David L. Wilson is a Minneapolis-based immigration attorney and the managing attorney of Wilson Law Group. Admitted to the Minnesota bar in 1997, he focuses exclusively on immigration law, handling matters involving removal defense, asylum, family-based petitions, business immigration, naturalization, and federal court litigation. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for Minnesota and Colorado, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Fourth, Eighth, and Ninth Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Wilson earned a B.A. cum laude from the University of St. Thomas in 1993 (criminal justice major, legal studies minor) and a J.D. cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law) in 1997, where he served as executive editor of the law review. He previously clerked for a Minnesota state court judge and has taught as an adjunct professor. He is a past chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter, has served as an AILA EOIR liaison, and has been recognized as a Minnesota Lawyer Attorney of the Year and Super Lawyer.
People search for David Wilson primarily to learn about this established immigration practitioner, his firm’s work in complex federal and agency matters, and publicly reported cases and professional recognitions. Note that “David Wilson” is a common name shared by multiple attorneys nationwide; this profile centers on the verifiable public record of David L. Wilson of Wilson Law Group in Minneapolis.
David Wilson: Quick Profile
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | David L. (Lee) Wilson |
| Profession | Attorney / Lawyer |
| Legal Role | Managing Attorney |
| Law Firm | Wilson Law Group LLC |
| Practice Areas | Immigration Law (consumer and business) |
| Location | Minneapolis, Minnesota (also Denver office listed) |
| Education | B.A. University of St. Thomas (cum laude, 1993); J.D. William Mitchell College of Law (cum laude, 1997) |
| Bar Admission | Minnesota (1997); multiple federal courts and circuits; U.S. Supreme Court |
| Known For | Immigration litigation, AILA leadership, published decisions, pro bono work |
Who Is David Wilson?
David L. Wilson is a long-practicing U.S. immigration attorney based in Minneapolis. He founded and manages Wilson Law Group, a firm dedicated to immigration matters for individuals, families, and businesses. His work spans administrative proceedings before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), as well as federal district court and appellate litigation.
Search interest in David Wilson often stems from people seeking counsel on immigration issues in Minnesota or the Upper Midwest, researching attorneys involved in published Eighth Circuit or district court decisions, or looking up professionals recognized by peer-review publications such as Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers. His Spanish-language capability and history of teaching and speaking on immigration topics further raise his visibility among clients and colleagues.
Public records confirm no disciplinary findings against him in Minnesota. He maintains an active license and has built a practice that includes both fee-paying and pro bono representations, particularly involving domestic-abuse survivors and children in foster care.
David Wilson’s Legal Career
Wilson began his legal career after graduating from law school in 1997. He served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Roland J. Faricy (retired) in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was admitted to the Minnesota bar that same year and soon entered immigration practice.
By the early 2000s he was actively litigating removal and related matters. He has appeared as counsel of record in numerous published and unpublished decisions of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and Minnesota courts. Representative reported matters include cases involving asylum claims, cancellation of removal, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) issues, and challenges to immigration agency actions (examples listed on his firm biography include Escoto-Castillo v. Napolitano, Flores-Calderon v. Gonzales, Gaitan v. Holder, Khilan v. Holder, Ortiz v. Lynch, Velasquez v. Barr, and others). Outcomes vary by case; some petitions were granted or resulted in remand, while others were denied.
Wilson has also engaged in affirmative federal litigation, including challenges related to student nonimmigrant status terminations and other policy-driven enforcement actions. In recent years his firm has participated in coordinated multi-state efforts responding to shifts in immigration policy.
Professionally, he served as vice chair (2006–2007) and chair (2007–2008) of the AILA Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter and later as an AILA liaison to EOIR. He has sat on AILA’s Board of Governors and continues to contribute to continuing legal education programs on removal defense, crimmigration, bonds, detention, and related topics. He has authored or co-authored chapters in the Minnesota CLE Immigration Practice Deskbook and published commentary such as “The Attack on TPS” in the Mitchell Hamline Law Review.
Education and Qualifications
Wilson received his undergraduate degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, graduating cum laude in 1993 with a major in criminal justice and a minor in legal studies. He then attended William Mitchell College of Law, earning his J.D. cum laude in 1997 and serving as executive editor of the William Mitchell Law Review.
He is admitted to the Minnesota bar (1997) and the following federal courts and tribunals (years of admission as publicly listed): U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota (1998), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, U.S. Supreme Court (2016), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2018), and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (2020).
Additional qualifications include membership in the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Federal Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association, and American Bar Association. He has taught as an adjunct professor at Hamline University School of Law (immigration law) and William Mitchell College of Law (writing, research, advocacy, appellate advocacy, and the immigration clinic). He speaks English and Spanish.
What Type of Law Does David Wilson Practice?
Wilson’s practice is devoted to immigration law. Roughly half of the work involves consumer (individual and family) matters and half involves business immigration, according to peer-review profiles.
Key areas include:
- Removal (deportation) defense and bond/detention proceedings.
- Asylum and related humanitarian relief.
- Family-based petitions, adjustment of status, and naturalization/citizenship.
- Temporary Protected Status and other temporary benefits.
- Business and employment-based immigration.
- Federal court litigation, including petitions for review in the courts of appeals and district-court actions (habeas, APA challenges, etc.).
Immigration practice requires navigating complex statutory schemes under the Immigration and Nationality Act, regulations, agency guidance, and evolving case law. Wilson’s appellate experience is particularly relevant for clients whose cases reach the Board of Immigration Appeals or federal circuit courts. He does not publicly list specialization certifications beyond general immigration practice; any claim of board certification would need independent verification through the relevant state or specialty organization.
David Wilson and Their Law Firm
Wilson is the managing attorney and founder of Wilson Law Group LLC, located at 3019 Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a secondary location listed in Denver, Colorado. The firm concentrates on immigration and related civil matters. It has grown to include multiple attorneys who handle a volume of individual, family, and business cases as well as impact-oriented litigation.
The firm’s public materials emphasize individualized representation and experience before federal agencies and courts. Wilson Law Group has received recognition for its work, including participation in collaborative efforts with nonprofit organizations such as the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and Advocates for Human Rights. Client reviews aggregated on platforms such as Avvo and Lawyers.com frequently mention professionalism, communication, and successful outcomes in green-card and citizenship matters, though individual results always depend on the specific facts and law applicable to each case.
Notable Cases and Legal Work
Wilson’s firm biography lists him as counsel of record in a substantial number of reported decisions, primarily in the Eighth Circuit. Examples include challenges to removal orders, denials of relief, and issues involving criminal-immigration intersections (crimmigration). Specific outcomes are case-dependent and publicly available through court databases.
One documented district-court matter involved TPS adjustment issues (Bonilla v. Johnson). In more recent years the firm has litigated challenges to the termination of nonimmigrant student status and related enforcement actions, obtaining temporary relief for certain clients in multi-state coordinated efforts. Wilson has also handled or co-counseled matters involving domestic-abuse survivors seeking immigration relief and children in the foster-care system.
These are publicly reported matters; many immigration cases remain confidential or unpublished. No claim is made here that any particular result is typical or guaranteed.
David Wilson’s Professional Reputation
Peer-review publications have recognized Wilson repeatedly. He has been selected to Super Lawyers in Minnesota for immigration law (listed since at least 2020) and was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for immigration law beginning in 2026. Minnesota Lawyer named him an Attorney of the Year (2016 and related recognition). Additional honors include a 2014 Leadership Award from Minnesota Women Lawyers, a Small Business Excellence Award from the Small Business Administration, recognition from the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota for pro bono work, a 360 Communities Caring Award, and the Minnesota Justice Foundation Private Attorney Public Service Award (2016).
He maintains an AV-level or equivalent professional rating on directories such as Martindale-Hubbell according to older profiles, and Avvo has listed high client-review averages with “Client’s Choice” designations in multiple years. No public record of professional discipline appears in Minnesota bar sources. He frequently speaks at continuing legal education programs and has contributed to professional publications, reinforcing his standing among immigration practitioners in the region.
Why Are People Searching for David Wilson?
Search interest typically arises from several practical reasons:
- Individuals or families in Minnesota or the Upper Midwest seeking an experienced immigration lawyer.
- Research into attorneys who have appeared in Eighth Circuit or Minnesota appellate decisions involving immigration issues.
- Interest in AILA leadership or speakers on removal defense, TPS, or crimmigration.
- Evaluation of Wilson Law Group for business or family immigration needs.
- Follow-up on news coverage of immigration litigation involving students or policy challenges in which the firm participated.
Because the name is common, searches may also surface other attorneys (for example, commercial litigators or family-law practitioners elsewhere). Distinguishing by middle initial, firm name, location, or practice area is essential.
Conclusion
David L. Wilson is a Minneapolis immigration attorney with nearly three decades of experience. As managing attorney of Wilson Law Group, he focuses on removal defense, asylum, family and business immigration, and federal litigation. Verified credentials include a cum laude J.D. from William Mitchell, admission to the Minnesota bar and multiple federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court, past leadership in the AILA Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter, adjunct teaching, and peer recognitions such as Super Lawyers and Minnesota Lawyer Attorney of the Year.
Public records document his involvement in numerous reported appellate decisions and pro bono efforts on behalf of vulnerable clients. Individuals researching David Wilson for immigration representation should confirm current licensing status through the Minnesota Board of Law Examiners or official directories and evaluate fit based on the specific facts of their case. Because multiple attorneys share the name, cross-checking firm affiliation, location, and practice area remains essential.
FAQs
Is David Wilson a lawyer?
Yes. David L. Wilson is a licensed attorney in Minnesota who has practiced since 1997, concentrating on immigration law.
What type of lawyer is David Wilson?
He is an immigration attorney handling both individual/family and business immigration matters, including litigation in federal courts and before immigration agencies.
Where does David Wilson practice law?
Primarily in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through Wilson Law Group. He is admitted in multiple federal circuits and has a secondary office listing in Denver.
What law firm is David Wilson associated with?
He is the managing attorney of Wilson Law Group LLC.
Where did David Wilson go to law school?
William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law), graduating cum laude in 1997. Undergraduate degree from the University of St. Thomas, cum laude, 1993.
Has David Wilson handled notable cases?
Yes. He appears as counsel in multiple published Eighth Circuit and other federal decisions involving immigration issues. Specific outcomes are documented in the public court records.
Does David Wilson have professional recognitions?
He has been selected to Super Lawyers, recognized by Best Lawyers, named a Minnesota Lawyer Attorney of the Year, and received various pro bono and leadership awards. These are peer- or organization-based honors.
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