The Legal Elite
Top Immigration Lawyer
Eliot Norman
McCandlish Kaine

by Holly M. Rodriguez

When Eliot Norman decided to go into immigration law 14 years ago, it seemed a quaint backwater. That all changed with the explosion of the Internet and the revolution in information technology. "There was a time when I knew the names and faces of clients and the attorneys I was arguing against. Now, I’m a virtual attorney, [working with] businesses from all over the world," he says. These days, the Boston native and Yale University alum meets many of his clients once, and maintains the relationship through the conveniences of modern technology – fax, phone and e-mail.

His interest in this specialty was sparked when the Virginia Economic Development Partner-ship asked him to write an immigration handbook for foreign companies considering coming to Virginia. In 1995, he began working for the immigration practice group at Mezzullo and McCandlish in Richmond. "After 20 years of litigation, I wanted business-builder type of work."

Norman emphasizes that in his specialty, teamwork is essential. "The team is stronger than any one attorney on the team," he says, because they rely on each other. Speaking from experience, Norman feels that many attorneys start off as independent gladiators and become isolated. The synergy of the team approach draws upon the strengths of each member.

"I’m the crisis guy," he says. "I thrive on it." His favorite scenarios are the desperate cases – such as rescuing a software engineer who is stuck at the border and can’t get through to the U.S. — that require him to draw upon his creative strategies.

Valerie Brodsky, an attorney with Vandeventer Black in Hampton Roads, says Norman is not afraid of the "complicated, messy cases that many people pass on to him." After working with Norman for five years, co-worker Mark Rhoads says that’s what sets Norman apart from all of the rest. "Eliot’s a Renaissance man," he says. "Not only can he come up with creative strategies for immigration issues, he fluently speaks French, he’s a piano virtuoso, a sailor, and a man of tremendous intellect."

A dedicated musician and lover of classical music, he assists the Richmond Ballet with bringing in principal dancers. He’s also a man with a giving heart, says Marilyn Breslow, executive director of refugee services for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. Norman has helped them with several cases, including training volunteers to understand the plight of several Haitian refugee political asylum cases. "He was very patient, and very generous with his time," she says.

Norman’s interests have always expanded beyond U.S. borders. In fact, he says, if he were not an attorney, he’d either be a musician or he’d own a travel business that caters to wealthy Americans visiting France. He had a taste of the travel industry several years ago when he began summer bicycle and barge tours for high school students, a program that lasted for five years. "France has to be one of my most favorite places."

When he isn’t spending time with his Belgian-born wife and two daughters, skiing or playing tennis, he enjoys time aboard his Columbia 8.3, a 27-foot "knockabout" sailboat. "When I’m out there, it’s just me, my boat and the water, and that’s where my mind is."