Portrait of Michael Freestone

Michael Freestone

Principal

Michael J. Freestone is a principal in the firm’s Immigration Law Practice Group where he advises individual and corporate clients of all sizes on a range of immigration-related issues. He specializes in strategic immigration planning with a focus on long-term strategies and develops robust immigration law compliance programs for his corporate clients. He handles non‐immigrant petitions, visa and consular issues, employment and family-based immigrant petitions, adjustment of status applications and naturalization.

Michael works closely with investors and entrepreneurs to help create a successful immigration solution for their needs. His clients represent a broad range of industries including medical research, software development, steel, construction, aerospace, religious organizations, entrepreneurs and individuals.

Michael devotes his time to numerous pro bono immigration activities, including providing immigration counsel to a local theatre company and assistance with non-immigrant visas for victims of crime including attempted murder, battery, assault and domestic abuse. He successfully advised a humanitarian aid project to obtain visas for 30 Haitian nationals to enter the United States to build homes for victims of Hurricane Sandy as a gesture of appreciation for U.S. aid following the devastating earthquake of 2010.

His educational background is in International Law, International Business, International Trade, Finance and Foreign Direct Investment. While obtaining his master’s degree, Michael served as a case reporter for the Oxford Journal of International Law in Domestic Courts, where he covered International Law issues arising in several Supreme Court terms, the First Circuit and the State of New York. He completed internships at two firms in London as part of his work experience. Prior to joining Offit Kurman, he founded and led the immigration practice at a previous firm.

    Education

    • George Washington University Law School (LL.M.)
    • BPP University Law School (LL.B)
    • Trinity College Dublin (B.A.)

    State Bar Admissions

    • District of Columbia

    Admitted in the District of Columbia. Not admitted in Maryland. All Maryland practice supervised by a Maryland attorney.

    Court Admissions

    • District of Columbia Court of Appeals

    Professional Affiliations

    • American Immigration Lawyers Association, Member
    • American Bar Association, Member
    • American Bar Foundation, Fellow (elected position)
  • Biography
  • Publications & News
  • Blog Posts
  • Featured Works

Firm Highlights

  • Podcasts
    Artful Donations: Exploring Museum Exchange
    In this episode of The Legal Canvas, host Caryn Keppler welcomes Robert Wainstein and Michael Darling, co-founders of Museum Exchange, the first digital platform dedicated to facilitating art donations to museums and nonprofit institutions across North America. Together, they explore how technology is transforming the way collectors, artists, estates, and cultural organizations connect through charitable giving. Robert and Michael explain the inspiration behind Museum Exchange, the challenges they set out to solve, and how the platform has grown into a network of more than 400 museums. They walk listeners through the donation process—from evaluating artwork and matching donors with institutions to handling logistics, documentation, and tax considerations. Along the way, they discuss the realities of museum collecting, why many donations are declined, and how thoughtful placements can help preserve artists' legacies while expanding access to important works of art. The conversation also explores Museum Exchange's work with living artists, artist estates, hospitals, universities, and smaller regional museums, as well as the launch of the Charis Foundation for the Arts, a nonprofit designed to steward significant collections before placing them with institutions that can best benefit from them. Robert and Michael conclude by sharing their vision for the future of charitable art transactions and how Museum Exchange is helping reshape philanthropy in the arts for generations to come.