Paul Parsons

PAUL PARSONS, born Bartlesville, Oklahoma, July 21, 1951; admitted to bar, Texas, 1978; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 1981; U.S. Supreme Court, 1982.

Mr. Parsons has practiced immigration law in Austin since 1978. He received a B.A. in Political Science in 1973 from Oklahoma State University and a juris doctorate degree in 1977 from the University of Texas School of Law. Mr. Parsons was appointed in 1992 by Governor Ann Richards as Chairman of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Immigration. He is the recipient of the Sam Williamson Memorial Award "for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law."

Mr. Parsons served as a Director on the Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) from 1990-1996 and is the former Chairman of the Texas-Oklahoma-New Mexico Chapter. He was awarded the AILA Texas Chapter's Service Award in 1990 "for his contributions to the practice of immigration law" and the National AILA Pro Bono Award for his efforts to provide pro bono immigration representation. Mr. Parsons previously served as Chairman of AILA's Committee on Consumer Protection.

Mr. Parsons served as Chairman of the State Bar of Texas Committee on Laws Relating to Immigration from 1990 to 2005. He previously was a member of the American Bar Association's Committee on Immigration Law. Mr. Parsons served as Chairman of the Examinations Committee on Immigration for the Texas Board of Legal Specialization from 1986-1995, and as Chairman of the Board’s Immigration & Nationality Law Advisory Committee. He is a Life Fellow Member of the Texas Bar Foundation and a Founding Fellow of the Travis County Bar Foundation. Mr. Parsons was President of the Austin Chapter of the Federal Bar Association from 1994 - 1995. He is an Attorney Consultant to the Government of Mexico. Mr. Parsons is fluent in Spanish. He served as President of the Austin Kiwanis from 1999 – 2000.