Ryan A. Alexeev
Attorney at Law
My interests and research fall within the areas of estate planning and immigration, and the intersection of the two fields.
Within estate planning, I focus on personalized estate plans for my clients, as I do not believe estate planning is one size fits all. The planning aspects of this field become increasingly more important when dealing with clients who have taxable estates and businesses in which they have an ownership interest. When designing an estate plan for my clients, not only do I need to focus on the legalities of drafting these documents and making certain that we are taking into consideration taxable consequences, but I also need to dig deep into the psychology behind what is driving my clients to make the decisions they are making. Family history and life experiences are the vital driver behind the design of a good estate plan.
Immigration has been a rollercoaster ride over the past few years given all the changes that took place during the Trump administration and the backlogs that accrued due to the pandemic. However, immigration law has always been challenging given that as an immigration lawyer, I am not only dealing with the immigration laws, and the vastly varying facts that clients come to me within their cases, but also the fact that there is a large amount of discretion on the part of the immigration officers that comes into play in each case. Although immigration law is based on federal law, each field office across the country and even within the same state has its own way of applying the laws and making decisions.
Since I first started practicing in 2008, I have had a passion for both estate planning and immigration. People have always commented to me on how different the two practice areas were, but I always responded by saying that they do intertwine. I set out to figure out how I could focus on this niche practice area and realized that there are very few practitioners who truly deal with and understand the intricacies of the two fields when they intersect. Over my career I have sought out opportunities, practitioners, courses, and books to learn from in order to get a better understanding of this area. I have been able to successfully apply the knowledge I have acquired to help my clients on a deeper level as well as aid other attorneys and law firms on such matters.
Since the crossover of estate planning and immigration is a complex area, I am constantly researching and learning. It has been and continues to be my goal to become a leading expert in this field.
Bar Admissions
California State Bar
Education
LL.M. in Taxation - University of San Diego School of Law, 2016
J.D. - Gonzaga University School of Law, 2007
B.S. - University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2000
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Majors: International Business and Management Information Systems
Awards
American Institute of Legal Counsel – 10 Best in California for Client Satisfaction in the field of Immigration Law Award - 2016
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce – Excellence in New Small Business Award - October 2016
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce – Young Entrepreneur of the Year - March 2016
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce – Best Professional Services Provider of the Year - October 2014
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce – The Go-Giver Award - December 2011
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce – Entrepreneur of the Year – nominee - March 2011
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce – Rookie of the Year Award - December 2010
San Diego County Bar Association – Bar Stars - 2010
Professional Associations
American Immigration Lawyers Association - San Diego Chapter ExOfficio, 2022-2023
American Immigration Lawyers Association - San Diego Chapter Chair, 2021-2022
American Immigration Lawyers Association - National Board of Governors, 2021-2022
American Immigration Lawyers Association - San Diego Chapter – Treasurer, 2020-2021
California State University-San Marcos, College of Business Administration – Advisory Board Member - October 2019 – Present
AILA Essay Committee – Co-Chair, August 2019 – Present
AILA Practice Management – Co-Chair, August 2019 – Present
AILA San Diego Chapter – Secretary, May 2019 – 2020
SCInstitute Laureate for Wealth Advisors – member, May 2015 – May 2016
High Tech High Immigration Internship – mentor, May 2015 – June 2015
Sandler Training – President’s Club – member, June 2014 – June 2015
WealthCounsel – member, April 2011 – Present
AILA Essay Committee – member and preliminary judge, July 2011 – May 2013
New Member’s Division for AILA – member, July 2011 – December 2012
Mentor for Young and New Lawyers - December 2010 – Present
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) – member, March 2010 – Present
Wine, Women & Wealth Networking – member, March 2010 – October 2012
NetForce Networking Group – president/co-chair/membership committee, February 2009 – August 2016
San Diego County Bar Association, Wills for Heroes Program – volunteer attorney, March 2009
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce – member, April 2009 – December 2017
Young and New Lawyers Estate Planning Networking Group – founder and member, September 2009 – December 2011
ABA Immigration Justice Program – pro bono attorney, October 2009 – March 2010
North County Bar Association – member, December 2008 – December 2013
San Diego County Bar Association – member, December 2008 – February 2012
Habitat for Humanity – volunteer -