LESLIE A. JEWELL is a graduate of Austin College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1985. As an undergraduate, Leslie studied at the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom, where she concentrated on comparative legal and political studies, and interned at Parliament. Leslie earned her law degree at the University of Houston School of Law in 1987.
Leslie's interest in immigration law began during law school when she worked for the United States Immigration & Naturalization Service in Houston, Texas (1987), reviewing orders of deportation and making determinations about prosecution.
Following her graduation, Leslie joined the United States Department of Justice through its Honors Program to serve as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Immigration Court located in San Antonio, Texas (1988-1989). She was then asked to join the United Stated Department of Justice to serve as an Attorney with the Board of Immigration Appeals in Washington, D.C. (1989-1993). In this position, Leslie reviewed exclusion and deportation orders and drafted administrative decisions for signature by an appellate immigration board. One of Leslie's appellate decisions, Matter of Sanchez, 20 I&N Dec, 223 (BIA 1990), was selected for publication.
Leslie subsequently established a private firm specializing in immigration law in San Francisco, the Pacific Northwest and the Washington, D.C. area. Leslie's practice in the Pacific Northwest was located near the Canadian border, and her practice focused on cross-border issues and extensive work with North American Free Trade Agreement related issues. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Leslie's work shifted to work with international researchers and scholars. Her current practice in the Washington, D.C. area focuses on work with international researchers and scholars at U.S. Department of Energy laboratories. Leslie gives frequent presentations on the subject of immigrant visa options for researchers and also waivers for J-1 exchange visitor scholars.
As a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Leslie served on the Executive Board of its Northern California Chapter. She has authored articles and spoken nationally on a wide range of immigration topics.
JACQUELINE TURNOVSKY joined Leslie A. Jewell, Attorney at Law in 2026. She has over twenty years of experience as a paralegal in immigration law and has worked on a wide range of cases, including employment-based, family-based, naturalization, asylum, and immigration court cases.
Jacqueline has personal experience navigating the U.S. immigration system having immigrated to the U.S. and later becoming a U.S. citizen. She earned a Bachelor's degree from Reed College and a Master's degree from the University of Virginia, both in French Literature.