Misty Wilson Borkowski

Misty Wilson Borkowski is a Partner in Hall Booth Smith, P.C.’s Little Rock office with an immigration practice, which focuses on employment-based immigration matters, both temporary visas, as well as permanent residency. Her practice focuses on H-2A Visas, DOL Audits, E-1/E-2 Treaty Trader/Investor Visas, L-1A/L-1B Intracompany-Transferee Visas, and H-1B Visas. She also represents employers and physicians in the J-1 Visa Waiver process, whether as a Conrad 30 Waiver or through the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), as well as EB-2 sponsorship and/or PNIW (Physician National Interest Waiver). Misty also represents individuals in family-based immigration and naturalization.

Prior to joining HBS, Misty, who is also fluent in Spanish, was a director at a local law firm, where she served as the designated attorney with the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock under its PALE Program (“Program of Legal Assistance to Mexican Nationals through External Legal Advice in the United States of America”). She previously served for 10 years on the Little Rock Sister Cities Commission. She was appointed by the Arkansas Supreme Court to serve on the Criminal Practice Committee and served for over a decade as a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. In spring 2023, she was an Adjunct Professor teaching Immigration Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Bowen School of Law.

Misty earned her Juris Doctor at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, Bowen School of Law, and her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. After law school, Misty completed an Independent Studies program at the Universidad de Navarra en Pamplona in Spain.

Recognition

•The Best Lawyers in America , Best Lawyers, 2020-2026
•Awarded in: Appellate Practice, Employment Law - Management, Immigration Law
•Mid-South Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2021-2025
•Distinguished Peer Rated Attorney, Martindale-Hubbell
•Best Lawyers in Little Rock, Little Rock Soiree, 2017

Presentations

•Sowing Success: Complying with Dramatic New Labor Standards Affecting H-2A Employers
HBS Webinar; May 24, 2024
•H-2A Compliance / Pitfalls and Protocols for H-2A Employers
American Agricultural Law Association (AALA), Agricultural Law Educational Symposium; November 10, 2023
•An Afternoon in HR
HBS Helping Businesses Succeed Series; September 21, 2023

Publications

•Don’t Get Caught in the Weeds: Mastering Compliance of the New Farmworker Protection Rule
HR.com; July 25, 2024
•Immigration Law for Agricultural & Seasonal Workers, with Misty Wilson Borkowski
HBS Litigators Lounge Podcast; May 14, 2024
•New Department of Labor Rule Enhances Protections for Farmworkers
HBS Immigration & Employment Updates Blogs; May 7, 2024
•Immigration Law for Employers, with Misty Wilson Borkowski
HBS Litigators Lounge Podcast; April 18, 2024

•Navigating I-9 Verification & E-Verify in the Construction Industry: A Legal Perspective
HBS Immigration & Construction Blogs; June 12, 2023
•Continuing Evolution of Juvenile Sentencing Laws
University of Arkansas Little Rock Law Review, 2019
•Battered, Broken, Bruised, or Abandoned: Domestic Strife Presents Foreign Nationals Access to Immigration Relief
University of Arkansas Little Rock Law Review, 2009

In the Press

FY 2027 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period Opens on March 4

February 3, 2026

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (https://www.uscis.gov/) has announced that the initial registration period for the FY 2027 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 4, 2026, and will close at noon Eastern on March 19, 2026.