Immigration has been front-page news more times than I can count in the last several months, not to mention since the start of the 2016 election cycle. I would like to thank our guest editor this month, Anna Pletcher, for curating a topical immigration-themed issue. The vast majority of the immigration news coverage has been about illegal immigration. Melissa Harms has written an eye-opening article on the Trump administration’s changes to legal immigration. Even if your clients do not hire foreign nationals and you don’t know that “parole” is an immigration term or what it takes to get an H-1B visa, Melissa’s article is a fascinating look at the scope of executive power and what a dramatic difference a president can make in the legal landscape without so much as a rule-making. It’s also a very helpful look at numerous changes affecting not only new immigrants but foreign nationals already legally living here.

Anna herself writes about the intersection of immigration and the criminal justice system, addressing the law and policy relating to ICE’s use of local jails for arresting immigrants and prosecutors’ responsibility to consider the effect on immigration status during plea bargaining. As most of you know, Anna is a candidate for District Attorney and the opinions she expresses are her own and not necessarily those of MCBA. The Marin Lawyer welcomes submissions from those with differing opinions. Anna also profiles the Social Justice Collaborative, a robust non-profit that represents immigrants in litigation related to their status.

We also profile Scott Buell, MCBA’s newest board member. You will learn much about Scott’s interesting personal and legal journey, including the role of the Affordable Care Act in creating more career choices for those who have suffered a serious illness. Check out our bi-monthly political column from Greg Brockbank, wherein he recaps the results of the June primaries and sets the stage for the November election. And if you missed MCBA’s July luncheon on the gig economy, take a look at Sue Feder’s recap to learn how interesting it is to be a lawyer at two of the central players in it and the numerous social policy and business aspects of practice in this rapidly developing field.

I hope you enjoy the remaining days of our waning summer. In addition to reading the Marin Lawyer, please consider sharing what you’re finding interesting in the law these days by writing for the Marin Lawyer.