Thomas Messner

Associate

Associate Attorney Thomas Messner joined Brown Immigration Law in 2022. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Ohio, the State of Michigan, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Thomas represents clients before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (“EOIR”), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Labor.

216-861-4414

Contact Attorney Thomas Messner

Home › Team › Thomas Messner

Table of Contents

Biography

Thomas Messner’s work focuses on a wide range of immigration-related matters, including adjustment of status, asylum, custody redetermination, employment-based immigration, family-based immigration, naturalization, and removal defense.

Thomas is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio, where he received his Juris Doctor in 2022. During law school, Thomas externed and volunteered at Catholic Charities’ Migration & Refugee Services Office, where he gained experience in removal defense cases. Thomas went on to intern at the Case Western Reserve University Kramer Law Clinic, where he gained further experience in immigration law. He continued his focus on removal defense cases while expanding his caseload to adjustment of status and asylum cases. Upon graduating from law school, Thomas was recognized by the Supreme Court of Ohio for serving the civil legal needs of impoverished Ohioans through his volunteer work at Catholic Charities. Thomas also received the Jack Cronquist Award from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in recognition of his outstanding performance and commitment to clients of the Kramer Law Clinic.

Thomas is also a graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he received his Honors Bachelor of Arts cum laude in International Affairs and Spanish, as well as an interdisciplinary minor in Italian, in 2019. To further his studies, Thomas studied at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, where he studied European Union Law.

While at Marquette, Thomas volunteered at the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic, where he assisted immigration attorneys and immigrants in their translation needs. Thomas also volunteered at a Milwaukee church, where he tutored immigrant children in reading and writing. Thomas also spent two years teaching Spanish at Milwaukee-area elementary schools.

Thomas is originally from Grand Blanc, Michigan.

Licenses

State of Ohio
State of Michigan
United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Employment History

Brown Immigration Law, Associate Attorney (2022 – Present)
Milton A. Kramer Law Clinic, Certified Legal Intern (2021 – 2022)
Auto Services Unlimited, Legal Extern (2021)
Catholic Charities’ Migration and Refugee Services Office, Legal Extern (2020)
City of Milwaukee – Assessor’s Office, Intern (2018 – 2019)

Education History

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
- Study Abroad (Milan, Italy)
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
- Juris Doctor
Marquette University
- Honors Bachelor’s Cum Laude in International Affairs and Spanish

Languages

English
Spanish
Italian
Norwegian

Memberships

American Immigration Lawyers Association
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
Federal Bar Association
Genesee County Bar Association
Ohio State Bar Association
The Lawyers Guild of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Honors

Super Lawyers, Rising Stars (2025)
Supreme Court of Ohio & Ohio Access to Justice Foundations, Certificate of Achievement (2022)
Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Jack Cronquist Award (2022)

Publications

Attorney at Law Magazine, Can Immigrants Deport Themselves? An Explanation of Voluntary Departure (Jan. 21, 2025) https://digital.attorneyatlawmagazine.com/locations/national/2025-immigration-law-issue/index.html#page=11.
Genesee County Bar Association, Bar Beat, United States Citizenship and the Importance of Obtaining Legal Counsel in Removal Proceedings (Sep. 2024) https://www.gcbalaw.org/file/barbeat/BarBeat_Sep24-w.pdf.

Success Stories

Our Clients
Say It Best

See Our Testimonials

It was like a dream when we started three years ago. We wasn’t sure it would be possible or easy cause of the frustration people encounter when handling their immigration application. We had to trust brown immigration law and from start to finish was no...

It was like a dream when we started three years ago. We wasn’t sure it would be possible or easy cause of the frustration people encounter when handling their immigration application. We had to trust brown immigration law and from start to finish was nothing short of easy. We had seamless process. Noelle and attorney Kathryn were so attentive and made it all seam so easy to Achieve and guess what! We made it today . I’ll recommend them over and over again.

Read More
Akin F Mar 20, 2020
We had an excellent experience working with Brown. The team was professional and knowledgeable and our case progressed smoothly and without delay. I was actually quite anxious going into this process, but the responsiveness and thorough guidance of our...

We had an excellent experience working with Brown. The team was professional and knowledgeable and our case progressed smoothly and without delay. I was actually quite anxious going into this process, but the responsiveness and thorough guidance of our case worker, Julia, helped ease my concerns. I'm not surprised that this is the highest rated Immigration Law Firm on Google!

Read More
Julan Al-Yassin Feb 11, 2024
Hired this firm to help out with my immigration processes and I had a great experience. The attorney, Kelly Sanchez, was very professional and knowledgeable and my case manager, Fatima Fernandes, was very diligent and organized. They were both very access...

Hired this firm to help out with my immigration processes and I had a great experience. The attorney, Kelly Sanchez, was very professional and knowledgeable and my case manager, Fatima Fernandes, was very diligent and organized. They were both very accessible and helpful when I had any questions. My immigration interview ended up being waived but if yours isn't, the attorney will go to the interview with you, which is great. Would definitely recommend.

Read More
Javier Sabillon Feb 13, 2024
This was my first time working with an immigration law firm/Attorney for a personal matter, and the whole process was very smooth. I would like to express my gratitude to Attorney Maya and the Case Manager Anhelina for their extraordinary and professional...

This was my first time working with an immigration law firm/Attorney for a personal matter, and the whole process was very smooth. I would like to express my gratitude to Attorney Maya and the Case Manager Anhelina for their extraordinary and professional services. I can finally accompany my wife without worrying about leaving her alone in the States. I genuinely recommend Brown Immigration Law Firm to everyone who are seeking legal assistance for immigration matters.

Read More
Scott M Feb 14, 2024