James Larsen is the Senior Employment Counsel at the Austin office of Farm Law PC, where he provides innovative solutions to complex immigration and employment challenges for domestic and multinational corporations.
Prior to joining Farmer Law PC, James was Of Counsel at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, an Am Law 100 law firm and one of the largest labor and employment practices in the United States, where he represented multiple Big Five tech giants, the largest bank in the United States, and other companies in the healthcare, construction, and hospitality industries, among other areas.
James joined Farmer Law PC to partner with corporations not traditionally served by Big Law for the opportunity to design, introduce, and implement domestic and global immigration programs as viable solutions to their historic labor shortages.
Over the course of his fifteen year legal career, James has practiced on the frontier of immigration law. While in law school in Iowa, in 2008 he authored, “Clearing the Immigration Hurdles: Challenges in Reforming the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program” and went to work for the in-house legal department of the Iowa-based company that successfully secured federal government classification of construction on a farm as agriculture for immigration purposes. This helped cement the H-2A visa program as an essential immigration tool for securing thousands of visas for much-needed workers the construction industry.
Upon moving to Texas in 2014, James pioneered efficient methodologies for large-scale immigration compliance audits and guided employers in the conversion from paper-based records to electronic Forms I-9 and E-Verify. While working in Austin, he introduced the concept of BATCH processing to a client on the East Coast with one of the largest green card programs in the country, streamlining the PERM labor certification process and expediting permanent residency for foreign nationals by several months.
James presents frequently at conferences and seminars to human resources professionals on immigration and compliance matters. His unique litigation portfolio includes representing multiple employers before the Department of Justice’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (formerly the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices), responding to investigations by the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, resolving Wage and Hour audits, developing strategies to address worksite enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and navigating compliance with state and federal law relating to immigration and employment.
A graduate of Brigham Young University and Drake law, he is licensed in both Iowa and Texas and advises clients on federal immigration and employment related matters in all 50 states.
James lives with his wife, four children, and German Short-haired Pointer in Leander, Texas, the fastest growing city in the United States. A political strategist and former lobbyist, James was the founder of Keep Leander Connected, the grassroots community group that was successful in passing a ballot measure to preserve Leander’s sixty-four mile round trip light rail to downtown Austin. He remains actively engaged in promoting the responsible growth of central Texas communities and currently serves on the steering committee for the Leander Independent School District’s Facility Advisory Committee. James enjoys taking care of the longhorns and horses at the Pioneer Living History Farms, where he and his family are volunteer animal feeders.
Press Release Press Release: Farmer Law Announces Two New Attorneys [post_date]By MK McNabb, Marketing Manager By MK McNabb, Marketing Manager January 24, 2023Austin, TX – 2022 was a year of significant growth for Farmer Law PC. In light of this, we are eager to announce our two newest attorneys, Peace Ibe and James Larson. Peace […]
Press Release Press Release: 2023 Omnibus [post_date]By MK McNabb, Marketing Manager By MK McNabb, Marketing Manager December 27, 2022 Austin, TX – The Senate and House passed a 4,000+ page, $1.7 trillion spending bill to avoid a government shutdown and fund government agencies through September 2023. Originally included in this legislation was proposed farmworker labor […]
Meet Kalynn Hudman, our Employee Spotlight for July
AND the winner of our Newsletter Naming Contest!
Blog The TN Visa – A Powerful Tool for Technology Companies in the U.S. [post_date] In the technology industry, there is a powerful resource that companies are not utilizing to its fullest potential—the TN visa. This visa, which stands for Trade NAFTA, is available to Canadian and Mexican citizens who wish to work in the […]
Press Release Farmer Law PC Named to the 18th Annual Aggie 100™, Honored as Fastest-Growing Company [post_date] By MK McNabb, Marketing Manager By MK McNabb, Marketing Manager COLLEGE STATION, TX, November 9, 2022 – Farmer Law PC of Austin, TX is among the top 100 companies from around the world selected for the 18th annual […]
Maybe you met on a sightseeing trip, or perhaps in a semester-long study abroad program. A friend’s destination wedding. A job training program. A whirlwind romance during what might have otherwise been a simple vacation or a match made by an international marriage magic-maker. Now, all that’s needed is to tie the knot
Press Release Farmer Law PC Addresses Changes to Wage Rates from Department of Labor [post_date] With three-year revenue growth of 770%, Farmer Law PC receives ranking no. 824 among America’s fastest-growing private companies. September 6, 2022 Austin, TX – The Department of Labor (DOL) announced a change to the methodology for the calculations of the […]
Blog FARMER LAW PC Ranks No. 824 on the 2022 Inc. 5000 Annual List [post_date] With three-year revenue growth of 770%, Farmer Law PC receives ranking no. 824 among America’s fastest-growing private companies. NEW YORK, August 16, 2022 – On August 16, 2022 Inc. revealed that Farmer Law PC is No. 824 on its annual […]
The Centers for Disease Control in April clarified that noncitizen children under 18 who are non-immigrants traveling from foreign countries to the U.S. are not currently required to show proof of vacation from Covid-19. The order takes into account the global availability of the vaccine and the potential difficulty posed to families traveling together. However, […]
Effective May 4, 2022, USCIS will increase the automatic extension period on EAD’s for certain applicants to 540 days from 180 days in order to prevent gaps in employment authorization. USCIS will temporarily provide up to 360 days of additional automatic extension time (for a total of up to 540 days) to eligible applicants (only […]
On May 5, 2022, USCIS announced that users can now immediately find the processing time information for their particular type of case, rather than seeing an aggregate of all related case types. To this effect, USCIS made the following changes regarding processing times available here: Addition of drop-down options for form categories to help narrow […]
A recent case highlights what the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division states is a message to employers regarding H-2A program abuses. The WHD found that an employer violated the program when it underpaid workers, provided substandard living conditions, and threatened to terminate the work contracts of workers if they refused to accept […]
The attorneys at Farmer Law PC understand the value of a diversified workforce and are adept at navigating every facet of immigration law. We offer comprehensive solutions for all of your labor shortages. Our team locates honest, accomplished workers to provide employers with exceptional talent from every corner of the globe.
Disclaimer: The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation.
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