Alan Gordon

ALAN GORDON · MIGUEL MANNA · MELISSA YOUNG

BIOGRAPHY OF ALAN S. GORDON

The descendant of Russian and Spanish ancestors, Alan Gordon developed a fascination with immigration early in life. His experience crossing international borders while serving as a volunteer with the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich intensified his interest in immigration. Two years later, Alan Gordon earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree, with distinction, from The Pennsylvania State University and subsequently entered law school. He was awarded his Juris Doctor degree in 1977 from the University of Miami School of Law, and is admitted to the Florida and North Carolina State Bars.

Mr. Gordon has practiced corporate, commercial, civil litigation and immigration law beginning in 1977. His firm in Charlotte, North Carolina represents corporate and individual clients worldwide. The practice specializes in immigration and naturalization law, providing counsel and assistance with regard to temporary work authorized visas, permanent legal resident status, work and travel permission, and citizenship issues. The firm also reviews company Human Resource procedures and files, to be sure his clients can avoid the embarrassment, fines and potential imprisonment that can result if employees are found to be working without proper legal status. The firm was victorious in U.S. District Court, obtaining the first ruling finding restrictive elements of the immigration laws to be unconstitutional (Manwani v. U.S. Department of Justice, 736 F. Supp. 1367 (W.D.N.C. 1990)). The Court’s decision prompted Congress to incorporate the ruling into the Immigration & Nationality Act, preserving important legal rights.

Mr. Gordon is a Board Certified Immigration Specialist in accordance with The State Bar of North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Gordon was instrumental in convincing the North Carolina State Bar of the need for immigration specialization and was appointed to serve as founding Chair of the Immigration Specialization Committee. Mr. Gordon is past Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Committee on Immigration and Nationality Law and past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Carolinas Chapter. He has shared his professional expertise and experience by providing numerous seminars for private businesses, universities and professional associations, including the American Bar Association, North Carolina and South Carolina Bar Associations, World Trade Association, the Society for Human Resource Management, the National Association of Public Sector Equal Opportunity Officers, The Employers Association, the British American Business Council, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He was recognized as “Best Immigration Attorney” in Charlotte Magazine (August 1999 - 2003) and was voted by his peers to be included in The Best Lawyers in America (2001 - 2008). He was awarded the 2002 Excelente Award, a regional award for non-Latino person most supportive of the Latino community. Mr. Gordon was appointed to the Mayor’s International Cabinet Executive Committee (2003 – 2006), and serves as Chairman of the International Cabinet (2007 - ) which is a forum for international issues and acts as an advocate to local government on behalf of the international communities, organizations, and businesses in the Charlotte region. Mr. Gordon has also been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte (2003 - ) and to the Italy-American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte Board of Directors in 2008 as well as to the Board of Advisors of the Charlotte Chamber in 2007-2008. In 2007 he was made an h onorary member of International Scholars of the Mu Chapter of the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society at UNC-Charlotte.

In the summer of 2005, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory selected Mr. Gordon to be the Chairman of the Mayor’s Immigration Study Commission. The Commission’s charge was to research current policies, gather data and analyze the impact of legal and illegal immigration on Charlotte’s economy, public safety, healthcare & education systems . The Commission was the first of its kind in the US to conduct such a study on a local level. Under Mr. Gordon’s Chairmanship, the 28 member Commission made 22 formal policy recommendations to the Charlotte City Council, the County Commission, as well as State and Federal officials. Mr. Gordon continues to speak about the Commission’s recommendations at public meetings and to the media, to promote comprehensive immigration reform that reflects our heritage, reinforces our foundation as a ‘nation of laws’ and supports our global economic goals.