In Memoriam: Allen R. Jackson

Immigration attorney and wonderful lawyer, husband, father, and friend to many Allen Randall Jackson passed away on November 3, 2022 in Santa Rosa, California. Born to parents Z.B. and Jean Jackson on April 17, 1941, he received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley (Cal) and continued on to law school at Cal (Boalt Hall) where he received his J.D. in 1966. He was married to his college sweetheart Linda Joyce Arthur; had two wonderful children (Cynthia and Deron) and three grandchildren. And of course he had his beloved golden retrievers.

Following his law school graduation, Allen joined the law firm of Jackson & Hertogs in San Francisco which had been co-founded by his father Z.B. Jackson and Joseph Hertogs. Both of the founding partners had been high level employees with the Immigration & Naturalization Service in the 1940s. The firm initially specialized in family immigration law with a large number of primarily Asian clients. This was prior to the age of personal computers, emails, and the internet. High technology companies began to flourish in Silicon Valley. The firm, under Allen's expert direction as managing partner, became outside immigration counsel to a wide variety of tech companies. Under his leadership, the firm rapidly expanded to include an office in San Jose, California.

But Allen was much more than the managing partner in the firm to all who had the honor and privilege to work with him (not just for him). He was not only a brilliant lawyer whose knowledge of the relevant statutes and regulations was unsurpassed. He also was a friend to all of the Jackson & Hertogs staff. He mentored many young attorneys over the years, several of whom went on to establish their own successful practices. Allen was known for his sense of humor. His wit was legendary. He was very dedicated to his team and his clients. He led by example. A fun story to share. October 17, 1989 was the day of the big earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area. Electricity was out that day and people were scrambling to go home. Where was Allen? He was at his desk typing away on his manual typewriter.

Allen was not only admired by his J&H family. He was also admired by his AILA colleagues and by all of the INS (now USCIS) employees with whom he dealt. He was a founding member of AILA with an AILA member number of 55! He had an unrivaled reputation for honesty, integrity, and proficiency. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.