With more than 30 years of experience in the field, Mr. Ruthizer is recognized as one of the country’s leading immigration lawyers.

Mr. Ruthizer is a past president and general counsel of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He is a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School, where he teaches an advanced seminar in immigration law and policy.

Mr. Ruthizer is a frequent lecturer on business immigration law and has authored or co-authored many publications in the field, including: "Race, Religion and Nationality in Immigration Selection," Constitutional Commentary, Vol. 26, No. 2, 2010 (co-author); “Don’t Curtail L-1s,” The National Law Journal, August 2, 2004; “The H-1B Straightjacket - Why Congress Should Repeal the Cap on Foreign Born Highly Skilled Workers,” The Cato Institute, March 3, 2000, reprinted in Immigration Briefings, No. 00-5, May 2000 (co-author); “Administrative Appeals of Immigration Decisions: A Practitioner’s Guide,” Immigration Briefings, No. 88-1, January 1988; and “Decision Making by the Administrative Appeals Unit of the Immigration and Naturalization Service Concerning H-1 and Third Preference Professionals,” Interpreter Releases, May 17, 1985.

 In addition to his leadership role in the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Mr. Ruthizer is a member of the New York State Bar Association (Past Chair, Immigration Law Committee), the New York City Bar Association, the International Bar Association, the ABA Section of International Law and the American Foreign Law Association.

Mr. Ruthizer is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, The International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers, Chambers Global and Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, and The Top 100 New York Super Lawyers. He was selected as Best Lawyers' 2010 New York Immigration Lawyer of the Year and as one of the Top 10 Immigration Lawyers in the U.S. in 2009 and 2010 by Human Resource Executive and Lawdragon.

Mr. Ruthizer was the recipient of the Legal Aid Society’s 2003 Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service, and Legal Services NYC’s 2008 Pro Bono Award.

J.D., Columbia Law School, 1972
B.A., with honors, Lafayette College, 1969

New York, 1973

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York

Lecturer in Law, Columbia Law School, 1995-present
Guest Lecturer in Business Immigration Law, Harvard Law School, 2007
Chair, Task Force on Immigration Policy of the UJA - Federation of New York
Fellow, New York Bar Foundation
Recipient, Legal Services NYC's Pro Bono Award, 2008
Recipient, Legal Aid Society’s 2003 Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service
Recipient of American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award, 1998

American Immigration Lawyers Association – Past President and General Counsel; Member, Board of Governors
International Bar Association, Immigration and Nationality Committee
American Bar Association, International Law Section
NY State Bar Association – Past Chair, Immigration Law Committee
New York City Bar Association