www.i-864.net

Greg McLawsen is the managing attorney and founder of Immigration Support Advocates. Greg is the leading national authority on enforcement of the Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. He has written widely on the topic for publications including the American Bar Association and American Immigration Lawyers Association. Greg litigates I-864 claims on behalf of plaintiffs around the country and provides nationwide training to lawyers on that topic.

Bar admissions.

• Washington State Supreme Court.

• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

• Federal District Court for the District of Colombia.

• Federal District Court for the Western District of Washington.

• Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.

• Federal District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.

Notable cases

• Khan v. Khan, 332 P.3d 1016 (Wash. Ct. App. 2014) (establishing precedent in Washington State that beneficiary of the Form I-864 has standing to enforce her private right of action for financial support). 

• Liu v. Kell, 299 F.Supp.3d 1128 (W.D. Wash. 2017) (granting partial summary judgment to Form I-864 plaintiff on the defenses of res judicata, failure to mitigate and waiver).

• Dorsaneo v. Dorsaneo, 261 F.Supp.3d 1052 (N.D. Cal. 2017) (granting motion for partial judgment on the pleadings to Form I-864 plaintiff).

• Cyrousi v. Kashyap, 17-cv-5467 (C.D. Cal., June 27, 2019) (publication in Federal Supplement pending) (granting in part Form I-864 plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment, holding that traditional contract law defenses are in applicable in such enforcement actions).

Online articles about the Form I-864.

Articles may be downloaded free of charge - simply click on the article title e

Additional publications.

• Article: Understanding the New DHS Rule on Public Charge Inadmissibility; I-944s, I-864s and much, much more 24 Benders Immigr. Bull 1033 (Sep. 1, 2019)

• Article: USCIS Proposes New Public Charge Rules: The Form I-864 Will Become Table Stakes as Scrutiny Shifts to the Applicant, 22 Benders Immigr. Bull 1173 (Nov. 2018)

• Article: Want to End Notario Fraud? Take the Law Into Your Own Hands, AILA Doc. No. 17112263 American Immigration Lawyers Association (Nov. 22, 2017)

• Article: Why Can’t These People Immigrate the Right Way?, King Co. Bar Ass’n Newsletter (Oct. 2017)

• Article: The Back Office In Bangalore: Clarifying the Ethics of Legal Process Outsourcing, 22 Bender’s Immigr. Bull. 705 (June 1, 2017)

• Article: Suing on the Form I-864, December 2016 Update, Greg McLawsen, 22 Bender’s Immigr. Bull. 137 (Feb. 1, 2017)  

• Article: Competence to Proceed in Immigration Court; The Insanity Continues, Greg McLawsen and Julia McLawsen, 21 Bender’s Immigr. Bull. 1058 (Sep. 15, 2016)

• Article: The Rules Have Changed: Stop Drafting I-864s for Joint Sponsors, Greg McLawsen and Gustavo Cueva, 20 Bender’s Immigr. Bull. 1287 (Nov. 15, 2015)

• Article: Is There a Case for Bringing LLLTs into a Firm; Does it Make Good Business Sense, Jerry Moberg and Greg McLawsen, Vol. 69, No. 8 NWLawyer 20 (Nov. 2015)

• Article: Redfin is Cheaper and Better than a Real Estate Agent; Will You Be the Redfin of Legal? Greg McLawsen, Vol. 69, No. 7 NWLawyer 20 (Oct. 2015)

• Article: Mental Health Inadmissibility: Helping Clients Who Engage in Self-Harm, Julia McLawsen and Greg McLawsen, 20 Bender’s Immigr. Bull. 973 (Sep. 1, 2015)

• Article: The I-864 Affidavit of Support: An Intro to the Immigration Form You Must Learn to Love/Hate, Greg McLawsen, Vo 48. No. 4 ABA Fam. L. Quarterly (Winter 2015)

• Article: Nine Mistaken Beliefs about Immigrants and the Law, Greg McLawsen and Gustavo Cueva, King Co. Bar Bull. (Apr. 2015)

• Article: Screening for Employee Immigration Status, Greg McLawsen and Mike Allen, Tacoma Pierce County Bar Bull. (Apr. 2015)

• Article: Canadian Indians, Inuit, Metis and metis; An Exploration of the Unparalleled Rights Enjoyed by American Indians Born in Canada to Freely Access the United States, Greg Boos, Greg McLawsen and Heather Fathali, 4 Seattle J. Envtl. L. 343 (2014)

• Article: Flat Fees: A Few Wrinkles, Greg McLawsen and Deborah Niedermeyer, Vol. 68, No. 4 NWLawyer 29 (June 2014)

• Article: Flat Fees: Know What’s Yours To Keep, Greg McLawsen and Deborah Niedermeyer, 19 Amer. Imm. Lawyers Assn. New Members Div. E-News  (May 2014)

• Article: Suing on the I-864 Affidavit of Support; March 2014 Update , Greg McLawsen, 19 Bender’s Immigr. Bull. 343 (Apr. 1, 2014)

• Article: Attention, Solo Attorneys: Who’s Got Your Back? Greg McLawsen and Russell Mikow, Vol. 4, Iss. 6 American Immigration Lawyers Association Voice, An Immigration Dialogue 42 (Nov.-Dec. 2013)

• Article: American Indians Born in Canada and the Right of Free Access to the United States, Greg Boos and Greg McLawsen, concurrently published in 18 Bender’s Immigr. Bull. 1103 (Oct. 1, 2013) and Border Policy Research Institute, Western Washington University, Research Report No. 20 (Oct. 2013)

• Article: Solo Attorneys: Who's Got Your Back?  You Need Backup Counsel to Protect Your Clients and Yourself, Greg McLawsen and Russell Mikow, The Bar News (Journal of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association) (August 1, 2013)

• Book Chapter: Model Practice Documents – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), in Immigration Practice Toolbox (American Immigration Lawyers Association 4th Ed. (2013)

• Article: Window Cleaning, Wine Tasting… and Wills?  Ethics of Attorney Marketing on “Daily Deal” Websites, Vol. 67, No. 5 N.W. Lawyer 7 (Wash. St. Bar. Assn. July/Aug. 2013)

• Article: Is Google Voice the Right (Free) Choice for Your Firm?  Vol 4., Iss. 3 Immigration Practice News 2 (March 2013)

• Article: Suing on the I-864 Affidavit of Support, Greg McLawsen, 17 Bender’s Immigr. Bull. 1943 (Dec. 15, 2012)

• Article: The Contractual Duty to Support an Immigrant Spouse, Lisa Seifert and Greg McLawsen, Thurston Legal Brief (Sep. 2012), reprinted at The Bar News (Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association) (Jan. 2013)

• Book Chapter: Guide to the Kitsap County Courthouse, Greg McLawsen, et al., Ch. 4-E in Washington Lawyers Practice Manual Theodore Angelis, ed.) (King Co. Bar Ass’n 2012) (1977)

• Article: Demonstrating Psychological Hardship; A Statistical Study of Psychology Evaluations in Hardship Waivers of Inadmissibility, Greg McLawsen, et al., 16 Bender’s Immigr. Bull. 10 (Jan. 1, 2011)

• Chapter section: Waivers of Inadmissibility, (Greg McLawsen as research editor), § 63.12[1] in Immigration Law and Procedure, Stanley Mailman & Steven Yale-Loehr (Bender-Lexis 2009) (1988)

Sample speaking engagements.

• Invited speaker, COVID-19’s Impact on Immigration Practices, Clio (Webinar, April 20, 2020)

• Invited speaker, Understanding the new rules on public charge inadmissibility, American Immigration Lawyers – New York Chapter (Webinar, September 27, 2019)

• Invited speaker, Understanding the new rules on public charge inadmissibility, American Immigration Lawyers – Bangkok District Chapter (Webinar, September 5, 2019)

• Invited speaker, Understanding the new rules on public charge inadmissibility, American Immigration Lawyers – Washington State Chapter (Webinar, August 20, 2019)

• Invited panelist, The Notorious I-864: No Longer a Shield Against “Public Charge”, American Immigration Lawyers Association, National (Webinar, July 30, 2019)

• Invited panelist, Public Charge Inadmissibility, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Bangkok District Chapter Conference, Bangkok, Thailand (March 2, 2019)

• Invited speaker, Public Charge Inadmissibility, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Northwest Regional Conference, Seattle, Washington (February 15, 2019)

• Invited speaker, Understanding Public Charge Inadmissibility, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Bangkok District Chapter, (Webinar, November 14, 2018)

• Panel moderator, Immigration: Policy Perspective, Washington State Bar Association – Decoding the Law seminar (Seattle, WA, August 1, 2017)

• Invited speaker, Kanban Visual Project Management for Your Law Practice, British Colombia Law Library (Vancouver, B.C., July 24, 2017)

• Invited panelist, Staying Motivated for Your Law Practice – An Evidence-Based Approach, Washington State Bar Association – Solo and Small Practice Section Annual Conference (Lynnwood, WA, July 15, 2017)

• Invited panelist, Law Firm Business Planning with the Lean Business Canvas, Oregon State Bar Association – Small Practice Section Annual Conference (Bend, OR, July 2017)

• Invited speaker, Law Firm Branding – It’s Not Your Logo, It’s Your Life, Oregon State Bar Association – Small Practice Section Annual Conference (Bend, OR, July 8, 2017)

• Invited panelist, Social Media Ethics, Washington State Bar Association’s Legal Lunchbox (Webinar, March 28, 2017)  

• Invited speaker, U.S. Immigration Law in 60 Minutes, Thurston County Bar Association (Olympia, WA, March 17, 2016)

• Invited speaker, Immigration Financial Support – Using the I-864 to transition to self- sufficiency, End Violence Against Women Now (National Webinar, February 16, 2017)

• Invited panelist, I-864 Affidavits of Support: Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls, American Immigration Lawyers Association – National Education Department (Recorded podcast, upcoming January 31, 2017)

• Invited speaker, Enforcement of the Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, Clallam County Bar Association’s monthly meeting (Port Angeles, WA, January 20, 2017)

• Invited speaker, Agile Project Management for Lawyers, Jefferson County Bar Association’s monthly meeting (Pt. Townsend, WA, December 8, 2016)

• Invited speaker, Adobe Acrobat for Lawyers, National Business Institute CLE (Seattle, WA, December 2, 2016)

• Invited panelist, Advanced I-864 Issues, American Immigration Lawyers Association, D.C. Chapter (Washington D.C., November 15, 2016)

• Invited speaker, Free and Low-Cost Technology for Your Law Firm, Kittitas County Bar Association’s monthly meeting (Ellensburg, WA, September 8, 2016)

• Speaker, Advanced I-864 Issues, Sound Immigration Monthly Immigration CLE (Webinar, Aug. 31, 2016)

• Invited participant, TBD Law Conference hosted by Lawyerist Media (St. Louis, MO, Aug. 14-16, 2016)

• Invited speaker, Essentials of Employment Law (Immigration Issues), Sterling Education seminar (Tacoma, WA, Aug. 10, 2016). 

• Invited speaker, The Ethics of Marketing Your Practice, Seattle University School of Law Low Bono CLE (Seattle, WA, Aug. 1, 2016)

• Invited speaker, Agile Project Management for Lawyers, Seattle Legal Technology and Innovation Meetup Group’s 21st Century Lawyer CLE (Seattle, WA, June 7, 2016)

• Invited speaker, Legal Tech Set-Up, Seattle University School of Law Low Bono CLE (Seattle, WA, June 1, 2016)

• Speaker, Adjustment of Status from ESTA/Visa Waiver, Sound Immigration Monthly Immigration CLE (Webinar, May 24, 2016)

• Invited speaker, The Ethics of Marketing Your Practice, American Immigration Lawyer’s Association – Washington Chapter Annual CLE (Seattle, WA, May 13, 2016)

• Invited speaker, Agile project management for the real estate lawyer: replacing busyness with effectiveness and clarity, King County Bar Association, Real Property Probate and Trust Section CLE (Seattle, WA, May 4, 2016)

• Invited speaker, Legal Zoom, Legal Hacking and Why You Shouldn't Look for a Job, University of Nebraska Lincoln College of Law, American Constitutional Society (Lincoln, NE, Apr. 4, 2016)

• Invited speaker, What Every Attorney Needs to Know About E-Signatures and Submission of On-Line Forms, Washington State Bar Association Solo and Small Practice Section Annual CLE – 7 Keys to Managing a 21st Century Practice (Seattle, WA, Jan. 22, 2016)

• Invited panelist, Dual and Joint Representation, Annual Ethics CLE, American Immigration Lawyers Association – Washington Chapter (Seattle, WA, Dec. 7, 2015)

• Invited speaker, Immigration Financial Support; A Tool for Helping Survivors Achieve Independence, National Organization for Victim Assistance – 41st Annual Conference (Dallas, TX, Aug. 19, 2015)

• Invited speaker, Immigration Insights for the Every-Lawyer, 10th Annual Washington State Bar Association Solo and Small Practice Conference (Spokane, WA, July 10, 2015)

• Invited speaker, Creating Fee Agreements, 10th Annual Washington State Bar Association Solo and Small Practice Conference (Spokane, WA, July 9, 2015)

• Invited panelist, Complicated Affidavit of Support Issues, American Immigration Lawyer’s Association National Conference (Washington D.C., June 20, 2015)

• Invited speaker, Immigration Law for Family Law Attorneys, Kitsap County Bar Association Family Law Section (Port Orchard, WA, April 10, 2015)

• Invited speaker, Affidavit of Support; Advanced Topics, Northwest Regional Immigration Conference, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Seattle University School of Law (Seattle, WA, March 19, 2015)

• Invited speaker, Psycholegal Standards in U.S. Immigration Law, Post-Doctoral Seminar Series, Western State Hospital (Steilacoom, WA, February 8, 2015)

• Invited Speaker, Running a Paperless Law Office, Introduction to the Practice of Law in Pierce County – Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section (Tacoma, WA, October 3, 2014)

• Discussion Facilitator, Mission Possible Symposium, Washington State Bar Association, Future of the Profession Work Group (University Place, WA, October 1, 2014)

• Invited Speaker, Not Your Grandma’s Law Practice, Social Justice Monday – Seattle University School of Law (Seattle, WA, September 29, 2014)

• Invited speaker, Legal Ethics: Tips For Everyday Practice, National Business Institute (Seattle, WA, August 21, 2014)

• Invited panelist, Cocktail Reception Law: Substantive Law Issues You May Face, 9th Annual Washington State Bar Association Solo and Small Practice Conference (Vancouver, WA, July 26, 2014)

• Invited speaker, The Ethics of Flat Fee Billing, 9th Annual Washington State Bar Association Solo and Small Practice Conference (Vancouver, WA, July 24, 2014)

• Invited panelist, Keynote Address: The Small Firm Advantage, 9th Annual Washington State Bar Association Solo and Small Practice Conference (Vancouver, WA, July 24, 2014)

• Invited panelist, Branding Your Practice in a DIY World, 9th Annual Washington State Bar Association Solo and Small Practice Conference (Vancouver, WA, July 24, 2014)

• Invited speaker, Psycholegal Standards in U.S. Immigration Law, Post-Doctoral Seminar Series, Western State Hospital (Steilacoom, WA, June 6, 2012)

• Invited speaker, Technology for Starting an Immigration Practice, New Members Division Continuing Legal Education, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Washington Chapter (Seattle, Apr. 10, 2014)

• Invited speaker, The Ethics of Using Social Media, Business Development 101: Tools and Techniques to Build a Successful Law Practice, Seattle University School of Law (Seattle, WA, Mar. 21, 2014)

• Invited panelist, Rights of Access for American Indians and Inuit Born in Canada, Seattle University School of Law, Arctic Encounter Symposium (Seattle, WA, Feb. 8, 2014)

• Invited speaker, I-864 Advanced Issues; Enforcement, 40 Quarters Rule and Joint Sponsor Ethics, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Washington Chapter, Monthly CLE (Seattle, WA, Jan. 6, 2014)

• Invited speaker, Choosing Hardware and Software for a Law Practice, Seattle University School of Law (Seattle, WA, Dec. 10, 2013)

• Invited speaker, Immigration Law Issues in Family Law, Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association’s Annual Conference (Ocean Shores, WA, Sep. 28 2013)

• Invited speaker, Immigration Law for the Non-Immigration Lawyer, Washington State Bar Association’s Solo and Small Practice Section, Continuing Legal Education Seminar (Tacoma, WA, Sep. 13, 2013)

• Invited speaker, No Cost and Low Cost Technology to Manage Your Law Practice, Washington State Legal Institute (Tacoma, WA, Aug. 6, 2013)

• Invited speaker, Staff Up or Staff Out?  Getting the Help You Need to Run Your Practice, 8th Annual Washington State Bar Association Solo and Small Practice Conference (Vancouver, WA, July 2013)

• Panel moderator, Retirement and Succession Planning for the Solo and Small Firm, 8th Annual Washington State Bar Association Solo and Small Practice Conference (Vancouver, WA, July 2013)

• Invited speaker, Free and Low-Cost Tech for Your Law Practice; Managing the Business Side of the Practice, National Business Institute (Seattle, WA, July 12, 2013) 

• Invited panelist, Solo Practice Panel, Washington State Bar Association Bi-Monthly Job Seeker Group (July 10, 2013)

• Invited speaker, Immigration Law 101, Washington State Paralegal Association 2013 Spring Continuing Legal Education Program (Seattle, WA, Apr. 26, 2013)

• Invited speaker, The I-864 Affidavit of Support; Why Your Client has to Pay Spousal Support Forever, Monthly Bar Lunch, Kitsap County Bar Association (Port Orchard, WA, Mar. 2013)

• Invited speaker, House Bill 1079; the DREAM Act Forum, Panel Speaker, University of Washington – Tacoma (Tacoma, WA, Mar. 2013)

• Invited speaker, The I-864 Affidavit of Support; Why Your Client has to Pay Spousal Support Forever, Family Law Section CLE, Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association (Tacoma, WA, Nov.  2012)

• Invited speaker, The I-864 Affidavit of Support; Why Your Client has to Pay Spousal Support Forever, Immigration Law & Interpreter Services CLE, Kitsap Legal Services (Bremerton, WA, Nov. 2012)

• Invited speaker, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Immigration Law & Interpreter Services CLE, Kitsap Legal Services (Bremerton, WA, Nov. 2012)

• Invited speaker, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – What you need to know, South Seattle Community College (Seattle, WA, Nov. 2012)

• Invited speaker, Immigration Law in 40 Minutes; Practicing Happy Law, Paralegal Program, Tacoma Community College (Tacoma, WA, Nov. 2012)

• Invited speaker, Psychological Hardship Evaluations in Immigration Law, Post-Doctoral Seminar Series, Western State Hospital (Steilacoom, WA, June 2012)

• Invited speaker, Psychology Testimony in Immigration Law: An Empirical Examination of Hardship Waiver Decisions, Greg McLawsen, et al., Paper Presentation at the American Psychology-Law Association international conference (Vancouver, B.C., Mar. 2010)

• Invited speaker, Extreme Hardship Evaluations in Immigration Law: Translating Legal Standards into Clinical Practice, Julia McLawsen & Greg McLawsen, et al., Paper Presentation at the American Psychology-Law Association international conference (San Antonio, TX, Mar. 2009)