I started my own immigration law practice at the end of 2003. Since then, I have been either a solo attorney or I’ve been working with one or a few colleagues. Now, that’s about to change. I am happy to announce that starting on January 1, my coworkers and I will be joining Murray Osorio PLLC, a full-service immigration firm with offices in Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey, and which handles cases nation-wide.

Here’s the official announcement:

We are pleased to announce that as of January 1, 2025, the attorneys and legal staff at Dzubow & Pilcher PLLC will be joining the firm of Murray Osorio PLLC. Jason Dzubow and Todd Pilcher will serve as partners at Murray Osorio PLLC, and the team will remain based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Murray Osorio PLLC is one of the nation’s leading full-service immigration law firms and is well-positioned to address the many challenges ongoing and ahead for intending immigrants and asylum seekers throughout the United States. This transition will benefit our clients tremendously as they will have improved access to a larger and readily available team of experienced attorneys and support staff to assist them with their legal needs.

We are in the process of notifying our clients, but the change will not affect our existing clients–we will continue to represent them as before, though we will soon be working under the new firm. 

Here, I want to explain a bit about why we made this move, which I think relates to the practice of immigration law more generally.

When I started my practice, my business plan (such as it was) was to keep costs down and keep fees low. To make a living, we needed to do cases efficiently, and we needed to do a lot of them. My attorney friends who practiced primarily asylum law followed this same basic model. It all worked pretty well–I was able to serve my clients and make a living–at least for a while. 

But things began to change in 2014 or 2015. Instead of filing an asylum case, attending an interview, and getting a decision, the “backlog” began to grow. Cases that were previously resolved in a year or two were now taking much longer. This meant that our caseload began to get larger and larger.

It also meant we had more work to do. When you have a client for 10 years instead of two, there is significant extra work associated with the case: Work permits, travel documents, other types of immigration petitions, random questions. Also, when an “old” case gets scheduled for an interview, significant additional work is required, since the form, affidavit, and evidence all need to be updated. 

For these reasons, over time, it has become more difficult to provide the services our clients need. Having so many cases and not enough support is also stressful for the lawyer. I am not alone in these problems, and many small firm asylum lawyers face the same challenges.

For me, something needed to change, and for the past several years, I had been thinking about what to do. 

Enter Murray Osorio. It’s a much larger firm than mine, and it is very well organized. The firm uses technology to better manage its caseload and prepare its cases. It has a wide range of immigration lawyers and can provide many services that I cannot. Most important, it has committed attorneys who I know and admire. I felt it was a good match, and I know that our partnership will allow me to better serve my clients and reduce my own level of stress.

As for The Asylumist blog, I intend to keep on keepin’ on. But look out for some improvements and new features in the months ahead.

As we enter 2025, we will face many challenges. Whatever is to come, I feel more confident and better able to represent my clients knowing that I will be working with an experienced team of immigration law professionals who I can turn to for advice and support. I hope to see you in the new year, and until then, I wish you Happy Holidays!