Our Team
Immigration law is demanding and highly complex, and alongside Tax Law, is regarded as the most difficult area within the entire field of law. Changing regulatory conditions, overlapping bureaucracies, multiple channels and circuitous processes all suggest that familiarity, expertise and attention to detail are critical to a successful outcome. An experienced immigration attorney serves as a pilot and a navigator through this process, improving your chances of a safe landing. With over 50 years combined experience in immigration law, the attorneys at PampaninFoster have the experience and reputations that are necessary.
Alan Pampanin, Partner
Alan Pampanin founded Pampanin Law Offices in 1985. The business was dedicated entirely to all aspects of immigration law. Alan is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and since 1996, has been an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). He served as Chairman of the New England Chapter in 1994 and 1995 and since then has chaired numerous AILA committees and served as AILA Liaison to USCIS, the Department of Labor, and to the New England Congressional Delegation. He also served as the Editor of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education’s (MCLE) two volume Immigration Practice Manual. Since 1998, he has focused on family and business immigration covering I-130, I-485, K-1, E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, L-1A, L-1B, J-1, O-1, TN, advice regarding F-1, OPT/EAD, and I-9 processes; the immigrant processes of PERM, EB1A, EB1B, EB1C, EB2, EB3, EB5 Investment Visas, as well as visa issuance and consular processing matters.
Alan graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in English Literature and earned his Juris Doctor Degree from Hastings Law School in San Francisco. He holds the pre-eminent AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been listed in The Best Lawyers of America publication for over 15 years, and is also a Massachusetts Super Lawyer. He has been honored for his pro-bono work by the Irish International Immigrant Center and by the PAIR Project which conferred Alan its Outstanding Service Award in 2019.
Shaun Foster, Partner
Shaun Foster has more than 15 years experience in all phases of employment-based immigration, notably PERM labor-certifications; the full spectrum of H-1B issues (including the H-1B CAP and “specialty occupation” challenges); transfer of L-1A multinational executives and managers; transfer of key L-1B “specialized knowledge” personnel; TN-1/2 Canadian and Mexican professional applications and cases; EB-2, EB-3 and NIW-focused I-140 petitions; and Adjustment of Status processing as well. Shaun has been lead counsel in an I-9 audit performed by ICE. In addition, Shaun handles EB-1A “extraordinary alien” green-card cases; EB-1C multinational manager/executive green-card petitions; Conrad 30 cases for physicians; E-3 Australian professional work-visa matters; and O-1 “extraordinary alien” work-visa petitions. He also can help with “one-step” I-130/I-485 marriage cases to Adjustment of Status; petitions to remove conditional residence; naturalization or U.S. citizenship applications; F-1 foreign student or student visa considerations (including OPT, CPT and STEM Extensions); J-1 trainee or intern situations for “cultural exchange”; and K-1 fiance visas.
Shaun is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star multiple consecutive years, in addition to New England’s Outstanding Young Lawyers many times. He is active with the Cambridge MA Chamber of Commerce. He has spoken at local college and academic-hospital institutions.
In his spare time, Shaun enjoys being a soccer, tennis & softball Dad, a hockey Uncle, New England Patriots Season Ticket Holder, fine dining with his wife, Rachel, outdoor fires on the patio, grilling meat, running (annually), playing video games and Pokemon cards with his son, the Jersey Shore, Lakes Region of NH, and entertaining friends and family.
Janet Forney, Attorney
Prior to joining PampaninFoster, Janet worked at Massachusetts General Brigham (“MGB”), where she earned the Excellence in Service award 6-years in a row for outstanding efforts on behalf of Exchange Visitors, Foreign Nationals, Physicians and Researchers. Janet gained experience in business immigration and non-immigrant work visas during her tenure at MGB.
She is a firm believer in Justice Ginsburg’s idea of being “a very strong believer in listening and learning from others.” With over 15-years of business experience, Janet is acutely aware of the importance of developing and maintaining client relationships. Her personal commitment to clients is to be an active listener, provide quality legal services, and sound immigration guidance.
Janet earned her undergraduate degree in Social Sciences from Washington State University, and her Juris Doctorate degree from New England Law Boston. She is originally from South Carolina but spent the majority of her teenage years in the Pacific Northwest. When Janet isn’t in the office, you can find her spending time with family and friends. She enjoys traveling, learning different cultures, listening to music, binge watching her favorite TV shows, and being a beach bum.
Janet is admitted to practice in Massachusetts.
Christine Tarquinio, Office Administrator
Christine has been with PampaninFoster since 2007. She is responsible for monitoring clients’ immigration status and contacting clients to renew their visas. She manages client billings and assists in the filing of family-based cases, including green card applications, I-751 petitions, and other immigrant cases, such as renewal of work authorization, travel permission and Naturalization applications.
Christine graduated from Suffolk University with a Bachelor’s in Criminology and Law in 2008. Christine previously spent time in Central Italy and is also fluent in Brazilian Portuguese.
Andrew Sebald, Paralegal
Andrew graduated from Middlebury College with a Bachelor's degree in International & Global Studies: East Asia with a concentration on China. He joined the team in May 2022, and is excited to begin working in immigration law. He is fluent in Chinese Mandarin and in Spanish.
John Ryan, Paralegal
John grew up in the Boston area and graduated cum laude from Boston University in May 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations. He joined the team in July 2023 and looks forward to working in an area of the legal field which interests him greatly. He is also fluent in French.
Mauli Pathak, Paralegal
Mauli graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. She joined the firm as a paralegal in July 2023. She is excited to work with attorneys and explore immigration law. She is fluent in Hindi and Gujarati.