Robert H. Gibbs
Robert H. Gibbs has specialized since 1977 in immigration law, handling a wide variety of family, employment, citizenship, asylum and deportation matters. His practice includes federal court litigation to remedy agency decisions (or failure to make them), as well as class actions to obtain relief for thousands of individuals. He has represented entities in a broad range of industries including software, health care, restaurants, manufacturing, agriculture, food processing, forest products, international trade, professional services, construction, sports and the arts.
He has a top rating from the leading national lawyers' directory, Martindale-Hubbell, and is regularly ranked a Washington State "Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics Magazine. He has been a frequent lecturer at seminars for attorneys and employers on immigration law and compliance.
He is a recipient of several significant awards, including Litigator of the Year award from the American Immigration Lawyers Association in 2001; ACLU-W Civil Libertarian of the Year Award, 1986; and Ecumenical Award, Washington Association of Churches, 1985. He is a founder of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. Mr. Gibbs received his J.D. from the University of Washington Law School in 1974, and his B.A. from Grinnell College in 1968.
Significant published decisions in which he was counsel include the following:
Lee v. Gonzales, No. C04-449 RSL (W.D. Wash, Feb. 16, 2006) (statewide class action requiring reopening of naturalization denials where based on lack of good moral character);
Gorbach v. Reno, 219 F.3d 1087 (9th Cir. 2000) en banc, (national class action setting aside INS regulation on administrative denaturalization);
Walters v. Reno, 145 F.3d 032 (9th Cir. 1998)(national class action setting aside INS regulation on document fraud procedures);
Gete v. INS, 121 F.3d 1285 (9th Cir. 1997)(class action setting aside INS vehicle seizure procedures);
Immigrant Assistance Project v. INS, 709 F. Supp. 998, 717 F. Supp. 1444 (W.D.Wash. 1989), aff'd, 976 F.2d 1198 (9th Cir. 1992), aff'd, 306 F.3d 842, (9th Cir., 2002)(class action invalidating INS amnesty procedures);
Proyecto San Pablo v. INS, 784 F. Supp. 738 (D.Ariz 1991), 189 F.3d 1130 (9th Cir. 1999)(class action invalidating amnesty procedures where the applicant had a prior deportation);
Patel v. Sumani Corp., 846 F.2d 700 (11th Cir. 1988), cert denied, 109 S. Ct. 1120 (1989)(finding FLSA coverage for undocumented employees);
UFW v. INS, Civ S 87-1064 JFM (E.D. Calif., Sept. 18. 1990) (class action setting aside INS procedures for adjudicating seasonal agricultural worker applications);
Lopez v. INS, No. 78-1912-WMB (C.D. Calif., Aug. 20, 1992) (class action requiring INS to stop questioning aliens upon request to speak to counsel);
Washington Beef, 328 NLRB 612 (1999) (employer has mandatory duty to bargain over time period to allow employees to respond to INS no match letter).
