Biography
Manuel F. Rios, III, or "Manny" has been practicing immigration law since 1997. He has dedicated himself exclusively to immigration-related legal matters since 2001. Manny's experience, knowledge, and leadership in the immigration field have made him a frequent lecturer/speaker/author on issues related to admission, removal defense, detention, and professional responsibility. He has served multiple years as the chair/co-chair for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Washington Chapter, of each of the following committees: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Liaison, Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) Liaison, and Unauthorized Practice of Law/Professional Responsibility (ULP/PR).
A consultant attorney for the Mexican consulate in Washington on immigration matters since 2002, Manny frequently appears on local and national television to opine on trending immigration issues and has been accepted as an "expert witness" by various courts involving complex immigration matters, not only on behalf of foreign nationals, but also on behalf of the State of Washington.
Manuel F. Rios, III, or "Manny" has been practicing immigration law since 1997. He has dedicated himself exclusively to immigration-related legal matters since 2001. Manny's experience, knowledge, and leadership in the immigration field have made him a frequent lecturer/speaker/author on issues related to admission, removal defense, detention, and professional responsibility. He has served multiple years as the chair/co-chair for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Washington Chapter, of each of the following committees: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Liaison, Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) Liaison, and Unauthorized Practice of Law/Professional Responsibility (ULP/PR).
A consultant attorney for the Mexican consulate in Washington on immigration matters since 2002, Manny frequently appears on local and national television to opine on trending immigration issues and has been accepted as an "expert witness" by various courts involving complex immigration matters, not only on behalf of foreign nationals, but also on behalf of the State of Washington.
Manny has won numerous awards for his legal work, including the following:
• 2009 "Miembro Exceptional" Award by the Latino Bar Association of Washington for his pro-bono work against unlawful practitioners of law in the Latino community.
• 2013 "Premio Ohtli," from the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for his long term legal advocacy on behalf of Mexican nationals in the United States.
• 2015 Award of Merit, co-recipient with Deborah Niedermeyer, from Washington State Bar Association, for their efforts to protect the immigration community against the unathorized practice of law.
• 2015, Pro Bono Award in Impact Litigation, from American Lawyer's Association, Washington Chapter, for pioneering lawsuits against unlawful practitioners of law preying on immigrants.
Education
- Gonzaga University School of Law, Spokane, Washington
- J.D. - 1997
- Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- B.A. - 1994
Litigation
100%
Pro-Bono Activities
- King County Bar Association, Legal Immigration Clinic, 00/1998
Past Positions
- Waldo & Schweda, Spokane, Washington, Associate/Intern, 1996 to 1997
- Law Office of Dan Wayne, Juneau, Alaska, Intern, 1996 to 1996
Languages
- Spanish
Professional Associations
- Washington Chapter, Chair, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Liaison Committee, 2003 to 2005
- Executive Office of Immigration Review Liaison Committee, Co-Chair, 2005 to 2007
- Unauthorized Practice of Law and Professional Responsibility Committee, Chair, 2007
- Hispanic Seafair Organization, President, 2004
Current Employment Position
- Partner
Bar Admissions
- Washington
- U.S. District Court Western District of Washington
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Washington
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit