Scott Bratton is a Managing Member and Partner at MJB Immigration (formerly known as Sharon & Kálnoki LLC). He is licensed to practice law in Ohio as well as numerous federal district and appellate courts. Mr. Bratton has practiced immigration law since 2001. His practice focus includes removal defense, asylum, appeals, federal litigation, Ohio and federal criminal defense, naturalization, and family-based immigration. Mr. Bratton regularly practices in federal and immigration courts throughout the United States.
Mr. Bratton has practiced immigration law for over eighteen years and has been the attorney of record on numerous precedent-setting cases, including Cece v. Holder, 733 F.3d 662 (7th Cir. 2013)(en banc), Mandebvu v. Holder, 755 F.3d 417 (6th Cir. 2014), Patel v. Holder, 868 F.3d 719 (8th Cir. 2017), and Madrigal v. Holder, 572 F.3d 239 (6th Cir. 2009). Mr. Bratton also represented President Obama’s aunt and uncle in their immigration court proceedings, which led to their applications being granted.
Mr. Bratton has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers® in America since 2010 and as an Ohio Super Lawyer since 2012. Mr. Bratton was named the 2019 Cleveland Best Lawyers® Immigration “Lawyer of the Year.” He has also taught Asylum and Removal Proceedings at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law for six years. He also frequently speaks at immigration conferences throughout the United States. His article, Representing a Noncitizen in a Criminal Case, was cited by the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case of Padilla v. Kentucky, 559 U.S. 356 (2010). Additionally, Mr. Bratton serves as the Ohio AILA Chapter Vice Chair as well as serving on the AILA Asylum Committee. In 2019-20, Mr. Bratton is also serving on the AILA National Removal Defense Online Course Committee where he is working with a small group of immigration lawyers to prepare an on-line educational and training curriculum for removal defense practitioners.
EDUCATION
- Juris Doctor Degree, University of Cincinnati College of Law, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio
ADMISSIONS
- Ohio State Bar
- Federal Appellate Courts: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th and D.C. circuits
- United States District Courts: Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio, Eastern District of Michigan, Northern n Southern Districts of Illinois, District of Nebraska, and Western District of Texas
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Adjunct Professor, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Spring Semester 2013-2019
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, On-line Removal Defense Committee, 2019-present
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, Federal Litigation Steering Committee, 2015-2016
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, Amicus Committee, 2014-2015
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, Asylum Liaison Chair for Ohio, 2016-present
- Ohio Chapter, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Vice-Chair, June 2017-present
- Ohio Chapter, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Immigration Court Liaison Chair, 2010-2017
- Lyonel Jones Pro Bono Committee, 2008-present
AWARDS
- Named the Best Lawyers® 2019 Immigration Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Cleveland
- Selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers® in America each year from 2010 to 2020 in the field of Immigration Law
- Super Lawyer, Ohio Super Lawyers Magazine, 2012-2020
- Rising Star, Ohio Super Lawyers Magazine, 2005-2006, 2009-2011
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- Crimmigration Issues in Municipal Court, Cleveland City Prosecutor’s Office, January 2020
- Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, December 2019
- Challenging a Notice to Appear in Removal Proceedings, Ohio AILA, October 2019
- Immigrant Justice Campaign, Ohio AILA, Instructor for 1 ½ day workshop,
- Mock Immigration Court Hearings, Panelist, AILA Ohio Annual Conference, Columbus, Ohio, October 18, 2018
- Motions to Reopen, Strategies and Considerations, AILA National Conference, San Francisco, CA, June 2018
- Waivers in Removal Proceedings, Ohio AILA Conference, Columbus, OH October 2017
- Post-Removal Waivers, AILA National Conference, New Orleans, June 2017 (discussion leader)
- Federal Litigation, Ohio AILA Litigation CLE, Columbus, Ohio, April 2017 (discussion leader)
- Introduction to the Immigration Court, Cleveland Immigration Court, February 2017 (co-panelist with Immigration Judge Brown)
- Removal Strategies with a Focus on Immigration Issues, Ohio AILA Conference, Columbus, Ohio, October 2016
- Gender Based Asylum Claims Post-A-R-C-G-, AILA Audio Seminar, September 2016
- Case Western University School of Law panelist: Viewpoint Forum “The Debate Over Immigration”, 2016
- Has the Child Status Protection Act Aged-Out, AILA National Conference, National Harbor, Maryland (June 20, 2015)
- Taking the Next Step: Appeals to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Ohio State Bar Association, Columbus, Ohio (June 3, 2015)
- Asylum 101, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Conference, Washington, DC (March 27, 2015)
- Defining Particular Social Groups for Asylum Cases, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Conference, Washington DC (March 27, 2015)
- The Child Status Protection Act, AILA Colorado Rocky Mountain Immigration Law Conference, Denver, Colorado, October 2014
- Deportable No More: Moncrieffe, Descamps, and Ohio and Michigan criminal statutes, AILA Ohio/Michigan Conference, Toledo, Ohio, October 2014
- Practicing Immigration Law in the Age of the Internet, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, May 2014
- Child Status Protection Act – Maintaining Your Sanity, AILA, May 2014
- Relief from Removal, AILA National Conference, San Francisco, CA, June 2013 (discussion leader)
- Cancellation of Removal, American Immigration Lawyers Association Seminar, October 2012
- Adjustment of Status for the Atypical Entrant, AILA Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, June 2012 (discussion leader)
- Updates from the Immigration Bench, U.S. Immigration Court, Cleveland, Ohio (October 14, 2011)
- Removal for Experts, 3-part seminar on ILW.com, April and May 2011(discussion leader)
- The implications of Padilla v. Kentucky, Ohio AILA Conference, Columbus, Ohio, November 2010.
- Child Status Protection Act, AILA National Conference, Washington, DC, July 3, 2010
- Federal Litigation, Cuyahoga County Metropolitan Bar Association, December 2009
- Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) Model Hearing Program, US Immigration Court, 2009, 2010, 2012
- Removal Proceedings, Webinars for ILW.com, 2009
- Cutting-Edge Issues in Asylum Law, Ohio AILA Conference, Columbus, Ohio, 2009
- Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, 2008
- Immigration Court Update, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, 2008
- The Who, What, Where and Why of the Immigration Court, Cleveland Bar Association, December 14, 2007
- Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) Model Hearing Program, US Immigration Court, November 30, 2007
- What Employers and Partners Need to Know about Work Authorization, National Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc. National Convention, Las Vegas, NV, November 2007
- Criminal Convictions and Adjustment of Status, Immigration Law Weekly Seminar, August 2007
- Federal Litigation in Immigration Cases, Cuyahoga County Bar Association, Annual Immigration Seminar, 2006
- Immigration Law changes and Proposed Future Policies, National Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc Nat’l Conference, Philadelphia, PA, November 2006
- Everything You Wanted to Know About Immigration Law, National Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc (NAPABA) Nat’l Conference, Philadelphia, PA, November 2006
- Asylum Law, Case Western Reserve Univ, Law School, 2006
- Post-Conviction Remedies, Cuyahoga County Bar Association, 2005
- Defenses in Removal Proceedings, Columbus Bar Association, 2005
- Aggravated Felonies, Cleveland Bar Association, 2004
- Removal Proceedings, Cuyahoga County Bar Association, 2002 – 2003
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLISHED WORKS
- Motions to Reopen: Strategies and Considerations, AILA National Conference Practice Pointer (co-author), June 2018
- Post-Removal Waivers and Motions to Reopen, AILA Annual Conference Practice Pointer (co-author), June 2017
- Gender-Based Asylum Claims Post-Matter of A-R-C-G-, AILA Practice pointer, September 2016
- The Categorical Approach After Descamps, AILA Ohio/Michigan Conference Practice Pointer, October 2014
- Dealing with Increased Enforcement and E-Verify and Secure Communities Issues, New Developments in Immigration Enforcement and Compliance, 2012 ed.: Leading Lawyers on Navigating Trends in Immigration Law (Inside the Minds)
- Why Immigration Reform is Critical, Albany Government Law Review, Volume III, Issue, 1 March 2010 (co-author)
- Judicial Profile, The Honorable Gary W. Smith, Assistant Chief Immigration Judge, the Federal Lawyer, 2007
- Practice Points: Representing a Noncitizen in a Criminal Case, 31 The Champion 61 (Jan/Feb 2007)(cited by the United States Supreme Court in Padilla v. Kentucky, (559 U.S. 356 (2010)(co-author)
REPRESENTATIVE CASES
- State v. Khoshknabi, Ohio App.8 Dist., 2018-Ohio-1752
- Patel v. Sessions, 868 F.3d 719 (8th Cir. 2017)
- Lopez v. Sessions, 851 F.3d 626 (6th Cir 2017)
- Cen v. Att’y Gen. of the United States, 825 F.3d 177 (3d Cir. 2016)
- State v. Galdamez, 10th Dist. App. 14AP527, 2015-Ohio-3681
- Debartolo v. United States, 790 F.3d 775 (7th Cir. 2015)
- Mandebvu v. Holder, 755 F.3d 417 (6th Cir. 2014)
- Cece v. Holder, 733 F.3d 662 (7th Cir. 2013) (en banc).
- Liu v. US Attorney General, 2010 WL 93273 (11th Cir. 2010)
- State v. Yahya, 2011-Ohio 06090 (Ohio App.10th Dist. 2011)
- Haider v. Holder, 595 F.3d 276 (6th Circuit 2010)
- Hakim v. Holder, 628 F.3d 151 (5th Cir. 2010)
- Madrigal v. Holder, 572 F.3d 239 (6th Circuit 2009)
- Gordon v. Mukasey, 2008 WL 2001732 (6th Circuit 2008)
- Shayesteh v. Hansen, 2008 WL420054 (ND Ohio 2008)
- Shah v. Hansen, 2007 WL 3232353 (N.D. Ohio 2007)
- Duan v. Zamberry, 2007 WL 626116 (W.D. PA 2007)
- State v. Rodriguez, 2007 – Ohio 6835 (8th District Court of Appeals 2007)
- Gao v. Gonzales, 2006 WL1049059 (2nd Circuit 2006)
- Singh v. Gonzales, 451 F.3d 400 (6th Cir. 2006)
- Oboichuk v. Gonzales, 2006 WL 1876917 (9th Cir. 2006)
- Salehian v. Novak, 2006 WL 3041109 (D.Conn. 2006)
- Iao v. Gonzales, 400 F3d 530 (7th Cir. 2005)
- Hegyi v. Gonzales, 2005 WL 1385950 (6th Cir. 2005)
- Alami v. Ashcroft, 2004 WL 24916666 (5th Cir. 2004)
- Guchshenkov v. Ashcroft, 366 F3d 554 (7th Cir. 2004)
- State v. Creary, 2004 Ohio 858 (Ohio App. 8th Dist. 2004)
- Nwakanma v. Ashcroft, 352 F3d 325 (6th Cir. 2003)
- State v. Abi-Aazar, 2003 Ohio 4780 (Ohio App 9th Dist. 2003)
- State v. Quran, 2002 Ohio 4917 (Ohio App. 8th Dist. 2002)
- U.S. v. Adkins, 274 F3d 444 (7th Cir. 2001)
- Shurney v. INS, 2001 F.Supp.2d 783 (N. D. Ohio 2001)
