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Biography
John L. Pinnix (Jack Pinnix) is a founding member and the senior immigration attorney in the Raleigh, North Carolina law firm of Allen & Pinnix, P.A. For most of his career he has limited his practice of law to immigration and nationality issues. Mr. Pinnix served as the national president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and was among the very first attorneys in North Carolina to limit his practice to immigration law. He was a founding member of the Carolinas Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and twice served as Chapter Chair.
A nationally-recognized authority on immigration law and policy, Mr. Pinnix has successfully represented thousands of individuals in every area of immigration law, including, but not limited to: non-immigrant classifications; Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA); employment authorization; family reunification; lawful permanent resident status; employer-based immigration for foreign national workers; investors; and naturalization. He has also been involved in complex cases involving deportation/removal and asylum on both the administrative and appellate levels.
Mr. Pinnix has served as an Adjunct Professor at North Carolina Central University School of Law and Elon University School of Law and as a Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke University School of Law. Since 1991, he has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the Immigration Law category and in North Carolina Super Lawyers (2006-2024).
Education
- Wake Forest University School of Law, Winston Salem, North Carolina
- J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
- Managing Editor “The Jurist” (Wake Forest Law Alumni Magazine)
- University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina
- B.A., M.A.: History
- “Outstanding Senior” (Chosen by his classmates as one of twenty)
- Editor-in-Chief, The Carolinian (twice weekly student newspaper)
- UNC-G Alumni Distinguished Service Award
Representative Published Works
- Immigration Act Makes Sweeping Changes, Vol. 12, Campbell Law Observer, No. 7, July, 1991
- IMMACTS' Impact on Business Related Visas, Vol. 12, Campbell Law Observer, No. 9, September, 1991
- Immigration Act of 1990: Marriage, Criminal and Due Process Related Provisions, Vol. 12, Campbell Law Observer, No. 9, September, 1991
- Approaching the Finish Line, Vol. 12, Campbell Law Observer, No. 10, October, 1991
- Overview of Initial Visa Petition, in Selected Writings on Immigrant Investors: A Multi-disciplinary Approach to the New Employment Creation Visa Category, AILA, 1991
- A Survey of Post IMMACT U.S. Immigration, North Carolina Bar Association International Law and Practice Section, Monograph (Co-Author), 1992: 1994 Revision
- Availability of Foreign Professional Workers Threatened, 6 The Business Lawyer 1, December, 1993
- INS Blindsides Canadian Treaty Professional, 6 NCLW (North Carolina Lawyers Weekly) 1164, January 24, 1994
- Entering the Golden Age of Legal Research, 1996-1997, Immigration and Nationality Law Handbook, AILA
- B in Lieu of H-1B Controversy, 12 Labor and Employment, North Carolina Bar Association Law and Employment Section Newsletter, 3, February, 1994
Representative Cases
- Dunkin Donuts, 95 INA 166, 1997, BALCA
Professional Associations
- American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Past President
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, Member, national Executive Committee, 1997 to 2004
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, Member, national Board of Governors, 1993 to Present
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, Carolina's Chapter, 1987-1988
- North Carolina Bar Association, Member
- North Carolina Bar Association, Chair, Immigration and Nationality Law Committee, 1989 to 1991
- North Carolina Bar Association International Law and Practice Section, Section Council, 1999 to Present
- American Immigration Law Foundation, Trustee, 1992 to 1997
- American Immigration Law Foundation, Vice Chair, 1995 to 1997
- North Carolina Farm Workers Legal Services, Board Member, 1990 to 1992
Certified Legal Specialties
- Immigration Law, North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization
Practice Areas
- Immigration and Naturalization Law
Honors
- Recognized in North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2006-present
- The 2006 edition of Who's Who Legal called Jack "outstanding" and said he "possesses quite a phenomenal legal mind."
- The 2007 edition of Who's Who Legal noted that Jack "once again emerges as the state’s 'most highly nominated individual'" in the corporate immigration category.
- Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in the Immigration Law category since 1993.
- Martindale Hubbell AV Rating
- Triangle Chapter of the North Carolina World Trade Association's International Trade Award for Service Facilitator
- North Carolina World Trade Association's 1993 International Community Award for Service
- Who's Who In America
- NC Legal Elite (Business North Carolina)
- Leader in the Law (NC Lawyers Weekly)
- "Tar Heel of the Week" (News & Observer - Raleigh)
Bar Admissions
- North Carolina
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina
- U.S. Supreme Court
Representative Classes, Seminars & Writing
- Speaker and Manuscript Editor, Appeals and Litigation Under Sections 210, 245A and 274A of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, North Carolina Bar Foundation Continuing Legal Education Committee, 1989 to 1989
- Speaker and Manuscript, Putting the Pieces Together, Immigration Law Regulatory Overview Conference, AILA Regional, 1991 to 1991
- Speaker and Manuscript, Co-Conference Chair, AILA Washington Policy Conference, 1992 to 1992
- Speaker and Manuscript, Defending Requirements Exceeding the SVP, 4th Annual Central Florida Chapter Conference on Business Immigration, 1992 to 1992
- Speaker and Manuscript, Immigration for Foreign Students, Scholars and Academicians, Education Law Section Annual Meeting, North Carolina Bar Foundation Continuing Legal Education Committee, Education Law Section of North Carolina Bar Association, 1992 to 1992
- Speaker and Manuscript, The Importance of Making an Unskilled Worker a Skilled Worker and Who Is a Professional and Does it Really Work?, Mid-Year Meeting, American Immigration Lawyers Association, La Romana, Dominican Rep., 1993 to 1993
- Representing Your Clients Before Congress, American Immigration Lawyers Association Annual Conference, Toronto, 1993 to 1993
- Immigration Law - Business Panel, AILA Annual Conference, San Francisco, June 1994
- Speaker, Moderator or Panelist, diverse topics, Most AILA Annual Conference(s) on Immigration Law, 1993 to Present
- Adjunct Professor, North Carolina Central University School of Law, 1997 to 1997
- For 15 years served as a Senior Editor of AILA Annual Conference Handbooks
- Editor-in-Chief “Ethics in a Brave New World; Professional Responsibility, Personal Accountability, and Risk Management for Immigration Practitioners” (AILA Book, 2004).
Pro-Bono Activities
- Consultant on Immigration Matters to Lutheran Family Services, Catholic Legal Services, and NC Farm Workers Legal Services
- Wake County Volunteer Lawyers Program
- AILA Mentor
- AILA Military Assistance Program (MAP)
- Carolina Ballet
Past Positions
- State of North Carolina, Administrative Office of the Courts, Special Counsel for the Mentally Ill and Inebriate, Broughton Hospital, 1975 to 1976
- Richardson Preyer, Congressional Staff (temporary), 1974
- Galifianakis for Senate, State Coordinator, 1974
- Fagg, Fagg and Nooe, Attorneys at Law, Eden, North Carolina, Associate, 1973 to 1974
- North Carolina Central University School of Law, Adjunct
- Elon University School of Law, Adjunct
- Duke University School of Law, Senior Lecturing Fellow