Alexandre A. Afanassiev
Alexandre Afanassiev is a seasoned litigator who has successfully represented people, families, and businesses in all facets of immigration law, from Immigration Court to the United States Supreme Court. He has aided asylum seekers, those seeking legal status, foreign employees on non-immigrant visas, and Lawful Permanent Residents who are facing the loss of their green cards in the United States.
Because he is from Russia and came to Houston as a foreign student, Mr. Afanassiev understands what it means to be a foreign-born person. His immigration legal career began while he was a student-attorney at the University of Houston Law Center's immigration law clinic. He dove right in, finding enormous delight in assisting destitute individuals and battered spouses in seeking refuge or deportation relief. This incident has influenced his decision to pursue a career as an immigration attorney.
Mr. Afanassiev is a member of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization's Exam Commission and is board certified in Immigration and Nationality Law. He also belongs to the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
In Alexis v. Holder, 09-955 (2010), he and his colleagues successfully appealed an immigration case to the United States Supreme Court, which they ultimately won, allowing his client to return to the United States after being deported away from his family.
From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Afanassiev was named to the Texas Rising Stars list, and from 2015 to 2016, he was named to the Texas Super Lawyer list. The legal division of Thomson Reuters selects the honorees, who make up a very small percentage of Texas lawyers.
Mr. Afanassiev graduated from San Jacinto College (South) with an associate degree in 1998, the same year he was voted best male student and best international student. In 2000, he received his bachelor's degree in economics and political science from the University of Houston. Mr. Afanassiev was recognized Outstanding Graduate in the College of Social Sciences and received the Department of Economics' "Joel Sailors Award" while at the University of Houston. In 2003, he graduated from the University of Houston Law Center with a law degree.
Mr. Afanassiev has lectured at the University of Houston Law Center Immigration Clinic and the South Texas College of Law's Federal Litigation and Immigration Law Class. He has participated in American Immigration Lawyer Association national conventions, Texas chapter conferences, and State Bar of Texas CLE seminars as a co-panelist. He has given talks on a variety of topics, including representing clients seeking protection under the Violence Against Women Act, obtaining waivers on grounds of inadmissibility, litigating waivers under the Adam Walsh Act, motion practice before the Executive Office for Immigration Review, and the impact of criminal convictions on immigration.
Office: Gonzalez Olivieri LLC
Location: Houston, Texas
Phone: 713-481-3040
Mail: aafanassiev@gonzalezolivierillc.com
