The Affidavit of Support Lawyer®

Expert Witness & Consultant for Family Law Attorneys

Family law cases involving a sponsored immigrant can trigger a federally enforceable support obligation that operates outside traditional spousal-support frameworks.

When the USCIS Form I-864 is implicated, rights can be lost through inaction or misframing. Greg McLawsen, the Affidavit of Support Lawyer®, works with family law attorneys to provide clear, court-ready guidance on asserting and preserving Affidavit of Support claims in motions practice, mediation, and trial.

The Washington Institute Speaking on Immigration

When a family law case will benefit from the Affidavit of Support Lawyer®

Family law attorneys typically bring Greg in when:

• A client obtained lawful permanent residency through a marriage-based petition (Form I-130) or fiancé(e) visa (Form K-1); and

• The sponsored spouse is unemployed, underemployed, or likely to experience income instability; or

• The enforceability, scope, or duration of the Affidavit of Support is disputed or unclear.

If the Affidavit of Support is even potentially relevant, early consultation with an affidavit of support lawyer can prevent missteps that are difficult to unwind later. Sound Immigration represents only sponsored immigrants and consults exclusively with their counsel; it does not advise sponsors or sponsor-side attorneys.

Expert witness services — Affidavit of Support issues

When retained as an expert witness, Greg provides:

• Written expert reports addressing I-864 enforceability and scope.

• Court-focused explanations of federal authority governing the Affidavit of Support.

• Testimony by declaration or live/video appearance.

• Rebuttal opinions regarding incorrect defense assertions or expert opinions.

Greg’s testimony reflects the perspective of a practicing attorney with over a decade of experience enforcing the Affidavit of Support.

Consulting services for family law attorneys

Many attorneys retain Greg solely as a non-testifying consultant.

In that role, Greg can assist with:

• Evaluating whether an I-864 claim is viable.

• Confidential assessments of your client’s recoverable damages

• Identifying litigation risk related to federal support obligations

• Advising on discovery strategy where Affidavit of Support issues arise

• Pressure-testing settlement proposals involving support

• Preparing counsel for hearings and mediation where third-party neutrals may misunderstand the I-864

Bringing the Affidavif of Support effectively into play can dramatically increase your client’s settlement leverage.

All exepert / consulting fees may be recoverable (8 U.S.C. § 1183a(c))

The federal statute and Affidavit of Support contain a fee-shifting provision that makes sponsors responsible for all costs of enforcement, including attorney fees. Both your fees and expert witness/consulting fees can be recovered from the sponsor. This provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act is not subject to the familiar means-tested rules for awarding fees in family law cases. That means that your enforcement costs, including expert/consulting fees, may be recoverable from the opposing party, even if other fees are not.

Request a no-cost phone consultation

Contact Sound Immigration to arrange a phone consultation with Greg regarding your client’s case. We will request party names for conflict purposes and limited background information to assess whether the Affidavit of Support is implicated. Consultations are typically scheduled within a few days.