Immigration Attorney Sean Lewis

Caring and compassionate, Sean Lewis is licensed in Tennessee and focuses practice on Immigration Law and cases related to immigration law.

 
Sean Lewis is the founder and managing member of the Law Offices of Sean Lewis, PLLC based in Nashville also with offices in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Dallas*. Mr. Lewis received a Bachelor of Arts from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, California. Mr. Lewis is the past Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association Standing Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law and serves on the Executive Committee of the TBA Immigration Section. Sean is also the Past Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association Immigration Law Section and Past Chair of the Nashville Bar Association’s Immigration Law Section. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the National Lawyer’s Guild. Sean Lewis is a graduate of the TBA Leadership Law Class of 2010.
Sean Lewis is a frequent speaker on many issues related to immigration law, criminal-immigration law, immigration law for entertainers as well as the unauthorized practice of law and other issues facing immigrants and their attorneys. Mr. Lewis drafted legislation in 2006 which amended the notary public laws in the State of Tennessee and is still used today to fight unscrupulous “notarios” who target the immigrant community. He is fluent in Spanish and provides bi-lingual legal services. Before becoming an attorney, Mr. Lewis had a career as a recording artist with NOISE/BMG and until recently, toured as lead guitarist with notorious Metal Band “LONDON” (formerly known as “D’Priest”) in his spare time. LONDON was started by NIKKI SIXX of metal fame Motley Crue and featured members of Guns & Roses, Cinderella and others. To balance his personal and professional life, Mr. Lewis continues to be active in the music field. Sean is also a licensed pilot and lives in rural Williamson County, Tennessee.

Education:

Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, CA

Doctor of Jurisprudence May 2000
Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy and History May 1996
(1995-1996 St. Catherine’s College, Oxford University, UK) Professional Qualifications:
Admitted: Tennessee Bar April 2001 (www.TBPR.org)
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee March 2004
Sixth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals May 2007
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee (pro hac vice)
Superior Court of California at Long Beach (pro hac vice)
Circuit Court of Dallas, Texas (pro hac vice)
Professional and Civic Activities
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations
National Lawyer’s Guild (National Immigration Project)
Federal Bar Association, Immigration Law Section.
Tennessee Bar Association Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law, Chair 2009-2012; TBA Executive Counsel-Immigration Law Section, Chair 2015-2016
Immigration Law Section.
Nashville Bar Association Immigration Law Section Past Chair Graduated Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law, Class of 2010 Drafted “anti-notario” legislation including 2006 amendments toTenn.Code.Ann. 23-3-101, 103, 104, 108; Tenn.Code Ann.. 8-16-401

Professional and Civic Activities

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations National Lawyer’s Guild (National Immigration Project) Federal Bar Association, Immigration Law Section. Tennessee Bar Association Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law, Chair 2009-2012; TBA Executive Counsel-Immigration Law Section, Chair 2015-2016 Immigration Law Section. Nashville Bar Association Immigration Law Section Past Chair Graduated Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law, Class of 2010 Drafted “anti-notario” legislation including 2006 amendments to Tenn.Code.Ann. 23-3-101, 103, 104, 108; Tenn.Code Ann.. 8-16-401

Speeches and Publications

Sean Lewis has spoken/will speak as a panelist at the following events:
May 17-18, 2019 Federal Bar Association Immigration Law Section, Austin TX-Ethics “When Lawyers cross the Line with Cyrus Mehta and Carl Shusterman; “Protecting your Firm and Clients in the Age of Social Media”; November 2:AILA Midsouth Annual Conference, ‘Crimmigration’. New Orleans. Moderator: Sean Lewis.
-May 19. Ethics: How to Effectively (and Ethically) Represent a Client Who Has Given False Testimony or Committed Prior Fraud. Moderator: Sean Lewis, Attorney, Nashville, TN. Speakers: Kevin Balkwill, Disciplinary Counsel TN Board of Professional Responsibility; Lucian Pera, Attorney, Memphis, TN;Clayton Cartwright, Attorney, Columbus, GA
-May 18, Basics of Family Based Immigration Before USCIS “Guerilla Layering in the Trump Era”, Moderator: Joe Reina, Attorney Dallas, TX. Speakers: Sean Lewis, Attorney, Nashville, TN; Anna Gallagher, Attorney Washington, DC, Hudaidah Bhimdi, Attorney, Washington, DC
-April 6, 2018 Tennessee Bar Association Immigration Law Seminar: Details on the Opening of the Nashville USCIS Office. Sean Lewis, Moderator. Daniel Andrade, Speaker, Field Office Director, Nashville, USCIS
September 3, 2015, Tennessee Bar Association, Webinar/CLE “Juvenile Court Proceedings and Special Immigrant Juveniles in Tennessee” with Hon. Sheila Calloway, Juvenile Court Judge, Nashville/Davidson County Juvenile Court; and, Steven Simerlein, Esq.
May 16-17, 2015, Memphis, TN, Federal Bar Association Immigration Law Section/AILA annual conference on Immigration Law.
May 16, 2015, Mock Competency Hearing under Matter of M-A-M, with Hon. Jack Weil, EOIR, Headquarters; Ofelia Calderon, Immigration Attorney; Dr. Alicia Cabrera, Clinical Psychologist, Kansas City.
May 17, 2015, Ineffective Assistance of Counsel with Tanya Meyers, Private Attorney, Tucson, AZ; Kevin Balkwill, Disciplinary Counsel, Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility.
April 11, 2015, Nashville, TN, Tennessee Bar Association Immigration Law Section Government Agencies’ Perspective with Lynuel Dennis, USCIS Memphis FOD, Robert Ryan, DHS/ICE Office of Investigations, Knoxville, TN.
December 10, 2014, Nashville, TN CLE, Tennessee Bar Association (webinar), Overview of President Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration with Attorney Bruce Buchanan.
October 30, 2014, Nashville, TN Tennessee Bar Association (Webinar), Representation of Juvenile Immigrants in Immigration and Juvenile Court Proceedings with Attorney Terry Olsen, Linda Nieles (TN Department of Children’s Services).
June 18, 2014, Boston, Mass., American Immigration Lawyers (AILA) Annual Conference, CLE Panelist: Ethics and Professionalism in Immigration Law.
Sean Lewis is speaking for the Federal Bar Association at the Immigration Law annual CLE ON May 17, 2014 at Memphis, TN. He will be moderating three panels, specifically: 1) May 17, 2014: Bond and Custody: Detention, Bonding & Bond Redetermination with Hon. Dorothy Harbeck (Immigration Judge, Elizabeth, NJ), Hiroko Kusuda Immigration Law Clinic Professor, Loyola University, New Orleans; Peter Williamson, Immigration Attorney-Chamberlain, Hrdicka, White, Williams & Aughtry, Houston, TX. 2) May 17, 2014: Cancellation of Removal for Non-Permanent Residents with Immigration Attorney Jim Tom Haynes (Haynes, Novick Immigration, Washington, DC); HOn. Rebecca Holt, Immigration Judge, Memphis, TN; Immigration Attorney Rusty O’Obrien (O’Brien Law Group, Louisville, TN). 3) May 17, 2014: Practice before the Board of Immigration Appeals with Lucas Guttentag (National Director, Immigrant’s Rights Project, Berkeley, CA); Joseph Reina, Immigration Attorney (Reina & Bates Immigration, Dallas, TX); Hon. Lory Rosenburg (former BIA Justice, AIA Board of Governors, IDEAS, Washington, DC).
April 17, 2013, Nashville, TN CLE, Tennessee Bar Association Immigration Law Section: “Awarding and Removal of Immigration Benefits” speaking with Brandon Josephsen, Chief Counsel, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), New Orleans, LA.
October 10, 2013, Nashville, TN (Webinar) CLE, Tennessee Bar Association: “Expanding Your Practice: Immigration Law”.
May 17-18, 2013, Memphis, TN: 10’th Annual Federal Bar Association 2013 Immigration Law Seminar CLE:
“Bond and Custody: Detention, Bonding and Bond Redetermination” with Hon. Irene Feldman, EOIR Immigration Judge, Eloy, AZ; Brandon Josephson, DHS/USICE, Deputy Chief Counsel, New Orleans.
“Pardons and Post-Conviction Relief: How to Avoid a Conviction Under The INA” with Hon. John Fowlkes, US District Court W. District of TN, District Judge; John Blakely USDOJ, Civil Div. OIL, Senior Litigation Counsel; Anna Gallagher, Esq.; Jodi Goodwin, Esq. “Ethics in Immigration Law: Confidentiality and Atty-Client/Agency/Applications/FOIA Issues” with Richard Averwater, of counsel, Law Offices of Sean Lewis, PLLC
“Ethical and Legal Duties for Vacating Criminal Convictions”, November 3, 2013, AILA Mid-South and Texas Joint Chapter Conference, New Orleans, LA. “Vacating Criminal Convictions for Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Under Padilla v. Kentucky”, June 14, 2012, Tennessee Bar Association panelist with Norton Tooby.
Others:
“Crimmigration: Immigration Consequences of Crime” November 5, 2011 AILA Mid-South Chapter Conference CLE. Nashville, TN
“Immigration Status and How Crimes and Divorce Can Ruin Your Client’s Life”, CLE-Tenn. Bar Association Court Square Series October 21, 2011, Johnson City, TN;
October 20, 2011, Kingsport, TN; September 22, 2011, Manchester, TN, September 14, 2011 Columbia, TN.
“Unauthorized Practice of Law and Consumer Protection of the Elderly” CLE-Tenn. Bar Association, Nashville, TN July 29, 2011 with Jeff Hill, Esq.-Tennessee Attorney General Consumer Protection Div. and Kevin Balkwill, Esq.- Board of Professional Responsibility, Nashville, TN.
“Basic Immigration Concepts for Lawyers: Determining a Client’s ‘Status” with Richard Averwater, Esq. TBA Webinar, August 23, 2011
“Advanced Immigration Topics: The Padilla Decision, Silva-Trevino and Categorical and Modified Approach to classifying crime, Immigration Definition of ‘Convictions,” TBA Webinar, August 23, 2011.
“Duty to Inform under TRCrimP Rule 11” CLE with Hon. Gloria Dumas and Patrick McNally, Esq., Tenn. Bar Assoc. Webinar, Nashville, June 8, 2011
“Duty to Report the Unauthorized Practice of Law”, and “Bond Issue in Immigration Cases”, Federal Bar Association-8’th Annual Immigration Seminar CLE, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, May 14, 2011.
“Immigration Law Basics for the Green Industry”, Tennessee Nursery & Landscaping Association Winter Education Seminar, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee February 14, 2011.
“Ethical Issues: Representing Foreign Nationals” Tennessee Bar Association CLE, November 30, 2010
“USCIS, U.S. and Tennessee Department of Labor, Investigations of H-1B and Labor Certifications”-CLE Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville, TN April 8, 2011 (Moderator).
“I-9 Worksite Compliance and DHS Audits,” Middle Tennessee Nursery Association (MTNA), McMinnville, Tennessee November 18, 2010
“Padilla and Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions,” AILA Mid-South Fall CLE, November 13, 2010, New Orleans, LA
“Immigration Consequences of Crime for Entertainment Clients,” Georgia, Florida and New York Bar Association, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, November 5, 2010
“Immigration Consequences of Crime,” Tennessee Public Defender Conference Annual CLE, Chattanooga, TN October 21, 2010
“Immigration Issues and Foreign Students,” University of Alabama Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama, October 10, 2010
“Consumer Protection,” Tennessee Bar Association CLE, June 25, 2010
“Implications of “Padilla;” Moderator: “Unauthorized Practice of Law,” Federal Bar Association CLE, Memphis, TN, May 15, 2010
April 19 2010, Tennessee Bar Association Webcast CLE “The Padilladecision: What Every Criminal Defense Attorney Needs to Know.”
Immigration Law Enforcement: State & Federal, Tennessee Bar Association CLE April 16, 2010
“I-9 Issues and H-2B Update,” Tennessee Nursery and Landscaping Association, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee February 2, 2010
“Immigration Issues in the Entertainment Industry” Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: Georgia, Florida, New York Bar Associations CLE November 13, 2009
“Immigration Consequences of Crime,” Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers CLE June 9, 2009
Unauthorized Practice of Law,” Federal Bar Association Annual Immigration CLE, Memphis, TN May 16 2009Ø “12-Steps to Worksite Compliance,” Tennessee
Nursery and Landscaping Association (TNLA), Jackson, Tennessee, July 10, 2008
“I-9 Compliance in 12-Steps,” Tennessee Nursery and Landscaping Association (TNLA), Franklin, Tennessee, June 10, 2008
Invited Speaker/Moderator: Federal Bar Association Annual CLE, “Unauthorized Practice of Law,” Memphis, Tennessee May 16, 2008
“The Unauthorized Practice of Law,” AILA Midsouth Fall CLE, November 4, 2007, Louisville, Kentucky
“Issues and Struggles for the Green Industry” (English and Spanish) 2007 Green Industry Conference, Professional Land Care Network (PLANET), October 27, 2007, Louisville, Kentucky
Unauthorized Practice of Law and “Notarios,” Federal Bar Association, Memphis, TN CLE May 17, 2007
Tennessee Bar Association: General Practice Summit, “Unauthorized Practice of Law” August 26, 2006, Nashville, TN
Tennessee Early Intervention Program, “Immigration Issues for Parents of Non-U.S. Citizens Attending Tennessee Schools, July 15, 2006, Cookeville, Tennessee American Immigration Lawyers (AILA) Annual National Conference CLE “Cancellation of Removal Mock Trial” with Immigration Judge Polly Webber (SF), June 21-24, 2006 San Antonio, TX
“New Latino Destinations:” University of Tennessee, March 31-April1, 2006, Knoxville, TN
“UPL and Language Fraud in Tennessee: A Notarious Problem” Nashville Bar Journal (Feb.2005 Vol.5-No.2).
 
*Texas and other states: Sean Lewis is licensed to practice law in State of Tennessee and exclusively practices Immigration and Nationality Law in Texas and other states, other than Tennessee. Sean Lewis is not licensed to practice Texas law in the State of Texas. Although Sean Lewis maintains an office in Texas, Sean Lewis is only available by prior appointment.