About Gerald
Gerald Cipolla arrived at law after a circuitous academic route. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences at DePaul University, returned there for a Juris Doctor in 1997 and later completed an MBA in International Finance and Entrepreneurship. He also pursued an LL.M. in Chinese and International Law at City University of Hong Kong and holds an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Chicago. Those varied credentials set a wide intellectual table before he entered private practice.
He launched his firm, Cipolla Law Group, in 2000. He serves as founder and principal there. Over more than two decades he has maintained active roles in professional organizations. He has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Chicago Bar Association since 2000. He joined the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as a member in 2009. In 2019 he took on an advisory position with Christianity Today as an Immigration Advisor at Large.
Cipolla is licensed in Illinois and is authorized to practice federal immigration law across all 50 states. That national standing allows him to appear in federal immigration forums and to represent clients beyond Illinois borders. His background spans multiple disciplines, which informs how he approaches legal problems. The legal training is joined to technical and financial study, not simply by resume lines but in the way cases are prepared and argued.
Clients and colleagues describe him as methodical and direct. His cases have ranged across the procedural and substantive dimensions of immigration law. He has worked on matters that require courtroom advocacy as well as administrative filings before federal agencies. He keeps a steady presence in professional circles and continues to participate in association activities that touch immigration practice and policy.
Outside the office he balances law practice with interests that reflect his academic diversity. The membership at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange hints at a continuing interest in markets and finance. His LL.M. work in Hong Kong reflects experience with cross-border legal frameworks. That combination supplies him with perspectives useful to clients whose matters intersect law, business and international elements.
At Cipolla Law Group he maintains a law practice that addresses federal immigration issues nationwide. He is active in professional organizations and continues to advise on immigration matters for institutional and individual clients. He currently focuses on federal immigration law across the United States.
