Immigration Services

David Hodges came to immigration law through his own family. His spouse and his spouse’s family are immigrants, and David saw firsthand the bad information they got from friends, from online sources, and even from lawyers. When one relative was in immigration court, his lawyer sometimes failed to appear at his hearings and never developed a strategy to help him stay. David stepped in and helped. Once he saw what careful, honest help could do for his own family, he decided to do the same for other families facing the same problems. He has focused on immigration law since 2015.

Today David’s practice centers on keeping families together. Most of his clients come to him for family-based petitions, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) for young people, and U visas for victims of crime. He also represents clients in immigration court and in appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Many of his clients come from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, and from other Spanish-speaking countries. His staff speaks both Spanish and English, and clients can meet with him in person, by video, or by phone.

Clients say David takes the time to listen. He explains each step in detail, lays out the options, and tells clients the truth about their chances, even when it is not what they hoped to hear. He believes an honest answer at the start saves families time, money and heartache.

That honesty comes with persistence. One client had been told by other lawyers that a U visa was not possible for her: the police had refused to sign the required certification, and she was told her harm was not serious enough. David kept working. He obtained the certification from a different agency, documented the harm she had suffered, and secured her U visa. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome, but David brings the same effort to every case.

David’s path to immigration law began on Capitol Hill, where he interned for U.S. Senator Wyche Fowler of Georgia. He answered constituents’ questions about veterans’ benefits and immigration problems such as slow processing times at the immigration agency. After law school, he worked on litigation teams at several national law firms, handling products liability, medical malpractice and environmental cases. That litigation training shapes how he prepares every immigration case: thoroughly, with an eye on what the judge or officer will need to see.

A Michigan native, David lived in Maryland before making Georgia his home. Away from the office, he loves to travel and is a huge soccer fan.

• B.A., Political Science, minor in Economics, University of Maryland, 1991
• J.D., University of Florida College of Law
• Admitted to the Maryland State Bar, 1998
• Registered to practice before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals)
• Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)

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