U City Resident Stephen Legomsky Accepts Appointment in Washington, DC

A University City resident who's earned international recognition as an immigration expert has been appointed chief counsel for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in Washington, DC, according to a WUSTL news releas,

Stephen Legomsky will take a leave of absence from the law school to assume the position effective Oct. 24 in DC. As chief counsel, Legomsky will manage a staff of 160 attorneys, advise the director of the agency on legal and policy issues, and serve as a member of the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS leadership teams.

Legomsky and his wife Lorraine Gnecco have been very involved members of the U City community. Gnecco is active in U City in Bloom, while Legomsky is a former member of the U City Board of Education. He was elected in 1993 and served three years.

“He also is a dedicated teacher who cares about people and about getting things done right," said Kent D. Syverud, JD, dean and the Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished University Professor at Washington University. "I can’t imagine a better choice for this vital public service position.”

Legomsky has served as a consultant on immigration and refugee policies to the transition teams of Presidents Clinton and Obama, to the first President Bush’s Commissioner of Immigration, to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and to several foreign governments.

His coursebook, Immigration and Refugee Law and Policy, has been the required text at 175 law schools since its inception.