Overview

Bruce E. Buchanan counsels employers on immigration compliance issues, conducts internal I-9 audits, represents employers in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inspections and audits, Immigrant and Employee Rights (IER)/Department of Justice investigations, E-Verify issues, and employment-based visas. Also, Bruce practices labor law where he represents employers before National Labor Relations Board and U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division and in collective bargaining. Before focusing on immigration, Bruce served as senior trial specialist for the NLRB for 20 years, counseled clients on union-filed representation petitions, represented employers in collective bargaining, and advised on wage and hour and Family and Medical Leave Act matters.

In addition to his legal practice, Bruce regularly writes and speaks on immigration compliance and labor law issues for employers and served as Adjunct Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law for 10+ years. Among his many publications, Bruce co-authored the book, I-9 and E-Verify Handbook, 2017 and 2024 editions, and was an editor of the Employer Sanctions of Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook, 2024 edition. He was a longtime member of the Verification and Documentation Liaison Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).

Bruce has extensive experience representing companies in the following industries:

  • Manufacturing
  • Restaurants/Hospitality
  • Healthcare
  • Education
  • Staffing
  • Construction
  • Food processing

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member

Immigration Law and Labor & Employment Law sections

Tennessee Bar Association (TBA)

Member

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)

Member

AILA Online Review Course Committee

Former Member

AILA Verification & Documentation Liaison Committee

Member

The Associated General Contractors of America – Middle Tennessee

Recognition

Named, Best Lawyers in America

Tennessee

Employment Law - Management

2016-2025

News, Analysis & Press

Lessons from Recent IER Settlements

ASAP

September 27, 2024

WPI Labor Day Report 2023

WPI Report

September 5, 2023

Bruce Buchanan: The Intersection of Labor & Immigration

Attorney at Law Magazine

July 24, 2023

WPI Labor Day Report 2022

WPI Report

September 5, 2022

Tennessee Lowers the Employee Threshold to 35 for Mandatory Use of E-Verify

TBA's Labor & Employment Law Newsletter

June 2022

USCIS Seeking Public Comment on Use of Permanent Remote I-9 Verification

TBA's Labor & Employment Law Newsletter

November 2021

SSA No-Match Letters Discontinued Again

TBA's Labor & Employment Law Newsletter

May 2021

ICE Announces Another 30-Day Extension to I-9 Virtual Verification

TBA's Labor & Employment Law Newsletter

July 2020

Books & Book Chapters

  • I-9 and E-Verify Handbook, co-author with Greg Siskind, Alan House Publishing, 2017 and 2024
  • Kurzban’s Immigration Law Source Book, editor of Chapter on Employer Sanctions, 2024-2025 edition

Speaking Engagements

Hiring of Foreign Nationals for Nursing-Related Positions and the New E-Verify+

Tennessee Hospital Association

September 19, 2024

Latest Developments in Immigration Compliance

Tennessee Annual Conference, PayrollOrg

August 8, 2024

Anti-discrimination Issues in Sponsorship Decisions, ITAR, and Verification – I-9s and E-Verify

American Immigration Lawyers Assoc. (AILA) Annual Conference, Chicago, IL

June 12, 2024

Immigration Compliance - Entering a New Age?

Greater Nashville Chapter, PayrollOrg

April 18, 2024

You “Audit” Know

AILA Webinar

March 12, 2024

Immigration Compliance - Virtual Verification of I-9 Documentation, New Form I-9, ICE Audits, Due Diligence and More

Georgia-Alabama AILA Chapter Conference

February 22, 2024

Immigration Compliance

December 7, 2023

What Employers Should About the New Alternative Procedure – I-9 Virtual Verification Option and New I-9 Form

Associated General Contractors – Middle Tennessee Region

August 29, 2023

What Employers Should About the New Alternative Procedure – I-9 Virtual Verification Option and New I-9 Form

Tennessee Hospital Association, Brentwood, TN

August 25, 2023

Form I-9 Notices of Inspection: What to Do When ICE Comes Knocking

American Immigration Lawyers Assoc. (AILA) Annual Conference; Orlando, FL

June 23, 2023

Answers to the Expat Riddle - How Do We Deal with the Employment of Non-US Expats in the US

Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 11, 2023

Answers to the Expat Riddle – How Do We Deal with the Employment of Non-US Expats in the US?

Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 11, 2023

New NLRB - 2022-2023 Decisions and Where are They Headed?

Tennessee Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Forum, Nashville, TN

April 5, 2023

McLaren Macomb and NLRB Cases for Non-Union Employers

Tennessee Senior Bankers Forum, Nashville, TN

March 30, 2023

Hot Topics in Immigration Compliance

AILA Georgia-Alabama Chapter Conference; Atlanta, TN

March 17, 2023

Current Issues in Worksite Enforcement

AILA Annual Conference, New York City

June 2022

DHS/ICE Audits – from Receipt of NOI to Litigating Fine before OCAHO

Georgia-Alabama Chapter of AILA Annual Conference

March 2022

E-Verify Changes and Challenges

AILA Employer Compliance and Worksite Enforcement Conference

December 2021

Biden Administration and Employer Immigration Compliance

TSWB/APA

August 2021

1st 100 Days under President Biden – Where are we Headed in Immigration Law?

TBA Immigration Law Section Forum

May 2021

Immigration and Employment Issues under Biden

Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Middle Tennessee, Nashville

February 2021

I-9 / Worksite Enforcement Current Trends

AILA Mid-South Fall Conference

October 2020

Why I-9 Compliance Should be a Priority

Greater Nashville Chapter of APA, Nashville

November 2019

ICE Audits/Raids of Employers – Is Your Business ICE’s Next Target?

AGC - Construction HR & Training Professionals Conference, Chicago

October 2019

I-9 compliance Issues

AILA Mid-South Fall Conference, Chattanooga

October 2019

IER Investigations in the Era of BAHA

AILA Employer Compliance and Worksite Enforcement Conference, Park City, UT

September 2019

Education

  • J.D., Vanderbilt University Law School, 1982
  • B.S., Florida State University, 1979magna cum laude

Bar Admission

Tennessee
Florida
Georgia

Courts

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Arkansas
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia