Dear Readers:

I am writing this letter in the car on the way back from the annual meeting of the American Immigration Lawyers Association in New Orleans (don't worry, I'm in the passenger seat!). The annual meeting of AILA is THE major professional event of the year for immigration lawyers and that probably explains why nearly 3,000 people attend every year. The program is comprised of five days of educational programs and workshops, association business meetings, and social events. But what makes the program most useful are the numerous informal conversations attendees have with each other. More learning frequently goes on in the halls and over coffee in the lobby than in the sessions. 

The AILA meeting also attracts the government officials in the immigration world. For example, Eduardo Aguirre, the head of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, addressed the AILA membership. Mr. Aguirre, an immigrant himself, discussed the BCIS' goals including improving the agency's level of service.

One of the most impressive aspects of the meeting is the huge exhibit hall. This year more than a dozen companies exhibited selling case management software products to AILA members. These products have revolutionized immigration law by enabling lawyers to rapidly prepare cases and more effectively and efficiently manage their caseloads. As the technology columnist for Immigration Law Today, AILA's monthly magazine, I took the opportunity to learn about the new features available in each of these products. I also spoke on the subject of case management systems during the conference and gave tips on how to pick the right systems and maximize their value in the typical immigration law office.

This was my first meeting serving as chair of the Physicians Committee of AILA. Our committee will be working on a number of important issues this year including the upcoming expiration of the State 30 J-1 waiver program, the impact of the H-1b cap on communities with physician shortages, ongoing problems in the adjudication of O-1 petitions and extraordinary delays in issuing security clearances.

If you are a lawyer handling immigration matters and do not attend the annual AILA meeting, you are really missing out. I have attended every annual meeting since I started handling immigration matters in 1990 and consider the meeting a "must" every year.

In this week's ABCs article, I have included a simple flow chart showing how L-1 cases work. I intend to develop more of these flow charts in the coming months and welcome suggestions from readers on how they might be improved.

We also have an article that some might find a bit surprising, covering a recent speech by James Ziglar, President Bush's first appointed head of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Ziglar offers tough criticism of his former boss' shortchanging of civil liberties in the war on terror. The Bush Administration's zealousness in pushing American courts to curtail various liberties for immigrants as part of the war on terror has drawn criticism from many groups. Of course, the Administration counters that in a war, sacrifices must be made and that is the case today.

Finally, as always, we remind readers that we're lawyers who make our living representing immigration clients. We would love to discuss becoming your law firm. Just go to http://www.visalaw.com/intake.html to request an appointment or call us at 800-748-3819 or 901-682-6455.

Regards,

Greg Siskind