Robert “Bob” Birach is a seasoned immigration attorney with nearly five decades of experience in the field.

Professional Experience
Bob has been a licensed attorney in the State of Michigan, since 1978, having earned his J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and his B.A. in English (Creative Writing) and Communication Arts and Sciences from Western Michigan University in 1974.

Although he has experience in many other areas of law, including corporate law, business law, personal injury litigation, criminal law and real estate, he has limited his practice to the area of immigration and naturalization law for the past 35 years, plus. His broad-based background in other areas of law, gives him an advantage not enjoyed by others, as the field of immigration law continues to grow and intersect with other areas of law, especially in the areas of business startups, mergers and acquisitions, and the current emphasis on enforcement, visa revocation, denaturalization, habeas corpus, due process and other issues.

Bob focuses his practice on complex immigration matters before federal agencies and courts, representing clients in some of the most challenging stages of the immigration process. His work includes defending individuals in removal proceedings, preparing and litigating asylum claims, and pursuing waivers of inadmissibility for clients facing significant legal and procedural obstacles. He also handles appellate litigation, advocating for clients before federal courts to correct legal errors, challenge adverse decisions, and advance nuanced interpretations of immigration law.

Bob is also a recognized expert on H-2A (agricultural) and H-2B (nonagricultural) nonimmigrant temporary worker visas, to provide staffing for farms, wineries, nurseries, greenhouses, seasonal resorts, landscapers and other seasonal businesses.

Drawing on deep experience across multiple forums, Bob provides strategic, thorough, and compassionate representation in cases that often carry life‑altering consequences for the businesses, individuals and families involved.

His motto is: “I may not always be right, but I am never wrong!”

He explains: “I am very intuitive. I may not know why I am right, but that only forces me to hit the books (yes, I still use paper) even harder, to prove why I am right. I owe my reputation as a “lawyer’s lawyer” to my creativity, imagination and my refusal to stop searching until I find a solution.

Professional Affiliations, Activities and Honors
Bob is recognized as an expert in his field, having earned peer review recognition, for over 25 years, through Martindale-Hubbell (rated AV Preeminent®), Super Lawyers, Top Lawyer (2013, Lawyer of the Year for Immigration), Best Lawyers and Leading Lawyer, the New York Times and the U.S. News and World Report (rating from former firm as a Tier 1 firm in the field of Immigration). These peer-reviewed recognitions are reserved for those practitioners who are considered to be among the top 5% in their profession.

He has been qualified to serve as an expert witness, on immigration matters, in both U.S. and Canadian courts as well as before administrative tribunals such as the State of Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission, has served as a panelist for a United Nations Human Rights Annual Review symposium and has been interviewed on immigration issues, by such varied media outlets as National Public Radio, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, Foreign Policy and Al Jazeera, as well as local newspapers, television and radio stations.

He served as Chair of the Michigan Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and served as a member of the Board of Governors of AILA’s national organization for several years. In addition, he served on AILA’s Department of Labor liaison committee, and the H-2 A & B subcommittee for several years and is currently an active participant in both the federal litigation and defense sub-bars, while serving as a mentor to immigration lawyers nationwide, and continuing to serve as an AILA faculty member, regularly speaking at immigration law seminars and AILA conferences nationwide.

As a former Adjunct Professor of Immigration and Nationality Law at Thomas M. Cooley/Western Michigan University Law School, Bob has regularly engaged in lobbying activities immigration issues, both in Washington D.C. and locally.

Education, Bar and Court Admissions, Clerkships
Bob holds a J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and a B.A. from Western Michigan University. Bob is licensed to practice law in the State of Michigan and is admitted to appear before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 11th Circuits, along with the U.S. District Courts for the Western and Southern Districts of Texas, the Northern District of Ohio, and the Eastern District of Michigan.