A Board Certified Specialist in Immigration Law: What It Means to Me


In an extension of our Get to Know Series with Attorney Allison Lukanich, we also want to highlight her achievement of becoming a Board Certified Specialist in Immigration Law through the North Carolina State Bar.

In November 2018 Attorney Allison Lukanich had the privilege of learning that she had became a Board Certified Specialist in Immigration Law through the North Carolina State Bar.  This had been a professional goal of Allison’s since she started practicing law in 2012 and she was proud to join the ranks of respected colleagues before her.

What is a Board Certified Specialist in Immigration?

Board certification as a specialist in immigration law is a formal recognition of an attorney’s demonstration of special training, experience, and knowledge in the field of immigration.

Obtaining recognition as a Board Certified Specialist in Immigration Law is only awarded to those attorneys who are experienced and knowledgeable in the field of immigration. It provides an objective, verifiable credential that our clients can use to make a better informed decision about legal representation.

The Process

After receiving sufficient recommendations from experienced immigration colleagues in North Carolina, Allison prepared for the 6-hour exam, which is used to solely to assess immigration law knowledge.  Allison spent many nights and weekends reviewing all of the study material.

Funny enough, the bar exam required to become a licensed attorney doesn’t test immigration knowledge at all, so this was her first ever immigration law exam!

Allison regularly practices both family immigration law and removal (deportation) defense, one area she said that she did have to brush up on and really study was employment-based immigration.

Achieving Her Goal

Other than achieving a professional goal, Allison stated that she, “believes becoming a Board Certified Specialist has made me a truly well-rounded immigration attorney, with knowledge of all areas of immigration law.”

The knowledge gained through becoming Board Certified has paid off in dividends, and Allison is able to apply her thorough knowledge of all aspects of immigration to better assist both prospective clients during their consults, as well as our current clients as we develop case strategy to find the best solutions to their immigration needs.

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