About Lee A.
Lee A. Koch trained in New York. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Justice Studies from the City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2011. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from New York Law School in 2015. The classroom and the courthouse have shaped his view of the law in different but telling ways.
After law school, Koch built a practice that crosses the lines between immigration work and criminal defense. He is admitted to appear before the Executive Office for Immigration Review and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. He also holds admission to practice in New York and in the federal courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Those credentials allow him to handle cases ranging from immigration hearings to federal litigation.
In 2017 he founded Koch Law, PLLC and serves as its managing partner. Since establishing the firm he has overseen litigation and administrative matters on behalf of individuals facing removal proceedings, petitions for relief, and related immigration claims. He also represents clients charged with state and federal offenses. The firm’s docket reflects both immigration adjudication and criminal defense work, and Koch has directed its strategy and staffing since its inception.
Koch maintains a steady involvement in professional and advocacy organizations. He has been a member of the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union since 2014. He also holds memberships in the New York State Bar Association and the New York City Bar Association. His ties to criminal defense groups include membership in the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Within the American Immigration Lawyers Association he has served on the Law Student Committee, and he has volunteered as a pro bono attorney for Kids in Need of Defense starting in 2017.
Colleagues describe his courtroom style as pragmatic and direct. He prepares petitions and briefs for immigration judges and handles motions in federal court. He also counsels clients through plea decisions and post-conviction consequences that may affect immigration status. The combination of immigration law and criminal defense work gives him frequent exposure to clients whose legal issues intersect across systems.
Koch balances casework with pro bono litigation and memberships that keep him connected to public interest work. He continues to lead Koch Law, PLLC and accepts matters that involve immigration relief, removal defense, and criminal charges. He currently concentrates his practice on immigration and criminal defense matters.
