How long does it take to train an immigration attorneys?

Immigration attorneys are general practice attorneys who choose to focus on immigration law, and because separate licenses are not offered in the United States for different areas of legal practice (with limited exceptions), an immigration attorney may practice in any area of ​​​​the law and unfortunately many immigration lawyers do exactly that, so they are not to trust those type of lawyers “who do everything”, as the saying goes “he who covers a lot does not squeeze”

Immigration attorneys perform, among others, the following tasks

• Prepare petitions for visa, permanent residence, adjustment of status and citizenship;
• Defend your clients against deportation proceedings;
• Represent clients in various matters before the US Immigration Courts;
• Obtain immigration benefits for loved ones of US citizens and permanent residents; (a foreign spouse, for example);
• Help US employers hire and retain foreign workers; Y
• Prepare applications for political asylum and other humanitarian immigration benefits.

Educational requirements

Before you can study law, you must complete a four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, although some US law schools occasionally accept students who have not completed a bachelor’s degree, this practice is the exception and not the rule. An aspiring immigration attorney can major in any bachelor’s or undergraduate degree they desire, as law schools accept students from a wide variety of educational backgrounds.

Law School

Upon completion of a bachelor’s degree, an aspiring immigration attorney must take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and then apply for acceptance into one of the 200 accredited law schools in the United States, as these schools generally offer graduate degrees in specific areas of law but not in every area of ​​legal practice.

In addition, an aspiring immigration lawyer should enroll in as many immigration-related courses as possible at law school, this is not a formal requirement; in fact, many US law schools do not offer a single immigration law course. A law student will need three years of full-time study to graduate with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree.

Admission to the Bar Association

The aspiring lawyer must pass a state bar exam, which covers virtually every major area of ​​law, and yet the bar exam itself may not contain a single question related to immigration law.

The pass rate in the exam revealed that in California, 44% of applicants manage to pass the exam, while in Missouri, 79% do. If the candidate does not pass, they could try it later, since most states offer the exam of law twice a year.

The candidate will also have to meet other requirements, such as an evaluation of his or her moral character and aptitude, in order to be licensed as an attorney.

Candidates who graduate in May are typically licensed in December of the same year, assuming they have passed the bar exam on their first try.

Even though each jurisdiction has its own criteria regarding legal training, once the newly licensed attorney is legally qualified to practice in almost any area of ​​law (except patent law), the attorney will be subject to the annual requirements continuing legal education (CLE) to maintain your license to practice.

From High School Graduate to Licensed Attorney

After high school, an aspiring immigration attorney needs a total of seven years of full-time study to earn a Juris Doctor degree, plus a few more months to pass the bar exam and meet the local bar association requirements.

Those who pass the bar exam on their first try can obtain their law license about seven and a half years after graduating from high school.

Professional Requirements for Immigration Lawyers

Most US law schools offer few or no immigration law courses. In addition, immigration law is not considered in much state bar exams and review courses. For that reason and because few immigration cases are famous, the typical immigration attorney’s knowledge comes from practical experience.

Generally, the attorney can begin his or her career in a junior position at an immigration law firm, work his way up, and perhaps even opens his own firm.

Immigration law is one of the most politically sensitive areas of law that can change with amazing speed. As the frenetic pace of changes in immigration law during the Trump administration demonstrated. It is for this reason that when selecting an immigration attorney, you should choose a candidate with recent experience in immigration law.

Specialty certifications and professional recognition

Some states offer specialist certifications in particular areas of the law, and these certifications may require a period of additional study, although these certifications do not give the attorney a superior right to practice law in that specialization. On the contrary, you guarantee your clients that you have knowledge in that particular field.

On that note, only four states offer immigration law specialist certifications, but Ohio and Michigan are not among them.

Yet another way to recognize expertise is through recognition by private organizations, such as Martindale-Hubbell, Super Lawyers, and Avvo.com, which rate attorneys based on client and peer reviews. Some of these organizations offer awards and honors that are only given to immigration attorneys with a minimum number of years of experience.

Jurisdictional freedom

Immigration law is a federal law, not a state law and this is very important because obtaining a license to practice law in any state will give you the right to practice immigration law anywhere in the United States without having to take time to join the bar of that state. For example, if you were licensed in California but live in Kentucky, for example, you can practice immigration law in Kentucky without violating any laws or ethical standards.

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