Pittsburgh Immigration Attorney Ellen Freeman Featured in Shady Ave Magazine

Ellen Freeman, counsel in the Immigration Section of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's Pittsburgh office, was featured in the Fall 2009 edition of Shady Ave magazine. In light of the upcoming Pittsburgh Summit, the article "An International Tapestry" discussed foreign-born residents and what brought them to the area.

As noted, "Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) is home to nearly 50,000 people born in foreign countries. … The East End and Fox Chapel areas alone offer an album of global snapshots, with residents hailing from as far away as South Africa, Iran, Brazil, Japan, Lebanon and Ukraine, among dozens of other countries. These individuals have come to Pittsburgh to start their careers, raise families, launch business, and in many cases, guide our city toward a better future."

The article went on to provide "a glimpse into the lives of some of these remarkable people and how they are leading us to excellence in business, medicine, education and the arts."

Beneath a photo of Freeman is a biography, including where she was born, what brought her to Pittsburgh and what she loves about the place she calls home. As explained, she came to the city in 1993 as a single mother from Odessa, Ukraine, a part of the former Soviet Union.

"After initial work with a Jewish nonprofit agency, Freeman followed her dream and studied at the University of Pittsburgh to become an immigration attorney," the article said. "The Fox Chapel resident is now counsel for Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, focusing her practice on employment-based immigration."

"Now I bring expatriates to Pittsburgh from all over the country … because of all the universities and colleges, we have a large number of professors who are part of the international community through their work," she said.

She went on to explain why she prefers Pittsburgh over larger cities, like New York. "It's very calming to come here. I wouldn't have the same feeling living in a different market. You can take advantage of different opportunities, whether it's the symphony or concerts in the park like at Hartwood Acres. I know  you can do that in Central Park, but alongside 5,000 other people!" she explained.

The article concluded with Freeman's civic efforts, including serving as an active participant in the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, "whose mission is to promote an understanding of important international issues throughout the region."

"My official goal," Freeman said, "is to make the city friendlier to foreign nationals. I help them settle in, and that, in turn, makes our community more diverse."