Our Team Jim Tom Haynes Joy Alegría Haynes Lizeth Zeledon

Of Counsel Amy R. Novick Radlyn Mendoza

Professional Affiliations 

Jim Tom Haynes  (email)

Experienced in a variety of areas, including corporate representation, litigation and appellate practice, Jim Tom has represented large multinational corporations, universities, embassy personnel, and employees of international institutions such as the World Bank/IMF and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Mr. Haynes advises corporate clients on all matters related to visas and residence for officers, personnel, and their families. He guides investors in the establishment of appropriate businesses, and in the restructuring of acquisitions in the U.S. and abroad to conform to the requirements of American immigration law.

Representative clients include one of the three largest global telecommunications companies, a multinational satellite broadcasting company, the U.S. affiliate of a German-owned luxury car manufacturer, and a number of former ranking diplomats to the United States.

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia 1981
• New York State 1970
• Texas 1968
• D.C. District Court 1982
• U.S. Supreme Court 1980
• U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit 1992

Education

• 1968 University of Texas LL.B., Concentration in International Law
• 1965 University of Texas B.A., Major in Latin American Studies

International Education

• 1968-1969 – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil School of Law; doctoral program in private international law
• 1966 – National University of Mexico Law School, Mexico City
• 1964 – University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

Honors

• Who's Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers (2002-2008)
  
• Fulbright Scholar to Brazil
• Robert F. Kennedy Fellow

Past Positions

• Legal Advisor – Washington, D.C. office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• Chief Appellate Counsel – Central Office of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in Washington, D.C.  As INS appellate counsel, he represented the Immigration and Naturalization Service at the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)
• Attorney – Fragomen, Del Rey & Bernsen, the largest specialized immigration law firm in the United States
• Three terms as a Member of the Board of Directors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association
• Section Leader of the D.C. Bar Association, International Law Section

Languages

• English
• Spanish
• Portuguese

Joy Alegría Haynes  (email)

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia 2007
• California 2005

Education

• 2005 – Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., cum laude
• 2002-2003 – Golden Gate University School of Law
• 1993 – Stephens College, B.F.A., summa cum laude

International Education

• 2006-2007 – Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 2004 – University College London, study abroad summer law program

Honors

• Cum Laude; member, Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law; International Law Best Exam (Georgetown University School of Law)
• Merit Scholarship; Dean’s List; Witkin Award for Academic Excellence in Property; CALI Award for Writing and Research (Golden Gate University School of Law)
• Summa Cum Laude; Dean’s List with High Honors all semesters; Secretary of Athena Chapter of Mortar Board; Member of Alpha Lambda Delta, Sophomore Academic Honorary Society (Stephens College)

Past Positions

• Associate Attorney – Fenwick & West, Mountain View, CA
• Senior Litigation Paralegal – Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, San Francisco, CA
• Litigation Paralegal – Litt & Associates, Los Angeles, CA

Publications

• Same Sex Marriage and Domestic Partnerships, V Geo. J. Gender & L. 545 (2004)

Languages

• English
• Conversational Spanish

Lizeth Zeledon

Ms. Zeledon is a Legal Assistant and the General Office Manager. She has been working as an immigration legal assistant since 1998 and has considerable experience with family-based cases, including K-1 and K-3 visas. Additionally, Ms. Zeledon assists with Naturalization, NACARA, and TPS cases, labor certification and adjustments, and with preparation for litigation.

Education

• Universidad Centro Americana (UCA) in Managua, Nicaragua

Languages

• English
• Spanish

Community Activities

• Volunteer – immigration open clinic at the Lutheran Church in Baltimore, MD and Reston, VA

    

Our Professional Affiliations

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) 
AILA Member attorneys represent tens of thousands of U.S. families who have applied for permanent residence for their spouses, children, and other close relatives to lawfully enter and reside in the United States.

American Bar Association (ABA) 
The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional association in the world. With more than 400,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public.