John Lawit
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Immigration Attorney in Irving, TX
John W. Lawit is an attorney in Irving, Texas, where he practices immigration law. He has been devoted to the field for more than 40 years, and he represents the firm’s clients before USCIS, Immigration Court, USDOL and consulates throughout the world. He has contributed extensively to the field of immigration law, authoring New Mexico’s Immigration and Nationality Law Practice Act as well as serving on the New Mexico Border Commission. After graduating with honors with a B.A. from the University of New Mexico, Mr. Lawit earned his J.D. from the University of New Hampshire School of Law. From 1983 to 1988, he taught immigration law at the University of New Mexico School of Law and Texas Tech School of Law in 2013. as an adjunct professor. He was appointed to be a U.S. immigration judge in 1985. Mr. Lawit is admitted to practice in Texas, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. Mr. Lawit has chaired the Immigration Law Section of the State Bar of New Mexico and is the founding member of the Immigration Section of the Dallas Bar Association. He has been appointed to the Board od Directors of the new Immigration Law section of the Dallas Bar Association.John is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. He has served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and, In 2009, he joined the Law Society of British Columbia as a foreign legal consultant. Mr. Lawit gives his time to several internationally oriented community organizations, including Human Rights Initiative of North Texas (HRI), Healing the Children and the Institute for Spanish Arts. He has won awards for providing immigration assistance to Catholic Social Services and Jewish Family Services of New Mexico in Albuquerque. A frequent speaker at immigration law conferences, Mr. Lawit has received an AV Preeminent* peer review rating through Martindale-Hubbell and is also listed in Best Lawyers in America since 1991.** *AV Preeminent and BV Distinguished are certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories: legal ability and general ethical standards. **The Best Lawyers in America® 2010. Copyright 2009 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC
About John Lawit
First Admitted: 1978, Pennsylvania
Professional Webpage: http://immlaw.lawyer/our-attorneys/
Educational Background
- J.D. from the University of New Hampshire School of Law, 1977
- B.A. from the University of New Mexico, with honors in 1972
Other Outstanding Achievements
- Appointed as Special Immigration Counsel to the Republic of Mexico by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1983)
- Appointed by two New Mexico Governors to the New Mexico Border Commission (1982-1986)
- Selected to be U.S. Immigration Law Judge, 1985
- Appointed by the Governor of the State of New Mexico to the New Mexico International Trade/Investment Counsel (1984-1987)
Pro bono/Community Service
- Jewish Family Services of Albuquerque (1988-1990)
- Member of the board of directors for Healing of Children (1989-1995)
- Volunteer Attorney American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, 1990
- Served as vice president of the New Mexico Refugee Association (1979-1984)
- Volunteer Attorney North Texas Human Rights Initiative, 2013
- Served as a member of the board of directors and the president of Rainbow House International Adoption Agency (1987-2000)
- Member of the board of directors of the Institute of Spanish Arts (1994-1996)
Honors/Awards
- Listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
- Received awards from Catholic Social Services and Jewish Family Services for providing immigration assistance to both organizations
- "The 2011 Finance Monthly law awards and recognizes all those firms that have dedicated their resources to innovation, built upon their depth of expertise and performed outstandingly over the year.", CORPORATE IMMIGRATION FIRM OF THE YEAR - USA, Finance Monthly Law Awards, 2011
- Appears in Who’s Who in American Law
- John has received the AV rating, the highest possible rating from the prestigious Martindale Hubble Law Directory
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America since 1991
Scholarly Lectures/Writings
- The first law enacted within the United States to protect immigrants from the unauthorized practice of immigration law. The law has served as model legislation, which has been enacted in twenty States, Author, New Mexico Immigration and Nationality Law Practice Act
Bar/Professional Activity
- Foreign Legal Consultant under the Law Society of British Columbia since 2009
- Member of the El Paso Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers
- Chairman of the New Mexico Immigration Law Section of the New Mexico Bar Association, 1985
- Dallas Bar Association, 2013
- New Mexico Bar Association, 1980
- Member of the Canadian Bar Association in 2009
- Member of the Albuquerque Bar Association
- Member and volunteer attorney of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
- Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law, Texas Tech University, 2014
- Member of the Texas Bar Association in 1992
- Member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
- Board of Directors of the New Mexico ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)
- Adjunct professor of immigration law at the University of New Mexico’s School of Law (1983-1988)
- Member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association in 1978
Special Licenses/Certifications
- Appointed as Special Immigration Counsel to the Republic of Mexico by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1983)
Representative Clients
- Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, Texas Tech University, New Mexico Highlands University, State of New Mexico Taxation & Revenue Department, Canossian Daughters of Charity, 2011
Additional Sources of Information About John Lawit
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Last Updated: 12/3/2021