Lucas Garritson co-founded the Immigration Law Society at Oklahoma City University School of Law while earning his J.D. there, and volunteered at the Catholic Charities Immigration office in Oklahoma City during law school, giving him hands-on case exposure before he was licensed. His wife and co-founder, Jacqueline Burgos-Garritson, interned with both the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office and the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office during law school, acquiring prosecutorial-side experience that informs how she handles removal defense and criminal immigration matters. Together they founded Burgos & Garritson Law in 2008 in Richardson, Texas, building a firm with more than a decade of combined immigration, criminal defense, and bankruptcy practice.
Overview
Burgos & Garritson Law operates from Suite 610 at 100 N. Central Expy in Richardson, Texas, serving clients in Dallas and across Texas, as well as international clients seeking U.S. immigration benefits. The firm was founded in 2008 by a husband-and-wife attorney team who both attended Texas Tech University for undergraduate education and Oklahoma City University School of Law for their legal degrees.
The firm handles immigration matters across the full range of the practice: family-based and employment-based immigration, removal defense, asylum, adjustment of status, DACA, employer I-9 compliance, and appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals. In addition to immigration work, the firm handles criminal defense and bankruptcy matters.
Jacqueline Burgos-Garritson is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico and is fluent in English and Spanish, which extends the firm’s direct accessibility to Spanish-speaking clients, a population that constitutes a significant portion of the Texas immigration client base.
Lucas Garritson has co-chaired the Emerging Trends Subcommittee of the State Bar of Texas Law Practice Management Committee, focusing on artificial intelligence and practice management, an engagement that reflects active involvement in the evolving landscape of legal practice delivery.
The firm’s international client base spans Mexico, Iran, India, Palestine, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Congo, Saudi Arabia, and other countries, reflecting the geographic diversity of immigration case origins.
Practice Areas
Family-Based Immigration covers petitions for relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, including spousal, parent, child, and sibling categories, through the full process from petition through visa or adjustment of status.
Employment-Based Immigration covers work-based visa categories and immigrant visa pathways for employers sponsoring foreign national employees. This includes labor certification (PERM) filings, which are a prerequisite for many employment-based green card categories.
Removal Defense represents clients facing deportation proceedings before the Immigration Court (Executive Office of Immigration Review). The firm handles cancellation of removal, voluntary departure, and other forms of relief available to respondents in immigration court.
Asylum and Withholding of Removal are handled for individuals who fear persecution in their home countries based on protected grounds. These cases are filed affirmatively with USCIS and defensively in immigration court.
Adjustment of Status covers the process of obtaining lawful permanent resident status while remaining in the United States.
DACA matters address the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, including initial applications and renewals.
Immigration Compliance (I-9 and Employer Auditing) provides businesses with I-9 compliance reviews, public access file generation, and audit preparation to reduce exposure to federal worksite enforcement actions.
Criminal Defense is handled by both attorneys. Jacqueline Burgos-Garritson’s prosecutorial-side internship experience and Lucas Garritson’s criminal bar admission in Texas inform this practice area. Criminal immigration matters, where a criminal conviction affects immigration status, are a particular area of overlap between the firm’s two primary practice areas.
Bankruptcy is also within the firm’s scope, covering bankruptcy matters in both Texas and Oklahoma federal bankruptcy courts.
Appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals and other reviewing bodies are part of the immigration practice.
Attorney Profiles
Lucas Garritson is a Partner and co-founder.
Education: B.B.A., Texas Tech University, 2003; J.D., Oklahoma City University School of Law.
Bar admissions: Texas (State Bar No. 315515, admitted 2010); U.S. Supreme Court; Colorado District Court; Oklahoma Eastern District Court; Texas Northern District Court.
During law school: Co-founded the Immigration Law Society at OCU School of Law. Volunteered at Catholic Charities Immigration office in Oklahoma City.
Memberships: Contributing member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Co-chair of the Emerging Trends Subcommittee, Law Practice Management Committee, State Bar of Texas.
Practice areas: Business, Criminal, Immigration.
Jacqueline Burgos-Garritson is a Partner and co-founder.
Education: B.A. in Political Science, Texas Tech University, 2002; J.D., Oklahoma City University School of Law.
Bar admissions: Texas (State Bar No. 24105006, admitted 2017); Oklahoma; Oklahoma Western Bankruptcy Court; Oklahoma Western District Court; Texas Northern Bankruptcy Court; Texas Northern District Court.
Forums: Has appeared before the Executive Office of Immigration Review, Board of Immigration Appeals, USCIS, Oklahoma and Texas state courts, Northern District of Texas, Western District of Oklahoma, U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, and Supreme Court of Oklahoma.
Background: Native of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Fluent in English and Spanish. Interned with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office and the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office during law school. Over ten years of litigation experience.
Location and Service Area
Office: 100 N. Central Expy #610, Richardson, TX 75080. Phone: (214) 774-4713. Email: [email protected].
Website: https://www.bgimmlaw.com/
Office hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
The firm serves clients in Dallas, Amarillo, Abilene, Midland, and Tyler, Texas, as well as international clients seeking U.S. immigration benefits. Cases are handled before federal courts, immigration courts, and USCIS offices across the United States.
Client Focus
Burgos & Garritson Law serves individuals and families seeking family-based or employment-based immigration benefits, individuals in removal proceedings, employers with I-9 compliance needs, and clients with criminal defense or bankruptcy matters. Spanish-speaking clients are served directly in their preferred language by Jacqueline Burgos-Garritson.
Whether initial consultations are provided without charge is not publicly specified. Fee structures are not publicly specified.
FAQ
Does the firm offer services in Spanish?
Yes. Jacqueline Burgos-Garritson is a native of Puerto Rico and is fluent in English and Spanish. She serves Spanish-speaking clients in their preferred language.
Does the firm handle cases in immigration court as well as before USCIS?
Yes. The firm represents clients before both USCIS (for affirmative immigration applications) and the Executive Office of Immigration Review (immigration courts) for removal defense proceedings. It also handles appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Does the firm help employers with I-9 compliance?
Yes. Immigration compliance services include I-9 reviews, public access file generation, and audit preparation to help employers reduce their worksite enforcement exposure.
Does the firm handle criminal matters in addition to immigration?
Yes. Both attorneys have criminal law bar admissions. The firm handles criminal defense cases and is experienced in the intersection of criminal and immigration law, where a criminal conviction can have serious immigration consequences.
Where does the firm serve clients geographically?
The firm serves clients in Dallas, Amarillo, Abilene, Midland, and Tyler, Texas. It also serves international clients from countries including Mexico, Iran, India, Palestine, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Congo, and Saudi Arabia.
Closing
Burgos & Garritson Law is a husband-and-wife immigration practice that combined complementary pre-law experiences, one attorney’s immigration society founding and volunteer casework, and the other’s prosecutorial-side internship background, into a Richardson firm that now handles the full range of immigration, criminal, and bankruptcy matters for Texas clients and international applicants alike. Jacqueline Burgos-Garritson’s Spanish fluency extends the practice’s direct accessibility to a large portion of the Texas immigration client base.