

Originally from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Susanne has over 20 years of experience in U.S. business and family immigration law, serving large multinational corporations, as well as small businesses and nonprofit organizations, primarily in the media and retail market research, information technology, and financial industries. She joined Harter Secrest & Emery LLP in April 2022 after spending most of her career with the New York City law firm of Satterlee Stephens LLP, which merged into the AmLaw 100 firm of Duane Morris LLP in 2020.
Susanne has a strong reputation for client service—responding to inquiries from clients and colleagues quickly and with high-quality, clearly structured content. She also strives to think ahead and outside of the box, anticipating potential roadblocks in a foreign national's path to, or within, the United States, coming up with immigration strategies that are legally sound and logistically feasible for the client. She has a talent for creative and persuasive writing, as well as for visually easy to understand presentation of complex legal and fact patterns.
Susanne has assisted clients primarily with the following:
- Temporary stay, training, and work visas (including B, E, H-1B/H-1B1, H-3, J-1, L-1, O-1, P and TN)
- Employment and family-based permanent residence (green cards), with a strong focus on permanent labor certification (PERM)
- Naturalization, as well as acquired and derivative citizenship
- Management of employee and immigration sponsorship transfers based on mergers & acquisitions, and other corporate reorganizations
- DMV and Social Security Administration agency steps for foreign nationals in the U.S.
- I-9 compliance
Professional & Civic Affiliations
- Member, National DOL Liaison Committee, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), since 2020
- Member, AILA New York Chapter Cross Practice and I-9/DOL/Corporate Practice Committees
- Past Co-Chair, AILA New York Chapter DOL and Corporate Practice Committees
- Whitebelt Legal Lean Sigma (process improvement and project management) Certification, 2016
- Member, German American Chamber of Commerce
- Volunteer, Montclair Animal Shelter
Honors & Awards
- Recognized by Chambers USA in 2021 and 2022 in the field of Immigration (NY)
- Invited Member of Marquis Who's Who since 2022
- Alumni Scholar of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Germany
- Young Writers Award, Germany, 1997
Admissions
- New York
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, LL.M., in International Business and Trade Law, cum laude
- University of Würzburg, Bavaria Germany, equivalent of J.D.
Languages
- German
- Spanish (Basic)