U.S. Department of Justice
Executive Office for Immigration Review

Office of the Director
5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2400
Falls Church, Virginia 22041

(703)305-0289, Fax: (703) 605-0365

Internet: www.usdoj.gov/eoir

ADKINS-BLANCH SELECTED AS GENERAL COUNSEL

FOR THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR IMMIGRATION REVIEW

FALLS CHURCH, VA - Charles Adkins-Blanch has been selected as General Counsel for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), effective immediately. He has served as General Counsel in an acting capacity since May 1999 and has been an associate general counsel at EOIR since April 1995.

As General Counsel, Adkins-Blanch directs a staff of attorneys and paralegals who assist him in providing legal advice and support to all components within EOIR, including the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge, the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, and the Office of the Director. Among its responsibilities, the Office of General Counsel (OGC) handles all EOIR litigation, drafts statutory and regulatory amendments, and responds to all inquiries and requests made under the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act. OGC also serves as the principal point of contact for U.S. Attorneys' Offices, Justice Department components, and other Government agencies on all legal matters. These duties include responding to inquiries regarding general litigation support, subpoenas, and access to certified copies of EOIR documents such as the Records of Proceedings from Immigration Courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals. OGC also provides guidance on professional ethics and standards of conduct and reviews financial disclosure forms filed by agency personnel.Adkins-Blanch began work in EOIR through the Attorney General's Honor Program as a Judicial Law Clerk with the Board of Immigration Appeals in August 1990. He was later promoted to the position of Attorney-Advisor for the Board, then moved to the Office of General Counsel in April 1995.

From 1989 to 1990, he clerked in private practice with the Washington, DC, firm of Maggio & Kattar, specializing in immigration and nationality law. He has also served in several legal intern and law clerk positions including working for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in their Washington Liaison Office providing legal counsel to asylum seekers.

Adkins-Blanch received his undergraduate degree from Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA, in 1984 and his law degree from George Washington University's National Law Center in Washington, DC, in 1990. He is a member of both the Virginia and District of Columbia Bars.

--EOIR-