Departments

Practice Areas

Labor and Employment

Immigration

Education

J.D., Washington University School of Law-St. Louis, 1992, Order of the Coif; Recipient of International Law Prize; Washington University Law Quarterly, Associate Editor; National Moot Court team
B.A., cum laude, University of Texas - Austin, 1989, Psychology

Admissions

Missouri, 1992
Kansas, 1993

Court Admissions

U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, 1992
U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, 1993

Kansas City

Phone: 816.360.4264

Fax: 816.753.1536

vCard

Jeffrey S. Bell

Of Counsel

Jeffrey S. Bell has specialized in immigration law for the last 18 years. He focuses on a wide range of immigration issues relating to employers, particularly health care facilities, universities and multinational companies. Mr. Bell advises regional health care systems and Fortune 500 companies on employer related visa issues and compliance and his experience includes H-1B and L-1 visa petitions, Investor visas, J-1 physician waivers, I-9 audits, PERM applications and immigration strategic planning.

Mr. Bell is a past two-term chairman of the International Law Committee, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and is an often invited speaker on immigration issues at continuing education seminars and business conferences.

Memberships and Affiliations

Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
- The International Law Committee, 2004-2005, two-term chairman
American Immigration Lawyers Association, 1993-present

Experience

Mr. Bell has extensive experience in assisting clients with complex Immigration issues. Some examples include:

Registration of foreign companies with start up operations in the United States as E-2 treaty investors to allow for transfer of executives, managers and key personnel.
L-1 blanket visa petitions for mid size to large multinational companies.
H-1B visa petitions for companies in health care, engineering, energy, life sciences, information technology, including start up and smaller companies in addition to companies with multiple national and international locations.
Conrad 30 J-1 physician visa waivers for primary care and specialist physicians, including approvals for hospitals not located within a shortage area.
PERM and NIW permanent residence applications for physicians and other health care professionals.
Extraordinary ability visa petition approvals, including one for a high ranking executive of major national insurance company leading to permanent resident grant in only a few months.
Permanent residence applications through special handling process for university and college teachers.
Serving as counsel for international religious denomination regarding work visas for religious workers of the denomination seeking employment in the United States.
Conducting immigration-related due diligence for clients in mergers and acquisitions regarding employee visa issues and potential immigration compliance liabilities.
Representation of a regional health care employer with multiple locations and one thousand employees during the course of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement work site investigation.
Defense of a service industry employer through two Immigration and Customs Enforcement work site investigations involving over a thousand I-9s and ultimately with no money penalties assessed against the client.

Publications & Presentations

-	Mr. Bell has been a apeaker at: multiple continuing education seminars and business conferences sponsored by Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, University of Missouri at Kansas City, Kansas Farm Bureau, U.S. Custom Harvesters and the Kansas World Trade Center.
January 12, 2012	IRS and ICE Audit Alert: How to Avoid and Manage Payroll and Recordkeeping Scrutiny BLR HR Hero Webinar
December 4, 2011	The FIne Line Between Immigration Compliance and Discrimination St. Louis Employment Law Symposium
October 14, 2011	The I Test, Immigration Compliance in 2011 Kansas Bar Association Employment Law Update
September 26, 2011	The I Test, Annual Checkup on Immigration Compliance Empowering You Seminar
September 20, 2011	What You Don't Know Can Hurt You: Hidden Employer Liability LSN Webinar
July 1, 2011	I-9 Completion and Compliance Issues: Some Answers...and Questions
April 27, 2011	Immigration Hot Topics Legal Fundamentals Seminar
March 1, 2011	Things Corporate Lawyers Do That Plaintiff’s Employment Lawyers Love Association of Corporate Counsel Seminar; Chicago, Illinois
February 15, 2011	The Graduate Course on I-9s Northwest Missouri Society of Human Resources Managers
January 11, 2011	New Dangers for Employers Who Hire Undocumented Workers
January 3, 2011	Polsinelli Shughart is Positioned for Immigration Law On behalf on the entire Labor & Employment Practice group at Polsinelli Shughart PC, we are very pleased to welcome the talents of Jeff Bell. Jeff will provide a much-needed service to our clients dealing with immigration, compliance and enforcement issues. Jeff has focused his practice on immigration law for 18 years, and he brings a wealth of knowledge that will directly impact our Labor and Employment practice, as well as our Corporate, Health Care, Employment, Tax, and International practices.