminal removal-defense coordination, so the filter for the firms above worked both registers. Each lead attorney holds AILA American Immigration Lawyers Association membership, lists active practice before the Memphis Immigration Court, the BIA, and USCIS service centers, holds Tennessee Supreme Court bar admission verifiable through the BPR profile, runs scope at the matter level (family-based petitions under INA 201 and 203, employment-based petitions including H-1B, L-1, O-1, EB-2 NIW, asylum and withholding-of-removal practice under INA 208 and 241, naturalization under INA 316, removal defense), and operates from a Davidson County office that matches the BPR register. Notario-style operations practicing immigration law without a U.S. attorney of record were excluded.
How to Choose Among These Three Nashville Immigration Firms #
Case type and procedural posture should drive selection. An employment-based green card filing for a healthcare or technology employer, a PERM labor certification, an H-1B Labor Condition Application, or a multinational corporate transfer aligns with Rose Immigration Law Firm, whose founder served on the AILA Board of Governors and the DOL Liaison Committee for fourteen years and whose office has run the employment-immigration track continuously since 1990. A removal-defense matter before the Memphis Immigration Court, an asylum filing approaching the one-year deadline under 8 USC 1158, a VAWA self-petition, a U-visa or T-visa application, or a federal Mandamus action against USCIS adjudication delay fits Yankey Law Group, whose admission to the federal immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals positions the practice for full EOIR-track work. A waiver of inadmissibility, adjustment-of-status filing, or a case where immigration and Tennessee family law overlap (including VAWA filings tied to divorce or custody) fits The Cassell Firm, where the dual immigration-and-family practice allows a single office to address both tracks. All three carry AILA membership; verify counsel through the AILA member directory and the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility license-status lookup before retainer.
Reference Notes #
Nashville-area immigration matters touch several federal agencies and statutory frameworks. The USCIS Nashville Field Office handles adjustment-of-status interviews and naturalization oaths for Middle Tennessee residents. Removal proceedings for Tennessee respondents are docketed before the Memphis Immigration Court under EOIR jurisdiction, with appellate review at the BIA. Asylum filings face the one-year filing deadline codified at 8 USC 1158(a)(2)(B), subject to changed-circumstances and extraordinary-circumstances exceptions. Employment-based green card categories EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 are governed by INA sections under 8 USC 1153(b), and Temporary Protected Status designations are published periodically by the Department of Homeland Security under 8 USC 1254a. AILA membership is conditioned on a member’s adherence to the AILA Code of Ethics, which addresses competence, candor, and client communication standards.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: Who at the firm will be my day-to-day point of contact?
A: Some firms staff a matter with a lead attorney plus associates and paralegals; others keep the named attorney as the primary contact throughout. Ask in writing who will sign correspondence, who returns client calls, the typical response window for messages, and the escalation path if you cannot reach the assigned attorney.
Q: How does the firm handle conflicts of interest before taking the matter?
A: Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct require a conflict check before representation begins. Ask the firm to confirm in writing that a conflict check has been run against all parties and that no current or former representation creates a disqualifying conflict. Disclose all opposing parties, witnesses, and related entities at intake so the check is accurate.
Q: Are any of the three firms paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No firm sponsored placement.
Q: What expenses pass through to the client beyond legal fees?
A: Common pass-through expenses include filing fees, deposition court reporter charges, expert witness fees, mediation costs, postage, courier, and copying. Ask for the firm’s written expense policy, any markup over actual cost, billing frequency for expenses, and whether expenses are advanced by the firm or billed as incurred.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.