Phoenix Criminal Defense Attorney Co-Authors Third Edition of The Criminal Lawyer's Guide to Immigration Law

PHOENIX, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Immigration law increasingly intersects with criminal law, creating consequences that can extend far beyond a criminal sentence. A new edition of The Criminal Lawyer's Guide to Immigration Law, co-authored by nationally recognized immigration law attorney Robert J. McWhirter and Phoenix criminal defense attorney Joshua Kolsrud, is designed to help lawyers navigate those intersections.

"Immigration law now reaches nearly every criminal courtroom in America, and most criminal lawyers were never trained in it," said Kolsrud. "This book closes that gap." This new edition answers some 700 questions that defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges confront every day.

"Bob McWhirter literally wrote the book on this subject, and criminal lawyers have relied on it for 25 years," explains Kolsrud. "For the third edition, we kept what worked: plain questions and plain answers. We then updated every chapter, statute, and case to reflect how much the law has changed since 2006."

The book covers state enforcement, border searches, the immigration fallout of a plea, aggravated felonies and federal immigration crimes, including smuggling, harboring, marriage fraud, employment offenses, document fraud, and illegal entry and reentry from arrest through sentencing. Fully updated for the first time in 20 years, it reflects Padilla, Loper Bright and today's enforcement climate.

For Kolsrud, the subject is closely connected to his own career. Before becoming a criminal defense attorney, he spent 14 years as a prosecutor at the state, federal and international levels, including serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and working along the U.S.-Mexico border involving major crimes, drug cartels and human trafficking.

Today, Kolsrud practices criminal defense and immigration law, where he often sees how a charge or plea agreement can affect a client's immigration status.

"In Arizona, immigration questions come up in my cases every week, so I know how much rides on getting them right. A plea that looks like a win can cost a client the country they call home. This book exists so any lawyer, anywhere, can spot that trap before it closes."

Kolsrud has handled more than 3,500 federal cases and 100 trials during a legal career spanning more than 18 years. He graduated summa cum laude from ASU's Barrett Honors College and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law. He leads Kolsrud Law Offices in Phoenix. www.KolsrudLawOffices.com

SOURCE Kolsrud Law Offices