|
A former litigator, David has
more than 12 years of experience in immigration law
and is the head of Damon Key's Immigration Law
Section. David regularly represents clients before
the Honolulu Immigration Court, the Board of
Immigration Appeals, the Administrative Appeals
Office, the United States District Court for the
District of Hawaii, and the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals. He has secured published, precedent
decisions in Tan v. INS, 931 F. Supp. 725 (D. Hawaii
1996) and Cacho v. Ashcroft, 325 F. Supp. 2d 1140
(D. Hawaii 2004). Although now working exclusively
in immigration law, David maintains his litigator’s
mind-set: his goal in all his cases is to win on
behalf of his clients.
A member of the American Immigration Lawyers
Association (AILA), David has authored articles on
U.S. immigration law, including The Nuances of
Unlawful Presence, in the 2001/02 AILA Handbook. He
frequently gives presentations on U.S. immigration
law to various groups in the State of Hawaii.
In addition to representing clients before the
Immigration Court, the BIA, and the federal courts,
David also maintains a full practice in
employment-based and family-based immigration,
including the entire range of business and
non-business nonimmigrant visas, obtaining U.S.
permanent resident ("green card") status, and U.S.
citizenship. David has successfully represented
hundreds of clients in obtaining lawful permanent
residence in the United States, as well as becoming
U.S. citizens. He has also obtained lawful permanent
residence for clients based upon their extraordinary
ability in fields ranging from 16th century Japanese
history to professional windsurfing.
In the nonimmigrant context, David has successfully
represented numerous of American companies and their
prospective employees to obtain H-1B "Specialty
Occupation" working visas, L-1 "Intracompany
Transferee" visas for foreign companies setting up
business in the United States, and E-2 "Treaty
Investor" visas based upon investments in new U.S.
commercial enterprises. He regularly represents
clients wishing to change or adjust their
immigration status while in the United States, as
well as those who secure their visas at U.S.
consular posts all over the world.
With a strong interest in international law, David
was judged best in the world in oral argument in the
1993 Jessup International Law Moot Court
Competition. Prior to becoming an attorney, David
enjoyed careers in fields ranging from foreign
languages, linguistics, and cultural cross
communication to landscaping. His diverse career
background gives him a broad range of experience to
understand the facts, as well as linguistic and
cultural issues, in his clients’ cases. In addition
to his law degree, he holds degrees in Chinese and
Asian Studies, Fine Arts, and Linguistics and Second
Language Teaching.
He is a member of the American Bar Association, the
American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Hawaii
State Bar Association, the Pacific and Asian Affairs
Council, the East-West Center Alumni Association,
and is on the board of the Lyon Arboretum
Association. David and his wife, a University of
Hawaii professor who chairs the Department of
Zoology, live in Honolulu with their seven border
collies.
American Bar Association
Hawaii State Bar Association |
