Education

Harvard University, A.B., American History
William Mitchell Law School, J.D.

Professional Recognition

2020 “Lawyer of the Year” in Immigration Law, Minnesota
– The Best Lawyers in America

“Scott Borene is a revered immigration law practitioner who is commended for his cutting-edge knowledge and ‘great-quality work.'”
– Who’s Who Legal, 2018

Recognized as one of the Top Lawyers in the World in Corporate Immigration Law “most highly regarded by other lawyers”
– International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers, All editions, 1998 – present

“Scott Borene is an ‘incredibly resourceful’ practitioner who possesses ‘vast experience’ in the field of immigration law, particularly relating to the scientific and healthcare industries.”
– Who’s Who Legal, 2017

Best Lawyers in America, listed in Immigration Law
– The Best Lawyers in America, All Editions, 2006 – present

Rated “AV Preeminent” – “the highest possible Peer Review Rating in legal ability and ethical standards” continuously for more than 20 years from “the gold standard in attorney ratings.” 
– Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, All Editions, 1994 – present

“Scott Borene is the best immigration lawyer in Minnesota, according to our research. According to sources, ‘he basically invented global immigration awareness.'”
– Who’s Who Legal, Corporate Immigration 2017

Immigration Law Super Lawyer
–  Super Lawyers, 2003-2007, 2011-2012, 2016 – present

Borene Law Firm is one of America’s Preeminent Law Firms, continuously listed in Immigration law for more than 20 years
– The Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, All Editions, 1994 – present

Awards

• President’s Commendation Award, 2000, American Immigration Lawyers Association
• President’s Commendation Award, 2003, American Immigration Lawyers Association
• Distinguished Service Award, 2003, National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA/AIE)

Scott M. Borene, Founder and Managing Attorney of the firm, was born in Minneapolis. When he was 16 years old, he applied to Harvard University. He was admitted as a National Merit Scholar. After graduating from Harvard with an A.B. degree in History, he received his J.D. degree from William Mitchell Law School in Minnesota. He has more than 35 years of immigration law practice experience. Scott Borene was selected by other lawyers as 2022 Lawyer of the Year in Immigration Law in Minneapolis as noted by The Best Lawyers in America. He has been repeatedly recognized as one of the Top 20 Lawyers in the World “most highly regarded by other lawyers” in corporate immigration law. He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America and acknowledged as an Immigration Law Super Lawyer.

Scott Borene is often called upon to act as an “expert’s expert” to advise other experienced immigration lawyers on complex immigration matters.

Scott Borene is a past Director and a past Member of the Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the world’s largest professional organization of immigration lawyers. He is a past National Chair of AILA’s INS Headquarters Adjudications Liaison Committee. In 2003, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, he was awarded AILA’s President’s Commendation Award, “In Appreciation for His Vision, Leadership and Tireless Efforts in Successfully Launching AILA’s First Global Immigration Summit.” In 2000, he was selected to receive a President’s Commendation Award “For Setting a New Standard in INS Headquarters Liaison”.

In 2002, he was the founder and Conference Chair of AILA’s Global Immigration Summit in New York City, the world’s largest conference of global immigration lawyers. In 1995, Scott Borene was selected as Chair of the AILA Annual Conference Program Committee, responsible for selecting all of the expert speakers and topics for the 1996 AILA Annual Conference, the world’s largest immigration law conference. In 2003, the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA) awarded Scott Borene its Distinguished Service Award. NAFSA is the leading professional association in America for international educators.

Mr. Borene is a past Chair of the International Bar Association (IBA) Immigration Law Committee, the world’s largest global bar association based in London. He is past Chair of the Immigration Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) and a current Member of the International Law Section Council. Scott Borene is a past Vice Chair of the American Bar Association, International Law Section, Immigration Law Committee.

In 1981, he represented the petitioner in the successful appeal of the Crystal Shamrock employment-based immigration case, obtaining a very favorable decision for the U.S. employer and the international worker. Other leading immigration attorneys have described Crystal Shamrock as “the best decision” they have ever seen on the critical issue of “business necessity” in Labor Certification green card cases.

He has written many articles on immigration law and is a frequently invited expert speaker on immigration topics at AILA National Conferences and other major national and international legal conferences. He is the Editor-in-Chief of many leading professional reference books for immigration lawyers including The Global Immigration Guide: A Country-by-Country Survey and The Global Immigration Guide: Crossing Borders for Business, AILA’s most comprehensive books on Global Immigration. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Immigration Options for Academics and Researchers (2005), AILA’s leading Expert Occupational Handbook on immigration issues in higher education. In 1999, he served as Editor of AILA’s reference publication INS Forms for Applications and Petitions and he is the author of Dr. Yes – Some Practical Strategies for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Immigrant Visa Cases of Health Care Professionals. Scott Borene was an Editor of appellate court cases for the leading legal publisher in America, the West Publishing Company, and he was the Founder and Executive Editor of the Minnesota Law Journal. Recently, he was a speaker at the April 2021 International Business Law Institute’s Program Doing Business Across Borders, leading the panel on U.S. and Global Work Visa Options.

He was the sole immigration speaker at Stanford University Law School in Palo Alto, California for the American Law Institute – American Bar Association (ALI-ABA) Course of Study: Going International – Fundamentals of International Business Transactions. He was selected to write the lead article on United States Immigration Law for the first and third editions of An International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers.

Scott Borene concentrates his immigration practice primarily on employment-related and business immigration matters, particularly cases involving scientific, technical and health care professionals, educators, executives, investors and entrepreneurs.

Membership

• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
• International Bar Association (IBA)
• International Medical Graduate Taskforce (IMG Taskforce)
• Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA)
• Hennepin County Bar Association
• NAFSA/AIE (National Association of Foreign Student Advisors)
• Harvard Club of New York City
• Harvard Club of Minnesota
• Committee on Foreign Relations – St. Paul/Minneapolis
• Norwegian American Oil Corporation, Director

Admissions

• United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
• Minnesota Supreme Court
• Authorized by Federal Law to represent clients in all U.S. Immigration Courts and offices worldwide