Lynden Melmed is a partner with Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) and oversees the firm’s Government Strategies group. He counsels corporate clients on complex immigration compliance matters, assists businesses in establishing and managing immigration programs, and represents businesses in connection with audits and investigations by the federal government.

​

From 2002 through 2005, Melmed served as an attorney at the Department of Justice and later at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). From 2005-2007, Melmed served as counsel to Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), who was Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Citizenship. In 2007, President Bush appointed Mr. Melmed Chief Counsel of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency’s highest-ranking legal position. As Chief Counsel, Melmed managed the legal program for the country’s largest immigration benefits agency and was a key advisor to senior leadership within USCIS, DHS, the White House, and other federal agencies on all aspects of immigration law. Melmed was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) in 2020.

​

Melmed is a graduate of the University of Virginia (B.A. and J.D.)