Passang T Lhachoepa. Attorney at law
Passang T. Lhachoepa is the founder of Lhachoepa Law Offices and a licensed immigration lawyer. He has had over ten years’ experience working for immigration attorneys prior to launching his own practice, and gained extensive experience and knowledge in immigration law and procedures. This experience has gradually inculcated a strong passion in him to become an immigration attorney so that he might effectively serve the immigrant community.
Mr. Lhachoepa himself is an immigrant to this country, having lived as a refugee in three different countries. Through his own personal experience he understands the challenges and obstacles faced by immigrants, and has a deep understanding of their psyche.
Throughout his professional life, he has also served as an educator and counselor to immigrants and refugees from around the world. Mr. Lhachoepa graduated from School of Law, City University of New York. He completed his Master’s Degree at New York University and two Bachelor’s degrees from Delhi University and IHM-PUSA. He is licensed to practice law by the Supreme Court of the State of Minnesota, and is a member of the American Immigrant Lawyers’ Association.
He lives in New York with his wife and four children.
Kate Chaltain. Attorney at Law (Of Counsel)
Kate Chaltain is an experienced immigration lawyer who has dedicated her legal career to providing compassionate and comprehensive legal assistance to some of the most vulnerable members of the immigrant population in the United States. She has extensive experience helping family members petition for permanent status for their loved ones, helping professionals and small businesses obtain the immigration status necessary to work and thrive in the United States, and representing clients before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the immigration courts. Through her work she has developed a reputation as an honest and zealous advocate.
Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Chaltain worked for the Department of Homeland Security as an Asylum Officer where she adjudicated asylum applications on behalf of the United States government. As an Asylum Officer she was required to complete multiple training programs required for officers of the USCIS. Her training and work as a government official provided her with a unique perspective on the immigration process as a whole and the asylum process in particular.
Ms. Chaltain is a 2008 graduate of the Fordham University School of Law, where she was a Stein Scholar in Ethics and Public Interest Law, a board member of the Immigration Advocacy Project, and a recipient of the Archibald Murray Magna Cum Laude Award for Public Interest Service. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and is admitted to practice law in New York State. She is authorized to practice immigration law in all fifty states and is a 2001 graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University.
She lives in New York City with her husband and two young children.
Emma Swenson (Legal Assistant)
Emma Swenson is a Legal Assistant at Lhachoepa Law Offices, based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Under the supervision of Attorney Lhachoepa, she handles client queries, completes paperwork, schedules virtual appointments and other matters as assigned.
Ms. Swenson’s background is in the banking industry. She came to the United States from Nepal for further studies, and holds a Master’s Degree in Accounting and Finance from Minnesota State University.
Ms. Swenson is fluent in four languages: English, Hindi, Nepali, and Tibetan, and lives in Minnesota with her husband and two children.
Jampa Lhawang (Legal Assistant)
Jampa Lhawang is a Legal Assistant at Lhachoepa Law Offices, based in San Francisco, California. Under the supervision of Attorney Lhachoepa, he handles client queries, collects documents, completes paperwork and schedules appointments for consultation.
Mr. Lhawang is an immigrant to this country, and formerly was the principal of a Tibetan refugee school in India. He completed his undergraduate education at Delhi University and PUSA Institute in India. In the United States he gained a Diploma in Human Resource Management from Salve Regina University in Rhode Island.
He lives in California with his wife and two children.
Tenzin C Lhachoepa (Administrative Assistant)
Tenzin C Lhachoepa is an Administrative Assistant at our New York office. She is an immigrant who came to this country speaking very little English. However, through hard work and perseverance, she was accepted into one of the best high schools in the country – Brooklyn Technical High School. Currently, she is attending Hunter College, with the goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner.