For more than 35 years, Larry S. Rifkin has held the position of Chairperson of the Florida Bar Liaison Committee to the Department of Homeland Security (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), Department of Labor, and the Department of State (Consular Services). Larry liaisons with all three agencies on behalf of the 108,615+ members of the Florida Bar. Larry is also certified as an Immigration and Nationality Law Specialist by the Florida Bar. As a member of the Florida Bar Liaison Committee, which established the standards in 1994 for certification as an Immigration and Nationality Law Specialist in Florida, he was exempt from taking the examination, as he was one of the designated attorneys to write the initial exam as well as the qualifications for the designation as a specialist in U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law. He has served the State of Florida as a member of the Board of Directors of Enterprise Florida, the International Trade and Economic Development Board for the State of Florida.
Larry continues to be recognized for his many years of practice as a leading practitioner in the area of U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law. Recently, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication, Best Lawyers, named Larry as one of the “Best Lawyers in America.”
The prestigious organization, Lawyer International, located in the United Kingdom, named Larry “Best Immigration Lawyer of the Year-USA” in its annual selection of top lawyers and law firms worldwide. Lawyer International analyzed in excess of 102,575 votes submitted by peers worldwide with regard to the selection process. In addition, Larry holds an “AV-Preeminent” Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. The “AV” rating is the highest rating an attorney can receive from peers both for legal expertise and for ethics. Larry is also listed in the exclusive Martindale-Hubbell publication, “The Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys,” and is listed in Best Attorneys of America as well as the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, which recognizes the top 1% of attorneys in the United States. Furthermore, Larry is listed in the South Florida Legal Guide as one of South Florida’s top lawyers. This exclusive list of 100 attorneys was compiled by members of the Florida Bar. Larry is further listed in Law and Leading Attorneys as a Leading Florida Attorney. Fewer than 6% of the State’s attorneys are accorded the designation of “Leading Florida Attorney.” Larry was selected as a Florida Super Lawyer in the area of U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law. He is also listed in the Corporate Immigration chapter of Who’s Who Legal, published by the International Bar Association, headquartered in the United Kingdom. Larry is additionally listed as a leading lawyer in Immigration Law by Chambers USA, which ranks the leading law firms and lawyers worldwide.
Larry has served as an expert witness in Immigration Law in both Federal and State courts. Larry has been interviewed by many leading publications, including the Miami Herald, regarding matters involving U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law.
A noted author and lecturer, Larry has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades by the Florida Bar for his publications and participation in seminars/webinars on behalf of the Bar in the area of U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law. Additionally, Larry has co-authored publications on consular processing for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). These publications are used by immigration lawyers as reference texts with regard to consular processing.
As a former Chairperson of the Florida Bar, International Law Section, Larry continues to serve on the Section’s Executive Council as a voting member. He is a past President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (South Florida Chapter) and is an invited member to participate in the Executive Board’s monthly meetings as a former President of South Florida AILA.
Florida, 1980
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 1980
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida and U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 1981
New York, 1988
U.S. Middle District of Florida, 2007
U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts for D.C., 2017