Attorney Robert Brown (Bob) is the founder and managing partner of Brown Immigration Law. As a former District Director of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and Regional Acting Director of at the United States Department of Justice, Robert brings over 50 years of immigration experience to his practice. He began his career in 1972 with the INS as a Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) based in New York City and was eventually promoted to deputy Chief of Investigations at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC. While working as deputy Chief of Investigations, Robert spearheaded the planning efforts for the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and as part of the planning effort, Robert designed the first I-9 form and wrote the implementing regulations contained in the United States Code of Federal Regulations.
At the INS-Cleveland Field Office, Robert held successive titles of Deputy District Director District Director. He was later elected to be Chair of the Immigration Director’s Association, a position he held until his retirement from public service in 1999. In addition to managing one of the thirty-three districts within the former-INS and acting as Eastern Region Director, Robert played a key role in several INS activities, including the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees, Caribbean Interdiction and Asylum Officer and Special Advisor to the Commissioner on Equal Employment.
Following his retirement from public service, Robert began in private practice in 1999, after graduating with his Juris Doctorate from Cleveland State College of Law. Initially starting as Of Counsel at Thompson Hine LLP, where he headed the Immigration Practice Group, Robert eventually joined Franz Ward LLP as a firm Partner, where he stayed until 2002. Thereafter, Robert founded Brown Immigration Law and in his two decades as Managing Partner, Robert has seen the firm grow from a small local practice in Cleveland, Ohio to a national firm with four offices in three states and clients, both corporate and individual, spread throughout the nation. In addition to his duties within the firm, Bob is regularly retained to serve as a expert witness in immigration-related litigation matters. He also speaks at seminars and conferences and continues to be a member of various fraternal organizations of former INS Officers.
Robert’s experience and expertise in the field of US immigration law is virtually unparallelled. His experience within the government spanned five different presidential administrations; moreover, he witnessed first-hand the dramatic changes in America’s immigration policy, all of which has given him a unique insight into both the inner workings of the federal government, as well the evolution of the legal practice in response to these changes. Robert’s experience has given Brown Immigration Law’s various practice groups a depth of knowledge that is not only uncommon in the legal field, but skillful and nuanced in problem-solving and achieving results.
