C. Lynn Calder - Partner

Email - lcalder@allenpinnix.com

Lynn Calder has practiced immigration and nationality law for over 20 years.  She joined Allen and Pinnix in 1984 after completing law school at Campbell University School of Law.  Ms. Calder counsels and represents clients in all areas of immigration and naturalization matters, working with individuals seeking non-immigrant status, lawful permanent residence or U.S. citizenship; and working with businesses seeking to hire foreign national employees.  Born in Germany, Lynn Calder is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
 
Ms. Calder’s immigration law practice includes assisting with family and employer sponsorship for lawful permanent residence.  She counsels individuals about obtaining or helping a family member obtain a non-immigrant visa, such as a visitor or student visa, and businesses wanting to employ a foreign worker on a temporary basis, such as in H-1B or L-1 status. 

Ms. Calder frequently helps foreign researchers, scholars and other professionals of national and international renown obtain lawful permanent residence or non-immigrant status through proving prominence in their field of work.  She has had many years of experience preparing and filing petitions for persons of extraordinary ability (EB-1) and outstanding merit (EB-1 for professors and researchers and O-1 non-immigrant petitions), and for persons qualifying for a national interest waiver of the labor certification requirement (EB-2).  Ms. Calder also assists post-doctoral researchers, teachers and others seeking a waiver of the two-year home residence requirement connected to a J-1 or J-2 visa.

Lynn Calder regularly defends clients in removal (deportation) proceedings in Immigration Courts nationwide and before the Board of Immigration Appeals.  She has represented clients in federal district and appellate courts.  Knowledgeable about the interplay between immigration law and criminal law, Ms. Calder consults with non-citizen defendants and their criminal attorneys about the immigration consequences of specific criminal charges and convictions. 

To assist businesses concerned about the Department of Homeland Security pursuing worksite enforcement of immigration laws, Ms. Calder provides advice about I-9 compliance, verification of employment documents, Social Security “no-match” letters and possible employment discrimination.  Legal services for businesses seeking to ensure compliance with immigration laws may include on-site audit of immigration-related documents and training of personnel responsible for immigration compliance.

Throughout her career, Lynn Calder has held leadership positions in the American Immigration Lawyers Association, American Immigration Law Foundation and NC Bar Association; and she frequently has spoken and written about immigration law for continuing legal education conferences, law school classes and community organizations. She has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in the Immigration Law category since 1991; she is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell and listed in Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers; and is included in Who’s Who Legal, The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (corporate immigration).  Ms. Calder has been a NC State Bar Board Certified Immigration Specialist since 1997, the first year the specialization was available.


Practice

Immigration and Naturalization Law


Focus

NC State Bar Board Certified Immigration Specialist since 1997


Education

Campbell University School of Law, JD, 1984
East Carolina University, BA, 1981


State Admissions

North Carolina, 1984


Court Admissions

Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts, U.S. District Courts
Fourth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals



SELECTED EXPERIENCE

  • Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law
    • Elon University School of Law, 2007
    • North Carolina Central School of Law, Intermittently, 1997 – 2005
  • Advisory Committee for the publication of Immigration Consequences of a Criminal Conviction in North Carolina, S. Zota and J. Rubin, UNC School of Government (2008) (part of  the NC Indigent Defense Manual Series)

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
    • Member and Former Chair, AILA Carolinas Chapter
    • National AILA Committee membership has included Ethics and Practice Management (2008/09); Waivers (Chair, 2006/07); Pro Bono (Chair, 2002 - 2004); EOIR Liaison, ICE Liaison, Board of Publications, Nominations for AILA Board of Governors
  • American Immigration Law Foundation (AILF), Washington, D.C.
    • Trustee Emeritus
    • Trustee (1998 – 2004)
    • Created and organized nation-wide group of representatives to promote the work of the Foundation
  • North Carolina Bar Association
    • Immigration Law Committee (Chair, 1992/93 and 2005/06)
    • International Law Section (Council Member, 2006 – 2008)
  • American Bar Association
  • North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, Wake County Chapter
  • Wake County Bar Association


SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Ms. Calder has served as a presenter and manuscript author for programs sponsored by many organizations, including the following:

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • NC Bar Association
  • NC State Bar
  • NC Academy of Trial Lawyers
  • Wake Forest University School of Law
  • Campbell University School of Law
  • University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • Duke University
  • National Business Institute
  • Lorman Education Services

Editor

  • More Lore Than Law: Advising Clients, Managing Risks, and Practicing Law Without Clear Guidelines, AILA Mid-Year Conference Handbook, January 2007

Associate Editor

  • AILA’s Immigration Litigation Toolbox, Essential Materials for Administrative and Federal Court Practice, 2nd Ed. (AILA, 2005)
  • Ethics in a Brave New World, Professional Responsibility, Personal Accountability, and Risk Management for Immigration Practitioners (AILA, 2004)
  • Immigration and Nationality Law Handbook, 1995 – 2001 Ed. (AILA, 1995 - 2001)

Conference Chair or Conference Committee

  • AILA Mid-Year Conference, San Jose, Puerto Rico (January 2007), “More lore Than Law: Advising Clients, Managing Risks, and Practicing Law Without Clear Guidelines,” Conference Committee
  • AILA Fall Conference, Seattle, WA, (September 2005) “When, Where, What and How of Litigation for All Immigration Attorneys,” Conference Chair
  • AILA Basics Conference, Washington, DC (2001), Conference Chair
  • AILA Annual Conference, Houston, TX(June 1998), Core Curriculum Program Chair

Selected AILA Conference Faculty

  • Conflicts of Interest/Ethics, presented, 2007 AILA Worksite Enforcement CLE Conference, “The New Era of Worksite Enforcement - Protections for Employers and Their Employees,” Scottsdale, AR (Nov. 30 – Dec. 1, 2007)
  • Invited to present on various topics at every AILA Annual Conference for over 15 years