Terry Preshaw was 9 years old when she first read “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee’s iconic novel of individual integrity and legal justice. Preshaw personally identified with Scout, the plucky young heroine, but it was attorney Atticus Finch and his crusade for justice that left an indelible impression.
“As a lawyer, I still hold Atticus Finch as the person I most want to emulate. He was my first role model of who I’d like to become,” Preshaw says.
Preshaw is an Everett-based attorney who specializes in immigration law. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, she is a rarity in being licensed to practice in both countries.
For 20 years, her focus was business immigration. Particularly following 1994’s North American Free Trade Agreement, businesses had increasing need for representation across the border. Preshaw helped open new foreign offices as well as navigate employee transfers.
“The more economic integration between our two countries, the better friends we will continue to be,” Preshaw says.
In recent years, Preshaw’s emphasis shifted to individual business travelers. Improved computer technology through the National Criminal Information Center allows the Canadian Border Services Agency easier access to criminal records. A U.S. traveler with a 30-year-old DUI or reckless driving offense will be denied entry to Canada unless they can prove the sentence was completed.
“Some folks have traveled back and forth for years without incident. They are surprised when they show up one day and suddenly the door is slammed shut. It’s becoming a more apparent issue and, in some cases, quite dramatic,” Preshaw says.
As one of the few Canadian immigration lawyers residing in the U.S., Preshaw is in the unique position of being allowed to represent American clients at the Canadian consulate and border. U.S.-only lawyers cannot.
Her international perspective is informed by local involvement. She located to Everett in 1993 and appreciates the “small-town feel of a place that does big business.” Her wide-ranging community service and pro bono work ranges from founding and incorporating the Mukilteo Community Orchestra, in which she plays French horn, to advocating for local residents.
“When a business person is involved in their community, they have a better idea of how best they can serve it,” Preshaw says. “With the orchestra, I was able to meet people from different walks of life. Getting to know them made me realize the need for my services was more widespread than I ever dreamt.”
(Preshaw made national news in August when her French horn, which had been stolen from her five years ago, was returned by someone who bought it in a pawn shop.)
In 2013, a community member sought Preshaw’s help. The woman, an American citizen, was desperate to evacuate her husband and three children from Iraq.
As a girl, her family fled the country as refugees in the 1980s, but she returned after marrying. Under the threat of ISIS, she departed and safely gave birth to her fourth child on U.S. soil last year. The newborn remains with relatives in Everett while she lobbies from Iraq to reunite her family.
“I feel emotional about this case,” Preshaw says with tears pooling. “It reminded me of the opportunities people had in Nazi Germany to save people. I heard the call and realized I had to step up to the plate. I’d never done something like this in my entire career.”
Preshaw and her husband sponsored the rest of the family to come to the U.S. After years of red tape, Preshaw is confident they will be issued immigrant visas this fall.
“I think this is my most satisfying case to date,” Preshaw says. “I’m not just doing the paperwork, I’m providing one of the key pieces (sponsorship) these folks need to come to safety. I feel like it’s my Atticus Finch moment.”
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