Marc Van Der Hout, is a practicing attorney and the founding member of Van Der Hout, LLP. He is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law. Founded in 1980, Van Der Hout, LLP, is a nationally-recognized, full-service immigration law firm representing individuals, families, and companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout California. Their clients come from across the country and across the globe and their cases cover a broad range of immigration litigation and visa concerns.
Mr. Van Der Hout has been recognized by bar associations throughout the country for his innovative and resourceful representation of immigrants. He has twice received the American Immigration Lawyers Association premier award for outstanding litigation in the field of immigration law and twice received the Carol Weiss King Award of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers’ Guild for outstanding immigration litigation. Among his many other awards, Mr. Van Der Hout was selected by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2003 as one of San Francisco’s top 25 attorneys; was named by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of California’s Top 100 Lawyers in 2007; received a 2008 Attorney of the Year Clay award from California Lawyer Magazine for outstanding achievement in his field and that same year was named one of the top 100 lawyers in Northern California by Super Lawyers Magazine; received the San Francisco Lawyers’ Committee Robert G. Sproul Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Services in the Legal Field in 2009 and has been named by Woodward/White’s Best Lawyers in America every year since 1993.
Mr. Van Der Hout attended the University of Michigan, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1970. He then went on to Golden Gate University School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctorate (JD) in 1977. He was national president of the National Lawyers Guild in 1985-86. Currently, Mr. Van Der Hout is an active member of the Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association (AILA) and has served on its Board every year since 1989. He is a past chair of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild and has served on its governing board for the past 38 years. Mr. Van Der Hout has lectured extensively on the subject of immigration law throughout the country and has served as an adjunct professor at both Hastings College of the Law and Berkeley School of Law.
Representative Cases
- Oshodi v. Holder, Case No. 08-71478, 2013 WL 4511636, 2013, 9th Cir.
- Shia Ass’n of Bay Area v. United States, 849 F. Supp. 2d 916, 2012, N.D. Cal.
- Zavala v. Ridge, 310 F. Supp. 2d 1071, 2004, N.D. Cal.
- Arreola-Arreola v. Ashcroft, 383 F.3d 956, 2004, 9th Cir.
- Araujo v. INS, 301 F. Supp. 2d 1095, 2004, N.D. Cal.
- Chang v. United States, 327 F.3d 911, 915, 2003, 9th Cir.
- Barahona-Gomez v. Reno,, 167 F.3d 1228, 1999, 9th Cir.
- Barahona-Gomez v. Reno,, 243 F. Supp. 2d 1029, 2002, N.D. Cal.
- Castro-Cortez v. INS, 239 F.3d 1037, 2001, 9th Cir.
- Lujan-Armendariz v. INS, 222 F.3d 728, 2000, 9th Cir.
- American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee v. Reno, 914 F. Supp. 1060, 1989, C.D. Cal.
- Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee v. Thornburgh, 940 F.2d 445, as amended, 970 F.2d 501 (9th Cir. 1992), 1991, 9th Cir.
- American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee v. Reno, 70 F.3d 1045, 1995, 9th Cir.
- Reno v. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, 525 U.S. 471, 1999
- Chintakuntla v. INS (N.D. Cal. May 4, 2000)
- Magana-Pizano v. INS, 200 F.3d 603, 1999, 9th Cir.
- Rafeedie v. INS, (D.D.C. 1988) (D.C. Cir. 1989) (D.D.C. 1992)
- American Baptist Churches (“ABC”) v. Meese, 712 F. Supp. 756 (N.D. CA 1989), 760 F. Supp. 786 (N.D.CA. 1991)
- Cunanan v. INS, 856 F.2d 1373 (9th Cir. 1988)
- Escobar Ruiz v. INS, 813 F.2d 283, 284 (9th Cir. 1987)
- Dellums v. Smith, 573 F. Supp. 1489, 1491 (N.D. Cal. 1983)
- Bustamante v. Mukasey, 531 F.3d 1059 (9th Cir. 2008)
Honors & Awards
- Named Northern California’s “Immigration Lawyer of the Year” – by Super Lawyers magazine, 2019
- American Immigration Lawyers Association Premier Award
- Recipient, American Immigration Law Foundation’s Honorary Fellow Award
- 500 Best Lawyers 2005’s
- Chosen by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of California’s Top 100 Leading Lawyers, 2007
- Named one of the top 100 lawyers and top immigration lawyers by Northern California Super Lawyers 2008 magazine
Professional Associations & Memberships
- American Immigration Lawyers’ Association, Member
- American Immigration Lawyers’ Association, Board of Governors, National Litigation Committee
- President, National Lawyers Guild, 1985 – 1986
- National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, Past Chair