About Carl
Carl Shusterman earned his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1973. He began his legal training in a period of shifting immigration law and policy. That early academic foundation placed him in a generation of lawyers who would see the field grow more complex and more litigated over the following decades.
He joined the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as an INS lawyer in 1976. Working inside the agency gave him a close-up view of enforcement practices, case intake and the administrative machinery that governs immigration decisions. Those years informed how he would later represent individuals and institutions facing removal, relief and naturalization questions.
In 1989 he became managing lawyer of the Law Office of Carl Shusterman. He ran a small firm handling immigration matters and related proceedings. Over time the office took on matters that ranged from administrative hearings to federal appeals. He holds admission in multiple jurisdictions, including the courts of the Ninth, Sixth and Seventh Circuits, the U.S. Supreme Court and the State of California. He is also a Certified Specialist in Immigration Law as recognized by the State Bar of California.
Shusterman has been active in professional associations. He served on the National Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association from 1988 to 1997. That period on the board put him in regular contact with policy debates, continuing legal education efforts and the national network of practitioners who handle complex immigration litigation and advocacy.
More recently, he took on an of-counsel role at JR Immigration Law in 2020 while continuing his independent practice. The of-counsel position has allowed him to consult on appeals and strategy, drawing on decades of courtroom and agency experience. He maintains a practice centered on immigration law, frequently handling appeals in federal courts and matters before administrative tribunals. His current practice concentrates on immigration litigation, appellate work and representation before federal and administrative forums.
