Allison M. Bustin
Associate
Overview
Allison Bustin focuses her practice on a broad range of estates and trusts matters. She counsels clients to ensure their personal and professional goals are appropriately represented and protected during their lifetimes and into the future. She works to ensure a solid balance between individual preferences and requests and compliance with federal, state, and local laws. She also complements her practice by nurturing an interest in immigration law, rooted in her extensive international experiences. As such she counsels clients by navigating federal regulations and representing employers with respect to a variety of employment immigration matters, including obtaining various employment-based visas, such as H-1Bs, Ls, Os, and Ps, as well as Permanent Residency and Naturalization.
Prior to entering law school, Allison served as a volunteer in the Peace Corps Costa Rica for 27 months, where she taught English, worked with the Ministry of Education, and wrote grants on behalf of her assigned community to fund, organize, and teach annual intensive English camps and coordinate other community activities. She also completed a year of domestic public service as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh. She has worked as a development consultant in Bolivia, interned with a USAID Property Rights program in Kosovo and facilitated programming with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program in Bosnia. Such international experiences only enhance her legal practice and abilities to counsel clients from diverse backgrounds.
Community Involvement
- Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund’s Name Change Project (Allegheny County)
Awards and Recognition:
- Order of the Coif
- Teacher’s Assistant for Legal Research and Writing
- Pro Bono Service Leadership Recognition Award
- National Association of Women Lawyers, Outstanding Law Student Award 2020
- Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow 2018 – 2020
- CILE Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh
- Nordenberg Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh
- Competed in the 2019 Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Serbia, Croatia, and Austria
News and Insights
Publications
- “New Travel Authorization Is Required for U.S. Citizens that are Traveling to the UK and the EU,” Eckert Seamans’ Legal Update, October 2023.
- “New Program Will Permit H and L Visa Holders to Renew Visa Stamps within U.S.,” Eckert Seamans’ Labor & Employment Update, March 2023.
- “It Is Better to Give Than to Receive: Lifetime and Annual Exclusions,” The Legal Intelligencer, February 2023.
- “H-1B Lottery Information Released for Fiscal Year 2024,” Eckert Seamans’ Immigration Update, February 2023.
- “Legal Essentials for College Students,” Eckert Seamans’ Legal Update, September 2022.
- “Prenups on Primetime: ‘The White Lotus’ Shines Light on Agreements,” The Legal Intelligencer, December 20, 2022.
Speaking Engagements
- “Immigration Law for In-House Counsel,” webinar presenter for In-House Connect CLE program, November 7, 2023.
- “Providing an Identity Inclusive Estate Plan,” presented for the Allegheny County Bar Association Probate and Trust Law Section, July 13, 2023.
Interests
Allison has a passion for service and believes in lifelong learning. Public service has been her driving force, and led her to join both AmeriCorps and Peace Corps to learn more about her adopted city, Pittsburgh, and the world. Working with other volunteers, be it through labor-based activities – roofing in WI, masonry in Bolivia, planting trees in Costa Rica, packing up book requests for inmates in PA – or now through legal advocacy – working with the Pitt Immigration Law Clinic, the Name Change Project, or serving as President of PLISF, a student-run nonprofit — has given her purpose and community. Her service experiences continue to motivate and educate her. In addition to service, Allison enjoys traveling, creating, cooking and gardening.