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.
Immigration Lawyers
Needed: More Immigration Lawyers!
There is a serious shortage of immigration attorneys. The dearth of lawyers makes it more difficult for non-citizens to obtain legal help. It also makes the immigration system less efficient.
A recent report from TRAC Immigration shows that representation rates in Immigration Court have fallen significantly in recent years. In 2019, 65% of non-citizens in court had a lawyer. In 2023, only 30% were represented by counsel.
What’s the reason for this shortfall? How is it affecting immigrants, lawyers, and “the system,” and what can be done to raise representation rates?
Court Chaos Creates Collateral Consequences
Immigration Courts across the U.S. have been randomly rescheduling and advancing cases without regard to attorney availability or whether we have the capacity to complete our cases. The very predictable result of this fiasco is that lawyers are stressed and overworked, our ability to adequately prepare cases has been reduced, and–worst of all–asylum seekers are being deprived of their right to a fair hearing. Besides these obvious consequences, the policy of reshuffling court cases is having other insidious effects that are less visible, but no less damaging. Here, I want to talk about some of the ongoing collateral damage caused by EOIR’s decision to toss aside due process of law in favor of reducing the Immigration Court backlog.
Ten Years an Asylum Lawyer
It’s hard to believe that I am marking my 10-year anniversary as an owner of my own law firm. It seems like so much longer. During those years, I have represented over 750 clients, most of whom were asylum seekers. I’ve also had five offices, six partners, two employees, a few contract attorneys, and a … Read more
The Problem With Immigration Lawyers and How to Fix It, Part 1: Immigration Judges
The poor quality of the immigration bar is a much discussed topic in certain circles (I wrote about it here). A recent study in the Cardozo Law Review that was featured last month in the New York Times provides an opportunity to discuss the situation, and give my two cents about how to improve representation … Read more