About Paladin Immigration Law

Paladin Immigration Law was founded on a simple belief: when justice calls, we go where the fight is. Our firm is built by military veteran litigators who have served clients in courtrooms, tribunals, and contested proceedings across the United States and around the world. We bring that same mission-driven mindset to immigration law, standing beside individuals, families, service members, and professionals whose futures depend on strong, experienced legal advocacy.

Our attorneys are distinct from most, as they have lived unique lives that took them all over the world. We are veterans and federal practitioners who have spent our careers operating within complex federal systems. Before focusing on immigration law, we served as military attorneys, federal prosecutors, defense counsel, and trial instructors responsible for training litigators worldwide. That experience shapes how we practice today. Specifically, our experiences taught us disciplined preparation, strategic litigation, and calm execution under pressure.

Our commitment to immigration law is deeply personal. Growing up in Southwest Missouri in a predominantly Hispanic community, our founding attorney, Doug Hansen, witnessed firsthand the consequences of poverty, language barriers, and unequal access to legal representation. Those early experiences instilled a lifelong commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of immigrant families.

That mission is shared by firm partner Joshua Joyce, whose life experience spans continents, cultures, and conflict zones. As a child, Josh lived in the United States, Canada, and West Africa, attending a French-speaking school in Québec without knowing the language and later completing high school in Côte d’Ivoire during a period of political unrest and military coups. These formative experiences gave him firsthand insight into cultural displacement, linguistic barriers, and the uncertainty that drives many families to seek safety and opportunity in a new country. His grandmother’s own immigration journey to the United States further shaped his understanding of the emotional and legal challenges immigrants face.

Paladin Immigration Law is a litigation-focused firm that prepares every case as if it may be challenged. We guide clients through USCIS applications, waivers, and petitions with precision and care, and when necessary, we defend their rights in Immigration Court and federal court. From family-based petitions and humanitarian relief to removal defense and complex inadmissibility issues, we provide clear guidance and relentless advocacy at every stage.

Today, we serve clients across the United States and worldwide. Our work spans cultures, borders, and legal systems, but our mission remains constant. We stand as trusted advocates for those navigating the most important legal journey of their lives.

When Justice Calls, We Answer — Worldwide.

About Doug Hansen

Doug Hansen is a veteran federal litigator whose career has been shaped by service, community, and a lifelong commitment to standing up for people facing powerful systems.

Doug grew up in southwest Missouri in a small farming community with a large Hispanic population. From an early age, he witnessed the real-world consequences of poverty, racial profiling, and lack of access to effective legal representation. Many of Doug’s closest friends growing up, and still today, are members of the Hispanic community. Competing on a predominantly Hispanic soccer team gave Doug early insight into immigrant culture, resilience, and the importance of advocacy grounded in respect and trust. Those experiences left a lasting impression and continue to drive his passion in immigration law. After high school, Doug accepted a full scholarship to Central Methodist University, where he studied English and distinguished himself as a student leader and athlete. He served as varsity soccer team captain, president of his fraternity, and a three-time national qualifier in track. At graduation, he was recognized as the overall graduating student who best exemplified the ideals of the university. After graduating as the top English student and with honors, Doug became a teacher and soccer coach, earning statewide recognition in 2007 as a Missouri Outstanding Beginning Teacher—an experience that reinforced his commitment to mentorship, preparation, and public service. Doug earned his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, where he was a member of the First Amendment Law Review, competed in mock trial, studied internationally, made the Dean’s List, and served as the Chief Justice for the Phi Alpha Delta legal organization. Following law school, he returned to Missouri and began his legal career as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney with the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Springfield, Missouri, quickly establishing himself as a capable and disciplined trial attorney.

In 2013, Doug commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force, serving for ten years as a military officer and attorney. He was competitively selected to serve as both a military defense counsel and later as a senior military prosecutor. In 2018, Doug joined the Air Force Reserve. As a civilian, he also served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, where he handled federal white-collar, immigration, drug, and firearm legal matters. In the latter part of his military career, Doug served as a TRIALS instructor, which is an elite group of military trial attorneys responsible for training junior litigators worldwide. For his litigation success and leadership, the United States Air Force awarded Doug the United States Air Reserve Component Attorney of the Year. During his career, Doug consistently ranked among the top of his peers, he earned several Commendation Service Medals and Meritorious Service Medals, he advised hundreds of military commanders on complex legal issues, and he led teams to deliver legal services to over 100,000 military members during worldwide military operations. Doug has litigated some of the most complex criminal trials and administrative hearings across the United States, Europe, and the Pacific. His legal practice provided him with extensive experience in federal criminal law, immigration law, administrative law, federal employment matters, and complex litigation strategy. He has also been a small business owner for several years and regularly assists nonprofit organizations with formation, governance, and growth.

Doug holds a Master of Business Administration from UCLA and earned his LL.M. in Business Law from the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley, he studied international and comparative legal issues alongside students and faculty from many of the world’s leading law schools, further deepening his global perspective on law, governance, and institutional power. Doug is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and remains deeply involved in his community. He is a graduate of the Springfield Leadership Class and was honored as Springfield, Missouri Man of the Year in recognition of his professional accomplishments and community engagement. After 15 years of legal practice, Doug has developed a reputation for thorough preparation, disciplined advocacy, and principled representation. He brings that same approach to every client, particularly those facing life-altering immigration consequences. He firmly believes that careful preparation and a willingness to stand firm can change lives. Doug is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Missouri, the Supreme Court of Texas, the Supreme Court of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Education:

University of California, Berkeley — LL.M., Business Law and International Studies

University of California, Los Angeles — M.B.A.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law — J.D.

About Joshua Joyce

Joshua Joyce is a seasoned trial attorney whose life experience spans continents, cultures, and courtrooms. His global upbringing, public service, and elite litigation background uniquely position him to advocate for individuals navigating the United States immigration system. Josh was born in Springfield, Missouri, and spent his early childhood in San Diego County, where he built lifelong friendships within the Hispanic community. He later lived in Kansas City before moving to Quebec City, Canada, where he was placed in a French-speaking school despite not speaking French. Immersed in a “sink-or-swim” environment, Josh learned firsthand what it feels like to navigate complex systems in a language not your own. The kindness of those who helped him adapt left a permanent mark.

His family later moved to Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, where he completed high school. During his teenage years, Josh experienced civil unrest and military coups firsthand. At sixteen, during the 1999 coup led by General Robert Guéï, his family prepared to flee their home as gunfire and explosions echoed through the night. Those experiences shaped his deep empathy for individuals seeking safety, stability, and opportunity in a new country. After high school, Josh graduated from Mission University in Springfield, Missouri, earning awards in writing and drama. He later attended Washington University School of Law in St. Louis with a generous “Scholar in Law”

scholarship. While there, he received the Dean’s Public Service Award, served as a staff editor on the Journal of Law and Policy, and led both the Criminal Law Society (President) and Public Interest Law Society (Vice President). Josh was selected nationally for the competitive One-Year College Program and commissioned as a Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force—one of only four selected nationwide that year. Over eleven and a half years of active-duty service, he focused primarily on litigation and complex trial work.

He was competitively selected to serve as an Area Defense Counsel, quickly being ranked in the top 4%, and later as a senior prosecutor (Circuit Trial Counsel), where he first-chaired some of the Air Force’s most serious and complex cases nationwide. His performance earned praise from generals and federal prosecutors at the Department of Justice. In 2022, he was among the first group certified as a Special Trial Counsel. Josh later served a twelve-month deployment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, advising on legal matters involving over $106 billion in Foreign Military Sales. During that deployment, he was ranked the #1 Major across the entire joint mission, which also included Navy and Army servicemembers.

Returning to litigation, Josh was again selected to serve as Senior Defense Counsel, defending Airmen in high-stakes cases. He was ranked in the top 3% of defense counsel in the Air Force. In one of his most meaningful cases, he led a team of eleven in defending an Airman wrongfully accused of murder and manslaughter, securing not guilty verdicts at trial. Throughout his military career, Josh earned three Meritorious Service Medals, two Commendation Medals, and numerous performance awards. He has trained and mentored hundreds of attorneys in advanced trial advocacy. Josh joined Paladin Immigration Law because immigration is deeply personal to him. He has lived through political instability and has a special place in his heart for asylum seekers. He has navigated foreign systems and languages and knows the struggles that can bring. His own grandmother immigrated to the United States from Newfoundland, Canada, after marrying his grandfather, a U.S. Air Force servicemember, and experienced firsthand the complexity of the green card and citizenship process.

For Josh, immigration law is not just a legal practice — it is a calling. He brings elite courtroom skill, cultural awareness, and unwavering dedication to every client he serves.

Education:

Washington University School of Law – Juris Doctor Mission University- B.A. in Religious Studies