Aliza Lopes

Aliza Lopes-Baker, Appellate Attorney Aliza Lopes-Baker serves as an Immigration Attorney at Emeriti.Law, PLLC, where she leverages her years of experience advising and drafting decisions for Immigration Judges to provide clients with comprehensive appellate and post-proceedings representation, in-depth case consultations, and tailored brief-writing services. Government Service Ms. Lopes-Baker brings extensive experience from her tenure as an Attorney Advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), where she served with distinction from September 2017 to July 2025. In this role, she acted as front-line counsel to Immigration Judges and agency management – providing analysis and guidance on complex legal issues, monitoring changes in immigration law and policy over the course of multiple presidential administrations, creating resources and tools for use in Immigration Court proceedings, and drafting nuanced, well-reasoned judicial opinions on behalf of the Immigration Judges. Ms. Lopes-Baker’s work encompassed issues arising in detained and non-detained proceedings before the Immigration Courts, including but not limited to: applications for asylum, cancellation of removal, and adjustment of status; petitions to remove conditions on residence; waivers of inadmissibility; contested removability; requests for bond redetermination in custody proceedings; requests for relief in reinstated and asylum-only proceedings; and motions to reopen on the basis of ineffective assistance of counsel, lack of notice, previously unavailable evidence, or changed circumstances. During her time with EOIR, Ms. Lopes-Baker was repeatedly singled out for her sharp, insightful analysis, her skillful writing, and her ability to clearly and effectively convey complicated legal concepts to the Immigration Judges. Due to her aptitude for deftly synthesizing convoluted questions of law, she was entrusted with developing guidance on some of the most complex issues to appear before the Immigration Courts, including questions related to defective notices to appear, the government’s detention authority, the immigration consequences of criminal convictions, choice of law in immigration proceedings, and challenges to evolving agency procedures. These skills earned Ms. Lopes-Baker the distinction of being a sought-after advisor for Immigration Judges faced with novel issues requiring innovative solutions grounded in existing legal authority. Moreover, her incisive editing and proofing skills – coupled with her ability to clearly visualize how to best develop a compelling argument – made Ms. Lopes Baker an in-demand resource for Immigration Judges and attorney advisors seeking review of proposed legal analysis. Quickly taking on a team lead role, Ms. Lopes-Baker helped coordinate legal support for Immigration Judges across multiple Immigration Courts tasked with adjudicating cases arising in seven different federal circuits. She provided mentorship and training to legal support staff throughout the agency and developed procedures to retain institutional knowledge in the wake of significant employee turnover. Additionally, Ms. Lopes-Baker created tools to improve administrative efficiencies, address assignment backlogs, and facilitate resource and information sharing. She assisted in the creation of the inaugural Cleveland Immigration Court Pro Bono Committee, bringing together Court staff, pro bono stakeholders, and representatives of the Department of Homeland Security to identify obstacles impeding respondent access to pro bono resources and opportunities to improve access to these services. She also served on various agency-wide committees, including EOIR’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee, where she leveraged her background in data analysis, program development, and organizational capacity-building to identify trends in staff attrition and retention recommendations. In recognition of her unique contributions and leadership, Ms. Lopes-Baker was granted the opportunity to participate in EOIR’s inaugural Leadership, Enrichment, and Advancement Detail. Through this program, she was detailed to EOIR’s Office of the General Counsel, Employee and Labor Relations (“ELR”) Unit, where she provided crucial litigation support in matters before the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the federal district courts. She also developed case-tracking tools and standard operating procedures to improve documentation and data retention within the ELR Unit. Ms. Lopes-Baker’s detail was extended upon request of the acting General Counsel pursuant to her exemplary contributions in this role. Other Professional Experience Ms. Lopes-Baker’s previous work within the public sector in areas of international law, legal aid, nonprofit capacity-building, and community organizing grounds her detailed knowledge of U.S. immigration law within a broader understanding of the impact of these laws on global and local communities. Ms. Lopes-Baker’s experience includes externing with the INTERPOL Office of Legal Affairs, where she conducted a comparative analysis of extradition and refugee law in the U.S. and abroad, reviewed the legal sufficiency of Red Notices pursuant to international obligations and organizational policy, and provided recommendations to the Assistant Director of Risks and Conflicts based on her findings. In addition, Ms. Lopes-Baker interned with Community Legal Aid of central northeast Ohio, where she assisted in domestic violence and foreclosure proceedings. She also dedicated time as a community organizing fellow in her home city of San Diego, California, developing outreach strategies and trainings related issues impacting local immigrant communities, including access to healthcare and community policing. Over the course of two AmeriCorps tours, Ms. Lopes-Baker contributed her skills to capacity-building projects at mid-sized nonprofit organizations, spanning the gamut of database development and management, program analysis, donor engagement, development of organizational policies and procedures, and staff trainings. Training and Resource Development A natural collaborator, Ms. Lopes-Baker’s focus on institutional success through collective achievement informs her approach to developing and sharing tools and resources that are accessible to individuals with differing degrees of professional and legal experience. During her time with EOIR, she created and implemented training modules on complex areas of immigration law for legal staff at all levels, including interns, recent law school graduates, seasoned attorney advisors, and new and experienced Immigration Judges. Her knack for breaking down complex concepts by clearly and linearly delineating individual subcomponents makes Ms. Lopes-Baker particularly adept at demystifying even the most complex areas of immigration law. Professional Memberships and Education Ms. Lopes-Baker is admitted to the New York state bar. She holds a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude in May 2017 with a concentration in international law. There she served as the managing editor of the Canada-U.S. Law Journal/Institute, President of the Lambda Law Students Association, and Senior Editor of the War Crimes Prosecution Watch publication. Based on her efforts and advocacy, she was named a 2016 Squire Patton Boggs Public Policy Fellow and was awarded a 2017 Case Global Service Award. Ms. Lopes-Baker received a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University in May 2011. Ms. Lopes-Baker is a member of the Ohio Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Current Practice Having assisted dozens of Immigration Judges adjudicating immigration proceedings across the country, and having drafted hundreds of Immigration Judge decisions crafted to withstand appellate review, Ms. Lopes-Baker has cultivated a wide breadth of knowledge of immigration law as well as best practices for presenting compelling arguments before the Immigration Courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals. In her current role with Emeriti.Law, PLLC, Ms. Lopes-Baker utilizes these unique insights to provide clients with thorough analysis of complex immigration issues, detailed case strategies for navigating convoluted immigration matters, and exceptional brief-writing services setting forth persuasive and legally sound arguments in support of the requested relief.

• Appellate Attorney

• U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Attorney Advisor Team Lead, December, 2024 - July, 2025
• U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Attorney Advisor, September, 2017 - December, 2024
• Languages
• English (Primary)

• New York, 2018

• American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2025 - Present