Michael Wilk is an immigration attorney and advocate. He is the owner and managing attorney at Wilk Legal PLLC. Previously, Michael worked for law firms in New York and Washington, DC starting in 2010. Michael holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the District of Columbia’s David A. Clarke School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University at Albany, SUNY. 

Michael joined the RISSE Board of Directors in 2018 and served as RISSE’s president from 2019 to 2023, and is serving as President again since February 2025. During his time with RISSE, Michael has served our mission by serving on various board committees, helping to secure RISSE’s DOJ accreditation to represent individuals in US immigration legal matters, representing RISSE at community events, tutoring clients for the U.S. citizenship exam, and providing free legal representation to RISSE’s clients in immigration legal matters. Outside of RISSE, Michael is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, where he has served as the local chapter’s Law Student Liaison since 2018 and Secretary since 2024. He is also an active pro bono attorney with The Legal Project’s Immigration Program and The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (LASNNY). Michael enjoys speaking to different groups about immigration advocacy and the realities of migration in the 21st century.

Michael is a descendant of underprivileged, uneducated immigrants who would have no chance of entering the U.S. under today’s immigration laws.