Board-certification in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization is a formal credential that only a fraction of Texas immigration attorneys hold — it requires demonstrating substantial practice in the specialty and passing a written examination. James Daniel Stewart, who graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2006, carries that designation alongside appointments as a Super Lawyer in 2023 and 2024, and teaches immigration law as an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law.
Overview
Stewart & Associates, PLLC is an immigration law firm based in Carrollton, Texas, operating from an office on East Belt Line Road in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The firm practices exclusively in U.S. immigration law, handling the full range of immigration matters from family-based petitions to complex deportation defense, citizenship litigation, and appeals before federal courts.
Daniel Stewart founded the firm after gaining immigration law experience following his 2006 graduation from Texas Tech Law. He has built a practice distinguished by formal specialty certification, academic engagement, and federal court litigation capability that extends beyond the immigration courts into the U.S. District Courts and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The firm’s language capabilities — English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese — reflect the diversity of DFW’s immigrant communities and provide genuine accessibility to clients from Latin America, French-speaking countries, and Portuguese-speaking nations including Brazil. Stewart has been recognized as a Rising Star in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and as a Super Lawyer in both 2023 and 2024 by Thomson Reuters.
Practice Areas
Deportation Defense and Removal Proceedings: Representing clients who have been placed in removal proceedings before the immigration courts. Deportation defense requires active advocacy before an immigration judge — bond hearings, merits hearings, requests for relief from removal — and the stakes are the highest in immigration law. Daniel Stewart is admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, allowing him to appeal unfavorable immigration court decisions to the federal circuit.
Family-Based Immigration: Petitions for U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to sponsor eligible family members for immigrant visas or green cards. The firm handles the petition process, consular processing abroad, and adjustment of status for those already present in the United States.
Citizenship Litigation: A distinctive component of the firm’s practice involves litigating citizenship and nationality claims directly in U.S. District Courts, bypassing or supplementing the administrative process when federal court jurisdiction is available and appropriate. Daniel Stewart is admitted to the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas.
Asylum Law: Representation of individuals seeking asylum protection based on past persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Daniel Stewart has spoken at AILA conferences on asylum-related issues including bond hearings and removal defense strategies.
Domestic Violence Survivors and Crime Victims: The firm represents survivors of domestic violence seeking immigration status through VAWA self-petitions, and crime victims seeking U Visas. Both provisions recognize the vulnerability of these individuals within the immigration system and provide pathways to status that do not require the cooperation of the abuser or perpetrator.
Special Juvenile Visas: The Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) visa is available to foreign children in the United States who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned. Daniel Stewart has spoken specifically on special juvenile visas at AILA conferences, indicating direct experience with these matters.
Visas for Religious Workers: R-1 nonimmigrant visas and EB-4 immigrant visas for ministers and religious workers. These visas require documentation of the organization’s religious nature and the worker’s qualifying role.
Investor Visas: The EB-5 immigrant investor program and related investor visa categories for foreign nationals investing in U.S. enterprises.
Athletic Visas: O-1 and P-1 visas for professional athletes and sports professionals with extraordinary ability or who are part of internationally recognized athletic organizations.
DACA: Renewal and related matters for individuals covered by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Waivers of Inadmissibility: When prior immigration violations, criminal history, or other grounds create bars to admission, the firm prepares waiver applications addressing those grounds.
Attorney Profiles
James Daniel Stewart is the principal attorney and founder of Stewart & Associates, PLLC. He earned his J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2006 and was admitted to the Texas bar that year. He is Board-Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a formal specialty designation requiring demonstrated practice depth and a written examination. He is admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. He serves as an Adjunct Professor of Immigration and Nationality Law at the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and has spoken at AILA conferences on bond hearings, removal defense strategies, special juvenile visas, and waivers. He was named a Rising Star in 2014, 2015, and 2016 and a Super Lawyer in 2023 and 2024. He speaks Spanish, French, and Portuguese in addition to English.
Location and Service Area
1712 E Belt Line Rd, Carrollton, TX 75006
Website: danielstewartimmigrationlaw.com/
Phone: Not publicly specified; contact via website.
The firm serves the DFW area and handles immigration cases with reach throughout the Fifth Circuit jurisdiction. The Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals are the firm’s primary federal court venues. Cases with USCIS or consular dimensions are handled nationally.
Client Focus
Stewart & Associates serves individuals and families navigating U.S. immigration law in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with particular expertise in contested and complex matters. Clients in deportation proceedings, those with complicated immigration histories requiring waivers, and individuals seeking to litigate citizenship claims in federal court benefit from an attorney with Board Certification in the specialty and Fifth Circuit appellate admission.
The firm’s language capabilities — Spanish, French, and Portuguese — expand access to DFW’s diverse immigrant communities from Latin America, Brazil, West Africa, Haiti, and other regions where these languages are spoken. This multilingual capacity is a practical advantage in a metropolitan area with one of the largest and most diverse immigrant populations in the United States.
The firm’s willingness to handle athletic and investor visas, in addition to the more common family and deportation matters, reflects a practice that can serve professional and entrepreneurial immigrant clients alongside individuals and families.
FAQ
What does Board Certification in Immigration and Nationality Law mean?
Board Certification by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization is a formal designation recognizing attorneys who have demonstrated substantial involvement in a specific area of law and passed a written examination. In Texas, only a small percentage of licensed attorneys hold any Board Certification. For immigration law, it signals that Daniel Stewart’s practice is concentrated in this area at a level recognized by the state bar’s official certification program — a credential that distinguishes him from immigration practitioners who are not certified specialists.
What is citizenship litigation and when is it used?
Citizenship litigation refers to bringing claims in federal district court to establish citizenship or nationality status. When administrative channels are unavailable or inadequate — for example, when USCIS or the State Department has denied citizenship claims that appear valid under the law — federal court provides an alternative venue. Daniel Stewart is admitted to the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas for this purpose.
Does the firm handle appeals beyond the immigration court system?
The firm handles appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and, when further review is warranted or available, before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Fifth Circuit admission allows the firm to challenge BIA decisions in federal court, a capability that is particularly relevant in deportation cases where administrative appeals have been exhausted.
Does the firm provide legal services in languages other than English?
Daniel Stewart speaks Spanish, French, and Portuguese in addition to English. For Spanish-speaking, French-speaking, and Portuguese-speaking clients — including those from Latin America, Brazil, and francophone regions — this multilingual capability means legal consultations and communications can occur in the client’s primary language.
What is a Special Immigrant Juvenile Visa?
The Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) visa is an immigration benefit available to certain foreign children present in the United States who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by one or both parents, and who have been the subject of a juvenile court finding to that effect. The SIJ classification can lead to lawful permanent residence and is a pathway specifically designed for vulnerable young people who entered the U.S. as minors and cannot safely return to their country of origin.
Closing
Board-certified, teaching at a Texas law school, and capable of pursuing immigration cases through the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals — Daniel Stewart has built a Carrollton-based practice with both the formal credentials and the practical depth to handle immigration matters that require more than basic form processing. For DFW-area clients navigating removal defense, citizenship litigation, or specialized visa categories, the firm’s multilingual capability and demonstrated recognition by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers underscore a level of engagement with the field that certification alone does not fully capture.