James "Jimmy" B. Wood

James B. Wood, Esquire leads the Business Immigration Law Team. Jimmy is a Virginia Beach native, admitted to the Supreme Court of Virginia, who brings relevant prior experience in immigration matters. Jimmy also advises and represents businesses and employers in various aspects of the employment relationship. In addition, he represents property owners and managers in a variety of Fair Housing and Public Accommodation matters.

Jimmy graduated cum laude from the University of Richmond School of Law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Hampden-Sydney College, where he graduated magna cum laude and won the James Madison Award for Distinction in the Government Major.

He previously worked for the U.S. Department of State in The Kingdom of the Netherlands, where he was an intern for the Consulate General and assisted U.S. Consular Officers with adjudications of applications for U.S. visas. While in law school, Jimmy worked in the immigration practice group of a Richmond law firm, where he gained experience with a variety of business immigration matters, including H-1B visas, L-1 visas, and green card cases. He kept clients informed of developments in their immigration cases, and he handled immigration-related communications with government agencies including divisions of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, such as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He also communicated with U.S. Consulate Offices in other countries concerning visa applications.

Through his education and prior experience, Jimmy has acquired knowledge of government operations at the federal, state, and local level. In addition to his work with the U.S. Department of State, Jimmy worked with a variety of federal, state, and local government officials, including the Virginia Beach Sheriff, a Delegate to the Virginia House of Delegates, and the former U.S. Maritime Administrator (who later served as Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia). In 2013, Jimmy won the “Pundit” Award from The Virginia Public Access Project by predicting outcomes for statewide elections and contested General Assembly seats.

As the leader of the Business Immigration Law Team, Jimmy provides a wide array of legal services to employers and foreign employees seeking U.S. immigration benefits. His work includes numerous types of nonimmigrant visa cases, employment-based green card cases, and work before the U.S. Department of Labor in handling applications for permanent labor certification for hard-to-fill job positions. Jimmy communicates directly with clients and helps develop strategies that will meet an employer’s business needs, consistent with the applicable requirements and regulations under U.S. immigration law.