David Landau
Miami Beach
Summary
Objective: To apply my expertise and over 25 years of legal and managerial experience to manage and lead a new OPLA office in Raleigh, North Carolina
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Litigation Coordinator
Immigration Law and Practice Division
Washington
10.2009 - Current
- Establish and lead ILPD's Appeals Team. Won the OPLA Innovation Award with Appeals Team colleagues in 2021 for developing protocols for using PLAnet to review and track OPLA's appeals.
- Coordinate with DHS, Office of General Counsel, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) on major immigration litigation before the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, including, e.g., Campos-Chaves v. Garland, 602 U.S. 447 (2024) (upholding the validity of hundreds of thousands in absentia orders of removal), and provide substantive input on the legal arguments made by DOJ.
- Represent DHS in oral arguments before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), including Matter of Vides-Casanova, 26 I&N Dec. 494 (BIA 2015), for which I received the Secretary's Silver Medal.
- Draft supplemental briefs resulting in favorable precedent for DHS on critical issues, including the sufficiency of an incomplete Notice to Appear (NTA) to confer jurisdiction and terminate parole, Matter of Arambula-Bravo, 28 I&N Dec. 388 (BIA 2021), and the Migrant Protection Protocols, Matter of J.J. Rodriguez, 27 I&N Dec, 762 (BIA 2020).
- Coordinate OPLA's litigation strategy and draft template pleadings used in thousands of appeals following Pereira v. Sessions, 585 U.S. 198 (2018), resulting in favorable precedent, including Matter of Rosales Vargas & Rosales Rosales, 27 I&N Dec. 745 (BIA 2020), and Matter of Bermudez-Cota, 27 I&N Dec. 441 (BIA 2018).
- Develop and implement novel and effective immigration arguments and strategies to advance DHS' interests in litigation before both the federal courts and the BIA.
- Create training presentations and provide training to OPLA attorneys on Appellate Practice, Crimmigration and Parole at dozens of sessions of OPLA 101 and OPLA 201. Provide training on Appellate Practice to new ILPD attorneys.
- Review and draft legislative and regulatory initiatives.
- Lead ILPD's Non-Protection Adverse Decision Recommendation (ADR) and Corporate Presentation Teams.
- Formerly mentor two ILPD attorneys and informally contribute to the professional development of ILPD colleagues.
- Regularly serve as Acting Chief and Acting Deputy Chief of ILPD.
Chief
Immigration Law and Practice Division
Washington
08.2005 - 09.2009
- Oversaw the growth of OPLA's Appellate Counsel as it expanded to become the Immigration Law & Practice Division.
- Supervised over a dozen attorneys, including ILPD's first Deputy Chief.
- Established ILPD's reputation for excellence and expertise in protection law.
- Enhanced the status of OPLA within DHS and ICE by providing timely and high quality recommendations on federal litigation to DHS/OGC and DOJ and by assisting DOJ in case preparation.
- Led ILPD in developing innovative and effective legal strategies to assist OPLA's Offices of Chief Counsel and other OPLA/HQ Divisions in litigation before the BIA and immigration courts.
Deputy Chief Counsel
Office of the Principal Legal Advisor
Arlington
03.2004 - 09.2005
- Supervised staff of nine attorneys and six support staff.
- Managed national security litigation including In re Hajbeh, 2004 WL 1398663 (BIA Apr. 22, 2004), and implemented systems for tracking special interest cases.
- Worked with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in drafting the plea agreement in the prosecution and denaturalization of Abdurahman Alamooudi. See United States v. Alamoudi, 452 F.3d 310 (4th Cir. 2006).
- Provided legal advice to District operational components, including Detention and Removal Operations (DRO), ICE Investigations, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).
Appellate Counsel
Office of the Principal Legal Advisor
Falls Church
09.2003 - 03.2004
- Reviewed and advised on emergency stays of immigration court decisions in bond proceedings.
- Drafted memorandum addressing application of res judicata in immigration proceedings.
- Reviewed and edited briefs and motions filed with the BIA.
Associate Principal Legal Advisor
National Security Law Division
Washington
09.2001 - 09.2003
- Managed cases involving National Security concerns and human rights violators.
- Coordinated litigation strategies with OPLA's field and HQ leadership, ICE's operational components and other U.S. Government agencies.
- Provided legal counsel to ICE's National Security Unit.
- Developed protocols for tracking National Security cases following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11).
- Advised on federal litigation arising from the investigation of the 9/11 attacks.
- Researched, wrote and edited legal briefs and memoranda for administrative and federal court proceedings.
- Developed and provided training on immigration law pertaining to national security.
- Represented the United States and presented at the 2002 War Crimes Conference in Ottawa, Canada.
Assistant District Counsel
Immigration & Naturalization Service
Arlington
09.2000 - 08.2001
- Represented the Government in hearings before an Immigration Judge and in written pleadings before the BIA and immigration courts.
- Worked with the National Security Law Division (NSLD) in drafting the brief to the Attorney General in Matter of A-H-, 23 I&N Dec. 774 (A.G. 2005).
Assistant District Counsel
Immigration & Naturalization Service
Miami
06.1999 - 08.2000
- Represented the Government in hearings before an Immigration Judge and in written pleadings before the BIA and immigration courts.
Education
Juris Doctor -
Duke University School of Law
Durham, NC05-1994
Bachelor of Arts - Economics
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA06-1990
Timeline
Senior Litigation Coordinator
Immigration Law and Practice Division
10.2009 - Current
Chief
Immigration Law and Practice Division
08.2005 - 09.2009
Deputy Chief Counsel
Office of the Principal Legal Advisor
03.2004 - 09.2005
Appellate Counsel
Office of the Principal Legal Advisor
09.2003 - 03.2004
Associate Principal Legal Advisor
National Security Law Division
09.2001 - 09.2003
Assistant District Counsel
Immigration & Naturalization Service
09.2000 - 08.2001
Assistant District Counsel
Immigration & Naturalization Service
06.1999 - 08.2000
Juris Doctor -
Duke University School of Law
Bachelor of Arts - Economics
Swarthmore College