Draft:Hillary Walsh

Early practice and pro bono work (2012–2018)

Following bar admission, Walsh began handling immigration appeals and asylum cases. While accompanying her husband, a military officer, during postings in South Korea, Japan, and England, she conducted immigration representation remotely, accumulating over one thousand hours of pro bono work during this period.^[3]

She appeared repeatedly before the Board of Immigration Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In one pro bono matter, she prevailed on appeal on behalf of a Guatemalan man persecuted by criminal organizations, then recovered more than $16,000 in attorney fees and costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act.^[3]

She also submitted an advisory brief to the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of the Boyd Immigration Clinic and the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, addressing a circuit conflict over the standard of appellate review in citizenship determinations.^[3]

Troncoso-Oviedo v. Garland (9th Cir. 2022)

Walsh served as lead counsel and argued Troncoso-Oviedo v. Garland, No. 21-70547 (9th Cir. Aug. 5, 2022), a precedential decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.^[6] The case presented the question of whether pretrial detention not credited toward a defendant's sentence constitutes confinement "as a result of conviction" under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f)(7), the good moral character bar applicable to cancellation of removal proceedings.

The court, in an opinion by Judge Ryan D. Nelson joined by Judges Paul J. Watford and Kenneth K. Lee, held that uncredited pretrial detention does not constitute confinement "as a result of conviction" under § 1101(f)(7). The panel declined to apply Chevron deference to the BIA's prior decision in Matter of Valdovinos, 18 I. & N. Dec. 343 (BIA 1982), finding that Valdovinos did not address the question presented. The decision filled what the court described as a gap between two prior Ninth Circuit precedents, Gomez-Lopez v. Ashcroft, 393 F.3d 882 (9th Cir. 2005), and Arreguin-Moreno v. Mukasey, 511 F.3d 1229 (9th Cir. 2008), establishing that only pretrial detention actually credited toward a sentence may count toward the 180-day bar.^[6] The case was also covered by LexisNexis's immigration law news platform.^[7]

New Frontier Immigration Law (2019–present)

Walsh founded New Frontier Immigration Law in 2019.^[8] The firm focuses exclusively on immigration law, with emphasis on T visas for survivors of human trafficking, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitions, asylum, removal defense, and family-based and employment-based immigration. As of 2025, the firm employs more than 150 people and has been recognized for four consecutive years as Arizona's fastest-growing law firm.^[8][1]

Walsh developed a trauma-informed legal model for the firm, training attorneys and staff to recognize the psychological impact of trauma on clients, many of whom are survivors of abuse, trafficking, or prolonged detention.^[1] She also founded the New Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit providing free therapy and support services to immigrant survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence in Arizona.^[8]

Walsh has appeared as counsel of record in federal habeas proceedings in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.^[9]

Teaching

Walsh has taught immigration law and family law as an adjunct law professor concurrently with her private practice.^[5][10]

Catholic University Law Review (2017)

Walsh published "Forever Barred: Reinstated Removal Orders and the Right to Seek Asylum", 66 Cath. U. L. Rev. 613 (2017).^[11] Described by the law review as the first academic work to examine the statutory basis of the federal regulation barring asylum seekers with reinstated orders of removal from applying for asylum, the article analyzes the regulation under the Chevron framework and proposes judicial, administrative, and legislative remedies. It has been cited by subsequent scholars including

in the Columbia Human Rights Law Review^[12] and the Seton Hall Law Review.^[13]

Nevada Lawyer (2021)

Walsh published "VAWA and Special Rule Cancellation of Removal" in Nevada Lawyer, the official publication of the State Bar of Nevada, in September 2021.^[14] The article addresses the intersection of VAWA protections and cancellation of removal eligibility for immigrant survivors of domestic violence.

TEDx Talk

In September 2022, Walsh delivered a TEDx talk at TEDxLSSC (Lake-Sumter State College) in Leesburg, Florida, titled Captives Among Us: How U.S. Immigration Law Perpetuates Domestic Violence. The talk examines how immigration enforcement policies can trap survivors of domestic violence in dangerous situations by making immigration status contingent on relationships with abusive partners.^[15]

Conference on Crimes Against Women (2024)

Walsh was a featured speaker at the 19th Annual Conference on Crimes Against Women (CCAW) in May 2024, presenting on immigration law issues affecting LGBTQ+ survivors in law enforcement contexts.^[16] The CCAW is a national multidisciplinary conference on violence against women, attended by law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates, and legal professionals.

Podcast

Walsh hosts Immigration Law Made Easy, a podcast providing accessible immigration law education. As of late 2025, the show had released more than 113 episodes and carries a 4.7-star rating on Apple Podcasts.^[10]