
Email: lcalder@allen-pinnix.com
Phone: 1.919.755.0505
Fax: 1.919.829.8098
Address: P.O. Drawer 1270
Raleigh, North Carolina 27602
Lynn Calder, Director
Lynn Calder joined Allen & Pinnix, P.A. in 1984 and has practiced immigration and nationality law for over 20 years. Ms. Calder counsels and represents clients in all areas of immigration and naturalization matters. She works with individuals seeking non-immigrant status, lawful permanent residence, or U.S. citizenship, and works with businesses seeking to hire foreign national employees. Born in Germany, Ms. 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 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.
Ms. Calder 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, the American Immigration Council (formerly the American Immigration Law Foundation), and the North Carolina Bar Association. 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 The Best Lawyers in America in the Immigration Law category since 1991. She is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell®* and is included in Who’s Who Legal, and The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (corporate immigration). Ms. Calder has been a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Immigration Specialist since 1997, the first year the specialization was available.
Education
- Campbell University School of Law, J.D., 1984
- East Carolina University, B.A., 1981
Admissions
- North Carolina Bar
- Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts, U.S. District Court
- Fourth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals
Selected Experience
- Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law
- Elon University School of Law, 2007
- North Carolina Central University 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)
Leadership & Public Service
- 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
- The American Immigration Council, formerly the American Immigration Law Foundation [AILF], Washington, D.C.
- Trustee Emeritus
- Trustee (1998–2004)
- Created and organized nationwide 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 at 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 (November 30–December 1, 2007)
- Invited to present on various topics at every AILA Annual Conference for over 15 years
Honors
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in the Immigration Law category since 1991.
- Rated AV® by Martindale-Hubbell®.*
- Included in Who’s Who Legal, and The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (corporate immigration).
- A North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Immigration Specialist since 1997, the first year the specialization was available.
* CV, BV, and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell® certification procedure’s standards and policies.