Partner
Bo Cooper
Country / Territory
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Languages
- English
Contact information
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP
1101 15th St NW STE 700
Washington DC 20005
United States
Bo is a Partner in the firm’s Washington, DC office. He leads the firm’s Government Strategies and Compliance Group and is a member of Fragomen’s Executive Committee. Bo provides strategic immigration advice to corporations, nonprofit organizations, hospitals and research institutions, universities, trade associations, international media outlets and individuals facing complex immigration problems. He has long experience in helping clients identify and drive policy solutions; has guided clients through complex immigration strategy challenges, including through interactions with Congress, with the executive agencies and with consulates around the world; and has represented clients in large-scale federal audits and investigations.
Before entering private practice, Bo served as General Counsel of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the predecessor to today’s immigration agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, from 1999 to 2003. He directed a legal program of 700 attorneys in 56 offices across the nation. Bo served in this capacity during two Administrations, advising the Commissioner of the INS, the Attorney General of the United States, the White House, other Executive Branch agencies and the U.S. Congress on all aspects of U.S. immigration law. He also has extensive federal litigation experience, including several years as a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.
Bo has testified frequently before the U.S. Congress and has made many television, radio and print media appearances, including the PBS Newshour, Sixty Minutes, Nightline, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg TV, BBC Radio, CBC Radio and National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” While in government, he was involved in negotiating immigration-related agreements between the U.S. and other governments and acted as a U.S. delegate to international organizations.
Education
- Tulane University School of Law, J.D., cum laude , 1987
- Tulane University, B.A., 1983
More from Bo
Admissions
Bar Admissions: Louisiana, District of Columbia
Practice Limited to Federal Immigration & Nationality Law
Awards
Named to "Washington D.C. Trailblazers", The National Law Journal, 2020
Named a Thought Leader: Corporate Immigration, Lexology Index, 2024
Named a Thought Leader: Corporate Immigration, Who’s Who Legal, 2020 to 2023
Listed in Best Lawyers in America, 2011 to 2026
Listed in Chambers USA, 2008 to 2025
Listed in Chambers Global, 2010 to 2020
Listed in Who’s Who Legal: Corporate Immigration, 2010, 2012 to 2024
Listed in Lawdragon’s 100 Leading Immigration Lawyers, 2023
Listed in Lawdragon's 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers, 2020, 2024
Named to “The Nation’s Most Powerful Employment Attorneys – Immigration,” Human Resource Executive Magazine/Lawdragon, 2012 to 2019
Named to the “Top 20 Lawyers in Immigration Law,” Human Resource Executive Magazine/Lawdragon, 2012 to 2019
Listed in Best Lawyers in Washington DC, 2011 to 2017
Named to “The Nation’s Most Powerful Employment Attorneys – Top 15 for Immigration Law,” Human Resource Executive Magazine, 2010 to 2011
Given the Commissioner’s Exceptional Service Award, 2000, 2002
Professional accomplishments
Public Interest/Public Service Faculty Fellow, University of Michigan Law School
Fellow in Law and Government and Adjunct Professor, Washington College of Law at American University
Adjunct Professor, Georgetown Law Center
Law Clerk to the Chief Justice, High Court of American Samoa
Publications and lectures
Quoted, “Wage-weighted H-1Bs will end “level playing field”.” Global Mobility Lawyer, 8 January 2026.
Quoted, “2026 World Cup Visitors to US Set to Face Extreme Social Media Scrutiny.” Sports Illustrated, 10 December 2025.
Quoted, “US Plans to Scrutinize Foreign Tourists’ Social Media History.” The New York Times, 9 December 2025.
Speaker, “Navigating the U.S. Immigration Landscape.” GME Live | EMEA, 6 November 2025.
Speaker, “H-1B Fee Update: New USCIS Guidance and What Employers Should Do Next.” Fragomen, Webinar, 30 October 2025.
Speaker, “Adapting to Global Immigration Change at Speed.” GME TV | Leaders Live, Webinar, 16 October 2025.
Author, “Boom time for immigration lawyers as US and UK tighten restrictions.” Financial Times, 15 October 2025.
Speaker, “Shaping the Future – Global Insights in Semiconductors.” Fragomen, 2 October 2025.
Quoted, “Proposed H-1B Changes Make Foreign Lawyers More Expensive, but Also More Accessible.” The American Lawyer, 1 October 2025.
Speaker, “Recent Proclamation & New U.S. Regulatory and Enforcement Initiatives.” Fragomen, Webinar, 30 September 2025.
Quoted, “Trump’s new $100K fee on certain work visas could impact Rochester’s medical staff.” Post Bulletin, 27 September 2025.
Quoted, “Trump’s $100,000 Visa Fee Threatens Wall Street’s Pipeline of Junior Bankers and Tech Talent.” Business Insider, 26 September 2025.
Quoted, “Taxa de US$ 100 mil para visto dos EUA muda planosde brasileiros; veja opções.” Folha de São Paulo, 26 September 2025.
Quoted, “Lawyers try to make sense of Trump’s confusing H-1B fee hike.” Global Mobility Lawyer, 25 September 2025.
Quoted, “Financial firms to feel outsized impact from Trump's H-1B overhaul.” Reuters, 24 September 2025.
Quoted, “What to know about the H-1B visa Trump has targeted with $100,000 fees, generating confusion, fear.” The Associated Press, 22 September 2025.
Speaker, “Geopolitical Trade Shifts and Workforce Strategy Impacts: A Strategic Immigration Update.” Fragomen, Webinar, 18 September 2025.
Speaker, “Opening Keynote: Workforce Planning: Adapting to the New U.S. Immigration Landscape.” GME Live | Americas, Jersey City, NJ, 17 June 2025.
Quoted, “Law Firms Expand Scope of Immigration Expertise Amid Blitz of Trump Orders.” The American Lawyer, 31 January 2025.
Speaker, “Immigration Policy Shift: What the Trump Administration Means for Global Companies and Talent (Part III).” Fragomen, Webinar, 23 January 2025.
Speaker, “Immigration as a Workforce Strategy: Employer Strategies, Visa Options, and Potential Enforcement Actions.” SHRM Workplace Law Forum 2024, Washington, DC, 20 November 2024.
Speaker, “The Impact of the Incoming Trump Administration on You and Your Employees (Part II).” Fragomen, Webinar, 13 November 2024.
Quoted, “The Legal Work Awaiting Attys During Trump's Second Term.” Law360, 6 November 2024.
Speaker, “The Impact of the 2024 U.S. Election on Corporate Immigration and Global Mobility Strategy.” Worldwide ERC Global Workforce Symposium (GWS) 2024, National Harbor, MD, 23 October 2024.
Speaker, “Fragomen Webcast Series - Harris vs. Trump: Key Differences in Immigration Policy (Part I).” Fragomen, Webinar, 17 October 2024.
Speaker, “Creating Skills Mobility Partnerships and Legal Pathways that Work for Employers.” Fragomen, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the International Organisation of Employers, Webinar, 13 November 2023.
Speaker, “Fragomen Webcast: Decoding The Latest U.S. Immigration Updates And Trends.” Fragomen, Webinar, 2 August 2023.
Panelist, “Navigating Today’s Cloudy Economic Climate: U.S. Immigration and Workforce Management Strategies.” Fragomen and Bloomberg LP, 7 June 2023.
Speaker, “An Economic Crisis Building: What this Means for Your Immigration Program.” Worldwide ERC 2022 Global Workforce Symposium, Las Vegas, Nevada, 27 October 2022.
Co-author, “Business Immigration Law & Practice.” Two-volume treatise, American Immigration Lawyers Association publications, July 2011 (2nd Edition, 2017).
Author, “The Prospects for Immigration Reform Legislation.” Metropolitan Corporate Counsel Magazine, March 2014.
Author, “The Future of Skilled Migration to the United States.” U.S. News, November 2013.
Author, “Skilled Immigration at a Global Crossroads: The U.S. Example.” Mobility, October 2013.
Author, “Truths and Myths About The Senate Immigration Bill.” Metropolitan Corporate Counsel Magazine, June 2013.
Co-author, “High-Skilled Immigration Reform: What Does the Future Hold?” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, Special Section: Immigration, April 2013.
Author, “Q&A: Fragomen's Bo Cooper on Immigration Reform's Potential Impact on Firm and Clients.” The American Lawyer Daily, January 29, 2013.
Author, “Immigration Reform Prospects for 2013.” Metropolitan Corporate Counsel Magazine, January 2013.
Author, “The Supreme Court Speaks Out On Immigration.” Metropolitan Corporate Counsel Magazine, November 2012.
Bo’s insights
February 26, 2026 | Webinar
January 27, 2026 | Webinar
January 9, 2026 | Media mentions
