Teri A. Simmons

Teri, a partner and chair of the International Immigration & Global Mobility practice and leader of the German Business team, has practiced at AGG for more than 31 years. She advises individuals and foreign-owned businesses as they invest in operations across the United States. Her practice is multifaceted, encompassing immigration, corporate, compliance, and employment law as she works with clients. As an immigration lawyer, Teri manages companies’ global immigration needs. She utilizes the Employment Law Alliance as well as U.S. immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for businesses and families (temporary work visas and green cards), immigration consequences of mergers and acquisitions, and immigration reform and control act compliance.

Fluent in German, Teri manages the legal needs of German-owned corporations throughout the U.S. She is very active in the international community and is featured in articles focusing on international business and legal topics. She is often found at the forefront of pressing issues, supporting Atlanta’s relationship and exchange in the areas of economic development, education, sports, and humanitarian aid with cities around the world. Teri represents companies of all sizes. She counsels businesses as large as the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, for which she managed visa processing for thousands of individuals. Under her leadership, AGG’s Immigration practice was hailed by The Legal 500 as having “one of the most prominent reputations for immigration law in the Southeast of the United States.” Teri has been individually recognized by The Legal 500, Chambers USA as Band 1 for Immigration, and Chambers Global for her foreign expertise in Germany where one source said, “She’s one of the best legal minds out there in corporate legal practice.” Teri is also recognized by Best Lawyers, Who’s Who Legal, Women in the Law, and Georgia Trend’s “Legal Elite.”

Teri is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Georgia School of Law where she teaches business immigration law. She is a frequent speaker for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, multiple international chambers of commerce, and foreign associations on international business and immigration law. She was also an American Jewish Committee Scholar, traveling to Israel with the AJC Georgia Study Group.

Teri dutifully serves her community to improve conditions for both individuals and businesses. She is often publicly recognized for her efforts. For example, Teri was the former chair of the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission, which supports Atlanta’s relationship and exchange in the areas of economic development, education, sports, and humanitarian aid with 18 cities around the world. In 2011, the Commission won the Sustainable Development—Energy Award for its international conference entitled “Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Atlanta Sister Cities Economic Development Global Partnership Forum 2010,” and in 2009, the Commission won the award for Innovation for Sustainable Development programming. In May 2009, she was quoted in a GlobalAtlanta.com article titled “Award Energizes Atlanta Sister Cities Partnerships.”