James Morris McClintick

EARLY EDUCATION

I was born in the Pacific Northwest and received my Bachelor of Arts in French literature, with honors, from Whitman College in 1996. I then continued my study of literature at the University of Chicago, where I earned a Master of Arts degree in 1997 and received accolades for outstanding academic performance.

SERVICE TO IMMIGRANT GROUPS

After spending a year teaching English in China, I returned to Chicago and worked as an editor in the publishing industry. I also volunteered my time by helping Vietnamese refugees to sharpen their civics knowledge and prepare for their U.S. citizenship examination. During this two-year period, I deepened my understanding of the social and economic challenges faced by immigrant communities and gained firsthand insight into the ways in which their civil liberties are uniquely vulnerable to violation.

LEGAL TRAINING, EXPERIENCE, AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

This experience, along with my lifelong interest in civil rights and public policy, impelled me to enroll in law school. Upon graduating from the American University Washington College of Law cum laude in 2005, I served as a civil litigation attorney with several highly respected law firms. In this capacity, I represented a range of clients, including multinational corporations, small-business owners, laborers, and consumers victimized by fraudulent marketing tactics and data-privacy violations. I also provided legal services, often on a pro bono basis, to immigrants in the Chicago area and elsewhere.

FOCUS OF CURRENT PRACTICE

After nearly ten years of practicing in a law-firm setting, I decided that the time had come to put my legal knowledge and client advocacy skills to use as a self-employed attorney with my own, full-service practice. I currently offer all manner of immigration and business-related services, including EB-5 (immigrant investor) visas, traditional employment-based visas, family-based visas, and removal (deportation) defense. I also advise start-up businesses on a broad range of matters relating to their formation and successful operation, including contract negotiation, drafting, and analysis. Finally, I offer dispute resolution assistance, up to and including litigation, for select matters involving business and/or contractual disputes.

PHILOSOPHY OF LAWYERING

Over the course of my legal career, I have represented clients in arbitration, various Illinois state courts, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Department of Homeland Security Field Offices, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (immigration court). In each of these venues and in everything I do for my clients, I place a premium on integrity, thoroughness, and unwavering commitment to achieving the best possible solution to the matter at hand. I also pride myself on my accessibility and promptness in responding to my clients’ concerns. These traits, combined with my analytical yet forceful approach to handling each and every case that I take, have earned me praise from clients and adversaries alike.

I am licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. I am also licensed in the District of Columbia (currently inactive). I am currently a member in good standing of the American Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

In addition to my legal work, I travel extensively and enjoy sharing my policy knowledge and experience through my writing and lectures, which I have delivered in the U.S. and overseas. In recent years, I have spoken and/or published articles on such topics as academic freedom, infrastructure spending, gun control, constitutional rights in the immigration context, and U.S. enforcement and removal (deportation) policy. My views on these and other topics have been quoted in the Global Times; the American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law; the Hamline Law Review; the Asia Pacific Daily; and the Xinhua News Agency, among other publications and platforms.

To schedule a consultation with me, please email me at , or simply give me a call at. I look forward to speaking with you and learning about your case.