Brian J. Blackford

Attorney at Law

Brian J. Blackford practices exclusively in Immigration Law. He has dedicated his career to advocacy for the rights of immigrants in the courtroom and in the community.  Brian’s practice focuses on a wide variety of immigration cases and he has the breadth of knowledge and experience to devise unique solutions to fit each individual's specialized immigration needs.

Admitted

• Executive Office for Immigration Review (includes the Board of Immigration Appeals and all immigration courts), 2008
• Nebraska, 2008
• United States District Court for the District of Nebraska, 2008
• United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 2010
• Iowa, 2014

Education

Creighton University School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2008 

• Certificates of Concentration in International and Comparative Law, Litigation, and Criminal Law and Procedure
• CALI Excellence for the Future Award: Trial Practice
• Conflict resolution training program with the State of Nebraska's Office of Dispute Resolution

Creighton University, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy, magna cum laude, 2005

• Intern, United States House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.

Notable Cases and Press

• Argued successfully at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, on behalf of client who had been deported to Guatemala, to remand case to the Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider a Motion to Reopen a removal order under the doctrine of equitable tolling, resulting in the return of the client to the United States to be reunited with his family
• Obtained approval of Nebraska’s first same-sex marriage based visa petition and lawful permanent residency case 
• Successfully argued for reopening of client’s 24-year-old deportation order at the Board of Immigration Appeals
• Obtained successful return and lawful permanent residency of multiple clients following removal or deportation
• Successfully argued numerous motions to reopen and rescind removal and deportation orders

Professional Affiliations and Memberships   

• American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Liaison for the Iowa-Nebraska Chapter, 2014 to present
  • National ICE Liaison Committee (multiple meetings with the Principal Legal Advisor for ICE and Liaison Committee members in Washington, D.C. to discuss policy), 2013 - 2014
  • National Consumer Protection and Unauthorized Practice of Law Action Committee, 2012 - 2014
  • United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Liaison for the Iowa-Nebraska Chapter, 2010 - 2014
  • Nebraska Immigration Reform Advocacy Liaison for the Iowa-Nebraska Chapter, 2013 - 2014 
• National Immigration Project 
• Nebraska State Bar Association
  • House of Delegates, District 4 (Douglas County)
  • Immigration Law Section Executive Committee
• Southern Sudan Community Association: Board of Directors

Presentations

• Panel Moderator, 2014 Iowa-Nebraska AILA Chapter CLE, “Crimmigration/Hot Topics in Removal,” Omaha, Nebraska
• Presenter, 2014 Nebraska State Bar Association Annual Meeting, Government Practice Section Ethics Seminar "Ethical Issues Relating to the Immigration Status of Individuals, Rights of Third Persons Under Rule 3-504.4, and Eligibility for Government Services (LB 403)," La Vista, Nebraska
• Presenter, 2013 Pro Bono Detainee Project CLE, sponsored by Justice for Our Neighbors, Omaha, Nebraska
• Presenter, Know Your Rights and other immigration law presentations at the Mexican Consulate in Omaha, various churches and schools, and the Douglas County Department of Corrections

A legacy of freedom-fighting and forward-thinking.

Brian's family traces its beginnings in America to the meat packing plants of South Omaha and Chicago, the coal mines of Pennsylvania and Iowa, and farming communities throughout the United States. They aided slaves in their escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad and were active in government and public service. His relatives fled war and internal struggle in their homelands, and some obtained refugee status following the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, to make better lives for their families.

Blackford Law LLC is proud to honor this legacy by fighting to give all people the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

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