Kjerstin Lewis Shukla (she/her/ella) is the Founder and Managing Attorney for Immigrant Forward Legal Solutions. She has dedicated her career to helping immigrants and their families find safety, stability, and opportunity in the United States.

Kjerstin began working in immigration law in 2014 as a legal assistant, where she discovered her passion for advocacy and cross-cultural connection. In 2016, she became a Department of Justice accredited representative, directly representing immigrants and their families in a non-profit setting. After several years of frontline advocacy, Kjerstin made the decision to attend law school full-time and become an immigration attorney–building on her foundation of hands-on, community-based legal work.

Over the course of her career, Kjerstin has worked with hundreds of clients on a multitude of immigration matters–from family-based petitions and adjustment of status, to DACA, hardship waivers, and U visa applications. Her practice includes both affirmative representation–representing clients in front of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of State–and defensive representation in removal proceedings, in front of the Immigration Court. Kjerstin is particularly passionate about developing strong strategies and compelling personal narratives for complex hardship cases, including waivers and cancellation of removal. 

In addition to her work with clients, Kjerstin has served as a presenter for World Relief’s 40 Hour Training courses, covering topics such as adjustment of status and conditional residency, naturalization, visa petitions, waivers, and practice management. 

Kjerstin is fluent in English and Spanish and is licensed to practice law in North Carolina. Additionally, Kjerstin is authorized to practice law in the federal courts within the Western District of North Carolina (W.D.N.C.).

• Education: J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law and B.A. from Wartburg College. 

• Memberships: American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ), the Mecklenburg Bar Association (MBA)