Kelly Marie Keckler, Attorney

Ms. Keckler was born and raised in Canton, Ohio. She graduated with honors from the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Spanish and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English in 2002. As an undergraduate student, Ms. Keckler studied abroad in Toledo, Spain at the Fundacion Jose Ortega y Gasset. After graduating from Ohio State, she volunteered as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at a local non-profit organization serving the immigrant and refugee community in northeast Ohio. In May 2006, she earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. During law school, Ms. Keckler pursued her interest in immigration law by working for a prominent employment-based immigration law firm and a non-profit organization providing legal assistance to migrant and seasonal farmworkers in southwest Michigan.

After studying U.S. immigration law at Case Western, she began her legal career in the immigration field by working at a busy immigration law firm in Miami, Florida. In 2007, she joined an immigration law firm in Dallas, Texas where she helped to expand and develop the firm's practice. Prior to joining the Law Offices of Michael G. Matthews in April 2009, Ms. Keckler was the sole attorney at a new satellite office in Chicago, Illinois for that firm.

Ms. Keckler has practiced immigration law exclusively since embarking on her legal career. She has considerable experience in a wide array of immigration matters, including deportation defense (cancellation of removal, 212(c) and 212(h) waivers for crimes, de novo TPS claims, and bond hearings), family-based immigration (adjustment of status and consular processing), visas for immigrant survivors of domestic violence and victims of crimes, waivers (for fraud, crimes, health-related bars and prior deportations), citizenship and naturalization, nonimmigrant ("temporary") visas, asylum, NACARA, and humanitarian relief (temporary protected status and parole). She has successfully represented clients in complex immigration matters before the Immigration Courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals as well as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and various U.S. consulates and embassies abroad.

Ms. Keckler is admitted to practice in Ohio. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association. She is fluent in Spanish.