Our Members

Join a community of more than 16,000 attorneys dedicated to advancing the practice of immigration law. AILA members are recognized as the country’s preeminent experts in this complex and rewarding area of law practice.

39
local and regional chapters
16,000+
current AILA members across a wide variety of practice types and from diverse backgrounds
75+
years that AILA has served immigration lawyers
Team sitting around table
A VIBRANT
Community
Be part of an unrivaled professional network. Whether sharing strategies on our listservs or the Message Center, learning from experts and networking at a conference, or participating in local chapter activities, AILA’s greatest member benefit is our diverse and dynamic community.
Laptop computer
AN ARRAY OF EXPERT
Resources
Members get access to exclusive content, including nuanced legal analysis, expert practice pointers, updates on recent developments and forthcoming changes, and tools to help build a profitable and rewarding practice. New members receive targeted support and resources to help ensure success in the field.
Lincoln Memorial
A STEADFAST
Mission
Since AILA’s founding in 1946, we have worked to enhance the professional development of our members, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, and promote justice.

Member Benefits

Join AILA today.

What are you waiting for? Start taking advantage of AILA’s exceptional educational opportunities, become part of a prestigious community, and get access to the resources and tools you need to achieve excellence.
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Membership and Affiliation Types

Member
Attorneys who are not in the employ of the U.S. government and are either licensed to practice law in the United States or full-time professors at ABA-accredited law schools are eligible for AILA membership.
Law Student Member
Students enrolled in a full-time capacity at an ABA– or like body-accredited law school are eligible for AILA student membership.
International Associate
Attorneys who are not licensed to practice law in the United States but are licensed in a jurisdiction outside of the United States are eligible to be AILA international associates.

This information is not an exhaustive list of eligibility requirements. See formal eligibility requirements and specific benefits of each type of membership and affiliation. Special member categories for senior and retired members also exist.

Additional Member Benefits

AILA Law Journal

Our biennial law journal features timely articles that encompass various dimensions of immigration law perspectives in the United States. Members may download a free digital copy of the AILA Law Journal and order print copies at a discounted rate. Members are also encouraged to submit papers for publication. 

AILALink

Members receive a discount on subscriptions to our online immigration law library, AILALink. Subscribers get access to up-to-date primary and secondary sources such as the INA, CFR, and agency manuals and memos, as well as access to more than $4,000 worth of AILA publications, including digital and searchable versions of Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook and AILA’s Immigration Law Practice and Procedure Manual (the Cookbook).  

Benefits for Legal Support Staff

AILA members may register their paralegals and support staff for free accounts on AILA.org, granting them access to research tools and educational opportunities. Registered paralegals and support staff can access resources on AILA’s website, ask questions and engage with the AILA community on the Message Center, and get reduced pricing on AILA conferences and publications. 

Business Development Services

AILA’s Immigration Lawyer Search is a practice marketing service available for free to eligible AILA members. Potential clients can search by last name, practice area, language, and geographic location to find an attorney who meets their specific needs. 

Conferences, eLearning, and CLE

AILA's virtual, in-person, and hybrid conferences deliver expert speakers, peer-to-peer learning, CLE credits, access to exhibitors, and lively networking opportunities. In addition to numerous conferences covering specialized areas throughout the year, our premier event, the AILA Annual Conference and Webcast on Immigration Law, is the largest gathering of immigration law professionals in the country.

AILA's eLearning platform provides access to live web seminars and self-paced, interactive online courses on a wide variety of topics, so you can delve into specialized areas of practice, stay up to speed on the latest trends and emerging issues, and earn CLE credits.

Members obtain discounted rates on our conferences, seminars, and online courses, as well as free access to member-only video roundtable discussions. Members can also access free OnDemand recordings of all AILA web seminars two weeks after they occur and earn CLE credit with payment of an administrative fee. We also provide members with more than 10 hours of free CLE seminar recordings each year.

Discount Programs

Our member discount programs help you cut the costs of running your practice with savings on a range of important products and services, including office supplies, car rentals, hotel bookings, courier shipping, client management software, financial services, and insurance. 

Ethics Assistance

AILA members have access to a free digital version of the AILA Ethics Compendium, a comprehensive guide that separately analyzes state and federal rules of professional conduct, court opinions, legal ethics opinions, and other authority to explore hypotheticals and provide information and guidance.

In addition to the Compendium, the AILA Ethics Committee publishes helpful articles on diverse ethics topics and AILA's in-house practice and ethics advisors offer free, confidential phone consultations.

Fastcase: Free Online Legal Research Service

All AILA members have free access to Fastcase, a comprehensive legal research system containing a database of federal case law and BIA, AG, and AAO precedent decisions. 

Financial Services

An AILA preferred partner, the nonprofit Capital Good Fund offers your immigration clients a trusted, safe, and fair loan service to finance their immigration costs, all while providing AILA members with an alternative to the risks and burdens of financing client legal fees alone. 

Listservs and Message Center

AILA members can join one or more of our 24 email lists and participate in our Message Center’s 65+ forums to share information and resources around specific topics and areas of interest.

Malpractice Insurance Program

Available at a preferred rate exclusively to AILA members, the AILA Lawyers Malpractice Insurance Program protects you and your firm from financial loss arising from any actual or alleged mistakes committed while providing legal services to clients. 

Practice Pointers and Alerts

AILA liaison committees and members of the AILA National Government Relations Department provide member-only, written practice resources that offer guidance and best practices for common types of immigration cases and inform on adjudication trends and changes in law and policy.

Publications

Expand your legal library with expert references, available at discounted rates to AILA members. AILA's intensive, peer-reviewed publishing program includes single-author publications and compilations covering the fundamentals of immigration law and practice, as well as discrete topics such as asylum, employment-based immigration, litigation, family-based immigration, practice management, citizenship and naturalization, and much more. The comprehensive, authoritative reference, Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook, is a trusted and essential resource for attorneys, judges, and government officials alike. Our member preorder program allows AILA members to obtain Kurzban’s at a member-exclusive preferential price. Publications are available in both print and digital formats.