NCSB Journal Summer 2026

LEGAL SPECIALIZATION

Cynthia A. Aziz—Board Certified Specialist in Immigration Law, Specialization Board Member K A T I E S E R U S E T , C ERTIFICATION C OORDINATOR , L E G A L S PECIALIZATION

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Cynthia A. Aziz, a board certified specialist in immigration law and a member of the Board of Legal Specialization. Cynthia is the founder of Aziz Law Firm in Charlotte, NC, and has been practicing immigration law for nearly 40 years. In this conversation, she pro vides insight into the current state of immi gration law and the value of specialization certification from the perspective of the board. Q: Tell us about yourself (college, law school, early career experience). I am a 1982 graduate of Mount Holyoke College located in South Hadley, MA. I received my law degree in 1987 from New England School of Law located in Boston, MA. I moved to Charlotte to start my career as an immigration lawyer in 1988. I founded my firm in 1990. Q: What inspired you to become a lawyer? My ultimate purpose in going to law school was to practice immigration law. I did explore other areas of law while in law school but returned to my initial motivation. Immigration law has always struck me as a humanistic endeavor. Fighting for and pro tecting the rights of newcomers to our coun try seemed like a very noble idea for a second generation American. Advocating for people desiring a new home regardless of their rea son has made for a most rewarding career these past 38 years. Q: How has being a member of the Board of Legal Specialization informed your per spective on certification? Since becoming a member of the Board of Legal Specialization, I have come to learn of the remarkable dedication of its members to make sure each area of specialization has a fair rubric to measure the competency and skill of those who ultimately are certified. I previously have served on the Immigration Law Specialization Committee both as a

member and a chair. Now serv ing on the board has given m a better perspective of how th various specialization commit tees share common struggles t test and determine the level o commitment of practitioner to their specific area of law. Q: How has certification been helpful to your practice? I have benefitted from refer v me he t o of rs n

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rals from specialists in othe areas of practice and have been able to find lawyers in othe practice areas who have collabo rated with me on behalf o clients. Q: What would you say t encourage other lawyers to pursue certifica tion? Pursue certification as a way to tell the public you know what you are doing and are truly dedicated to your practice area for the best interest of your clients. Q: Can you speak to the purpose and value of the NC LEAF scholarship program for specialization which covers application fees for prosecutors, public defenders, and legal services providers who want to pursue spe cialty certification? Many times over the years I have asked a client who was charged criminally for their alleged actions if they had a lawyer and received the response, “I do or did not have a real lawyer.” This troubled me for years because the public defenders I encounter in this state are very dedicated. They want to do the best for their clients. Likewise with non-profit public interest lawyers, they too are dedicated to their craft and are fighting the same fight I am. Certification in an area of specialization raises the profile of not only that one lawyer, but also the team of lawyers o of o

whether they are employed by the govern ment or a private non-profit organization. For this reason, I highly value the NC LEAF Scholarship Program and urge specialists to consider donating funds to the NC Specialization Board through NC LEAF.* Q: What trends or challenges are you cur rently facing in your field? Our field of law and our clients are often the target of scam attempts. Just recently I learned about scammers setting up fake immigration courts, where individuals deal ing with immigration needs are tricked into attending fake court proceedings and paying significant amounts of fake bonds to pur portedly gain release from custody for them selves or for a family member. These scams prey upon the vulnerability of the immi grant population, depleting their already limited financial resources with no benefit to the client. Our field of law has also experienced sig nificant changes. One of the attractive fea tures of practicing immigration law for most of my career was presenting favorable factors

SUMMER 2026

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