
Mr. Bach received his undergraduate degree
from
Dartmouth College in 1975 and his law degree from
Hastings College of the
Law in 1979. He has been working with immigration cases since 1978,
and has lectured extensively and written articles and books on immigration law. He has been a Member
of the American Immigration Lawyers Association continuously since 1980. In 1989, Mr.
Bach was one of the first lawyers certified by the State Bar of California Board
of Legal Specialization as a
Certified
Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law (less than 8% of California
immigration attorneys are Board Certified by the State Bar). Mr. Bach has
been given the highest rating by Martindale-Hubbell for ability and ethics for
over a decade, and is
included in the current
Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. From 1987 to 1990, Mr. Bach was the
head of the Immigration Law Department of Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May (now
Reed Smith), one of
California’s largest and most prestigious law firms. Mr. Bach has litigated immigration matters
in the U.S. federal courts, and before administrative tribunals such
as the Immigration Court, Board of Immigration Appeals, Board of Alien Labor
Certification Appeals, and the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office.
Currently he
serves on the State Bar's Immigration and
Nationality Advisory Commission, and was formerly its Chair. Among other
things, the Commission writes and grades the biannual California Immigration
and Nationality Specialty Examination. He was a 2011 - 2012 Member of the Board of
Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California. This Board
administers all of the State Bar certified legal specialties in
California, including immigration law. Mr. Bach is also an Arbitrator for the San
Francisco Bar Association.
His books include The HR Manager's Guide To
Immigration Law (2011) and How To Secure Your H-1B Visa (2013).
His lectures -- "Immigration Opportunities for the World's Top Athletes,
Artists, Performers and Scientists" and "Avoiding Liability in H-1B Cases" --
have been accepted by the California State Bar for providing specialty education
credits to immigration attorneys. Other MCLE*-approved
lectures have included
"The Essentials of Family-Based Immigration", "Social Security
Administration No-Match Letters", and
"Immigration Solutions for Engineers and Scientists."
Mr. Bach's nonprofessional interests include
mountain biking, hiking, literature, and ancient history. He and his
wife Sharon have three adult children and celebrate their 27th anniversary this
year.
Mr. Bach is licensed to practice law in California and Hawaii, but federal laws
allow him to represent clients in immigration matters in all 50 states; and
he has clients throughout the United States. With email and
overnight courier service, Mr. Bach can represent a client in New York or
Dallas as efficiently and effectively as he represents the firm's
Silicon Valley clients.
*Mandatory Continuing Legal Education for
other attorneys
