Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch
Thank you for reading my bio to learn more about me!
I wanted to work in the field of social justice when I started law school at the University of Texas. I knew I would be able to help in the Immigration Clinic because I speak Spanish, so I decided to enroll. As a student at the Clinic, my first assignment was to visit the Hutto immigrant detention center. There, I met with a detained family of asylum seekers who had a five-month-old baby girl. She was wearing a onesie issued by the prison.
Her mom asked me if I would hold her during our meeting because I smelled like the outside world, and when I got up to leave our meeting, she asked me if I could sneak her baby out with me and take care of her until her parents could get out. Although I couldn’t do that, I did represent the family in their successful asylum case.
The elation I felt at helping obtain that family’s release and securing their future coupled with the horror I felt at seeing children in jail made my choice easy: I will spend my career fighting for justice and dignity for immigrants.
My Experience
I am the managing partner of Lincoln-Goldfinch Law. Upon graduating from the University of Texas for college and law school, I received an Equal Justice Works Fellowship in 2008, completed at American Gateways. My project served the detained families seeking asylum. After my fellowship, I entered private immigration practice. My firm offers family-based immigration, such as green cards and naturalization, deportation defense, and humanitarian cases such as asylum, U Visa, and VAWA. Everyone at Lincoln-Goldfinch Law is bilingual, has a connection to our cause, and has demonstrated a history of activism for immigrants. To us, our work is not just a job.
Service Work
I serve as Mayor Adler’s Commissioner on Immigrant Affairs for the City of Austin. I am the pro bono liaison for the American Immigration Lawyers Association Texas Chapter and serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of VECINA, an immigration mentoring organization. I regularly mentor and train attorneys in an effort to encourage pro bono work by all lawyers. I was active in working to reunite separated families during the Zero Tolerance policy implemented by the Trump Administration during the summer of 2018 and work to reunite unaccompanied migrant children with their relatives as part of my work with Vecina.
Awards & Recognition
- 2023 Travis County Women Lawyers Pathfinder’s Award
- 2022 Austin Monthly Top Immigration lawyer
- 2022 Super Lawyer
- 2020 BBB Torch Award For Marketplace Ethics
- 2020 David H. Walter Community Excellence Award, Austin Bar Association
- 2019 & 2020 Best of Austin Immigration Attorney: Austin Monthly Magazine
- 2019, 2020 & 2021 SuperLawyer, Thompson Reuter’s Super Lawyer Magazine
- 2019 Kick Ass Award, Capitol Area Progressive Democrats
- 2019 Finalist in the legal category, Austin Under 40 Awards
- 2019 Changemaker Award, Austin Young Chamber
- 2018 Leadership in Advocacy Award, Grassroots Leadership
- 2018 Excellence in Pro Bono award, Austin Bar Association
- 2018 Clients’ Choice Award, Avvo
- 2017 & 2018 Rising Star, Thompson Reuter’s Super Lawyer Magazine
- 2017 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Travis County Women Lawyers Association
- 2010 Contribution to Minority Community Award, Travis County Women Lawyers Association
I have appeared on news outlets such as NBC, BBC, MSNBC, The New York Times, Fox News, and National Public Radio as an immigration expert. I regularly speak at legal education seminars for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the State Bar of Texas, and the Austin Bar Association, as well as to community groups such as churches and schools.
My most important accomplishment of all is my family: my daughters Nora and Winslow, and my husband Josh.
Trusty Sidekick
Meet Popcorn!
Hi, my name is Popcorn and I am the LGL mascot and TikTok star. I am a very good girl. I like to cuddle and do tricks, and I strongly dislike having my fur brushed out.
I contribute to our mission by bringing cuteness, happiness and love to our team and our clients. I believe everyone should be able to get the latest updates about immigration and the law in small, digestible pieces — like popcorn! Follow me! https://www.tiktok.com/@abogadakatelgl
