Tips in choosing Good Immigration Attorney in the United States

On many occasions, you can directly fill out the immigration form you need. It will depend on your level of English, your understanding of legal terms and the simplicity or complexity of your case.

It should be kept in mind that in immigration matters, the United States Government does not provide a lawyer in any case, even when it has to be presented in court and one cannot be paid because there is no money.

In these cases, you appear without legal assistance or try to make an effort and seek out a lawyer, even one who acts pro bono, that is, without charging in specific cases. (for children detained at the border, read this article, which contains information about organizations that provide free legal aid for these minors.)

When to choose a lawyer is highly recommended

But there will be situations in which it is advisable to have the help of a professional who will help you to present all the necessary papers in time and to represent you, if necessary, before the immigration authorities or the court.
Also, keep in mind that immigration laws change frequently, and what worked for a relative or acquaintance a few years ago may no longer apply to your case, even if they are very similar.
and private matters like a divorce or a marriage or problems that seem unimportant as an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (IUDs) can have important migratory effects.

For cases like these the best thing is to have a good lawyer.
And, of course, for:
Deportation cases, to decide how to fight it or whether to request a voluntary departure or a postponement of deportation (also known as suspension or stay)
Submit to court, how to change status a subpoena to present in court request for forgiveness and avoid errors in forgiveness for illegal presence)
Asylum
Abuse of working visa conditions H
No respect for the minimum wage, including undocumented workers
Domestic violence Protection (VAWA)
As a victim of violence,
Human trafficking
Divorce when the green card has been obtained by marriage, etc.

Even cases that may seem simple as applying for permanent residency by marriage or sibling roles can be-as you can see in those links-long processes that require many papers.
Also, remember that in the United States only licensed attorneys and accredited representatives can provide legal advice. The notaries cannot do it.

However, the experience of thousands of immigrants shows that few decisions such as having a bad lawyer can cause so many dislikes, loss of money, delays in paperwork and even serious problems with the Naturalization and Immigration Service (USCIS, For its acronym in English).

The following tips will help you hire a good professional:

Ask: Ask for counsel recommendations from your family, friends, and co-workers. Everyone who has used the services of a migrant lawyer has a good or bad opinion.
Eliminate those who receive reasonable criticism and make a list of the recommended ones. See also a couple of immigrant rights organizations as they can offer valuable tips.

Require: It is better for the lawyer to deal with your issue to engage in immigration issues and not be a “specialist in everything”. But make sure that it is not a mega specialist in a migratory issue that has nothing to do with your case. For example, little can help you if your field of expertise is political asylum if what you need is to get a green card for a family member.

Check: Consult with your State Bar Association to make sure that the lawyer you want to hire has all the relevant licenses and has not been penalized for unprofessional behaviors.
You can find additional information in associations such as the AILA, the Association of Immigration lawyers with more than 11.000 members.
It should be noted that the so-called immigration consultants and Notaries do not act legally in all States and that the USCIS does not consider them to be able to represent you before the administration or in court, although they can fill out forms.

Compare: Many lawyers will offer you the opportunity to have a first date for free. Take the opportunity to interview a few. The lawyer must give you confidence. You should feel comfortable explaining your case and asking all the questions you feel is necessary. It should be very clear what your rate is, how you work, what your experience is and how and will communicate during the case.

Choose the best: Don’t get carried away by the urge to choose a lawyer from your home country or one who speaks Spanish for those reasons. Simply choose the one you think is best to take your case.

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California Megan’s Law Website

Family walking on footpath holding hands
Welcome to the California Department of Justice Megan’s Law Website where California is embracing technology to enhance community safety
This website provides information on registered sex offenders pursuant to California Penal Code § 290.46 so that members of the public can better protect themselves and their families.

The information on this site is extracted from the California Sex and Arson Registry (CSAR), the State’s repository for sex offender information.

The information in the CSAR is provided to local law enforcement agencies by the sex offender during the registration process. Pursuant to Penal Code § 290.46, not all registered sex offenders are posted on this website. Click for more information on Megan’s Law

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Cleveland attorney who called paralegal a ‘ho’ and other names is suspended

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cleveland attorney Howard E. Skolnick’s law license was suspended Wednesday by the Ohio Supreme Court after he was heard berating his paralegal on audio recordings.

Skolnick called the paralegal a “ho,” “dirtbag,” “stupid” and other names, made sexual comments and made fun of her husband and mother from 2011 to 2013, according to court documents. The paralegal recorded Skolnick’s comments on more than 30 occasions.

In his defense, Skolnick said he had learned the slang from rappers and hip-hop artists while working in entertainment law and he thought he was being funny, not harmful. Skolnick also said he had been diagnosed with cyclothymic disorder and showed signs of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, but the court did not find those were related to his behavior.

The paralegal reported suffering from anxiety, sleep disturbances, depression, and poor body image as a result of the harassment and tried for more than two years to find a new job, according to Wednesday’s opinion. She left the job in January 2014 and accused Skolnick of sexual harassment, discrimination and creating a hostile work environment.

Skolnick did not deny the claims and settled with her for $300,000. He told the court he has since hired a human resources manager to examine the firm’s sexual harassment policies and dialed back his oversight of the office.

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Former US Attorney Arrested on New Felony Stalking Warrant After Fleeing Deputy

A former U.S. attorney from Georgia’s Southern District was arrested on an aggravated stalking charge after he fled from a sheriff’s deputy, and then put a gun to his head and threatened to kill himself, according to a Toombs County incident report.

Richard Thompson served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia from 2001-2004 before he resigned under pressure after the Justice Department determined he abused his authority. He was in the Glynn County jail Tuesday awaiting a bond revocation hearing on a pending aggravated stalking charge filed against him by a former girlfriend last year.

Thompson, 60, was also slated to appear Thursday at a preliminary hearing on a second aggravated stalking charge issued July 27, Glynn County authorities confirmed.

St. Simons Island attorney Donna Crossland of Taylor Odachowski Schmidt Crossland confirmed that her client—Thompson’s former girlfriend—swore out the warrant against him on July 26.

Crossland would not identify her client because of Thompson’s lengthy history of harassment, and his continued violation of a string of court orders warning him to stay away from her. But Crossland confirmed it’s the same woman who sought multiple protective orders from court authorities and who swore out the aggravated stalking warrant against Thompson last year.

source: law.com

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Houston In-House Lawyer Jumps to Foley Gardere

Neal Bakare, who worked in-house at Macquarie Bank in Houston for seven years, joined Foley Gardere to do finance and energy work.

Finance lawyer Neal Bakare, who has worked in-house at Macquarie Bank Ltd for seven years, has returned to private practice, joining Foley Gardere in Houston.

He joined the firm as counsel in the finance practice group and is also part of the energy industry team. Bakare, who was senior vice president of legal risk management at Australia-based Macquarie Bank and was an associate with Vinson & Elkins before that, has done work for investment banks, private equity funds, limited partnerships, public and private companies, hedge providers, and oil and gas companies.

Michael Rogers, managing partner of Foley Gardere’s Houston office, said in a statement that Bakare’s experience representing clients in the finance and energy industries is a good fit for the office because of the volume of activity in the energy and financial sectors in Texas.

“Neal’s experience as an in-house attorney, paired with his knowledge of the Houston market and beyond, will provide tremendous value to our clients locally and nationally,” Rogers said.

Bakare said he realized while working in-house that he missed a lot about private practice, including the support resources a big firm provides lawyers and the opportunity to make money. But, mostly, he missed the client interaction.

“I like people. I like catching up with them. I like trying to figure out how to help them, what their needs are … I like having coffee with people, having lunches, texting, emailing,” Bakare said.

In early May, he decided to look for a position at a firm in Houston, where the lateral hiring market has seen a lot of activity. By late May, he had accepted the offer from Foley Gardere. He started work there this month.

Foley Gardere was created in April when Dallas-based Gardere Wynne Sewell merged with Foley & Lardner of Milwaukee. It is known as Foley Gardere in Texas and Denver, as Foley Gardere Arena in Mexico City, and Foley & Lardner elsewhere.

Bakare knew lawyers on both side of that merger. He said that while he was at Macquarie Bank  he hired Foley & Lardner lawyers for a transaction and was “blown away by their speed and acumen and their cost-effectiveness.” He also was impressed with a team of Gardere Wynne lawyers he met when they worked on the opposite sides of a transaction.

“When I saw the Foley-Gardere merger, a matching of two skill sets, I wanted to come here. My goal is to build a book of business here,” he said.

Macquarie Bank declined to comment on Bakare’s departure.

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Top 100 Law Firms from 2017

The Vault’s Law 100 Rankings for 2017 are here, and there’s a new king of law firm prestige. Cravath, Swaine & Moore tops the list at No. 1, ending the thirteen-year reign of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. It’s actually a return to the top for Cravath—it is the only firm other than Wachtell to ever be ranked No. 1, and held the top spot in Vault’s rankings until Wachtell knocked them down a rung in 2004.

The Vault Law 100 ranking is based on scores from more than 18,000 law firm associates surveyed earlier this year, who were asked to rate law firms on a scale of 1 to 10 based on prestige. Survey respondents were not allowed to rate their own firms and were asked to only rate firms with which they were familiar.

The Top 10 firms based on Vault’s Annual Law Firm Associate Survey are:

1. Cravath, Swaine & Moore
2. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
3. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
4. Sullivan & Cromwell
5. Davis Polk & Wardwell
6. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
7. Latham & Watkins
8. Kirkland & Ellis
9. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
10. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher

Cravath, described by survey respondents as the “gold standard” and the “best of the best,” barely edged out the “king of M&A” Wachtell by just .057 points, 8.961 to 8.904.

“Cravath has been nipping at Wachtell’s heels for the top spot for the last few years,” said Matt Moody, Vault’s Senior Law Editor. “Perhaps the recent slowdown in deal work is what pushed Cravath over the top. Although they are both very well regarded in M&A and litigation work, Cravath, which is roughly twice the size of Wachtell, has a slightly broader array of highly-ranked practice areas.”

Along with the big change at the top, there were some shakeups at the tail end of the top 10.  Latham & Watkins ascended from its four-year plateau at No. 10, climbing three spots to No. 7, and Gibson Dunn moved into the top 10 for the first time, sliding up one spot to finish at No. 10. Kirkland & Ellis and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton each dropped a spot to numbers 8 and 9, respectively, and Weil Gotshal & Manges ranked just outside the top 10 this year, coming in at number 11.

Gibson Dunn Breaks Through and Latham Returns to Pre-Recession High

Long a denizen of the Top 20, Gibson Dunn has broken into the Top 10, after a steady climb over the past decade.  The firm that’s “great at everything” and full of “rising stars” did no better than 17^th until the mid-2000s.  But since 2006, Gibson Dunn has been inching ever upward, finally edging out Weil by just .049 points for the 10^th spot. Meanwhile, Latham & Watkins has completed its own climb this year, matching the firm’s all-time high ranking that it had not seen since before the last recession. Long one of the most prestigious firms in the world, Latham dipped in the Vault rankings—all the way down to No. 17—following much publicized layoffs in 2009.  But the firm has slowly regained its lost prestige and this year made the largest jump in the top 10, moving up three spots to reclaim its No. 7 spot after ranking 10^th each of the last four years.  Survey respondents call Latham a “recent leader,” noting that it will be “interesting to see if they can keep it up.”

Dentons’ Meteoric Rise

Dentons, now the world’s largest law firm by number of lawyers thanks to a flurry of mergers in recent years, is quickly moving up in prestige as well.  The “innovative” and “sophisticated” firm makes the biggest upward move in 2017, jumping 12 spots to number 68. This giant leap comes on the heels of the firm’s nine-spot improvement last year, resulting in a 21-rung climb in just two years. With the latest move, Dentons approaches a prestige level once held by legacy Chicago firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal prior to its 2010 merger with the UK’s Denton Wilde Sapte.

Five New Firms in the Top 100

New to the Top 100 this year are a trio of highly regarded litigation boutiques—Susman Godfrey (No. 53); Keker & Van Nest (No. 90); and Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel (No. 97)—along with Philadelphia-based Fox Rothschild (No. 94) and Labor and Employment leader Littler Mendelson (No. 96). The addition of five new firms into the Top 100 means five firms—Dorsey & Whitney; Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner; Manatt, Phelps & Phillips; and Troutman Sanders—dropped from the ranking this year.

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Six Lawyers Named to 2018 Best Lawyers in America Listing

Six Lawyers Named to 2018 Best Lawyers in AmericaListing

Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn is pleased to announce that 6 lawyers have been included in the 2018 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America.  Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

Best Lawyers has published their list for over three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals.  Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 75 countries.  Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas.  They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise, and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.

Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn PLLC would like to congratulate the following attorneys named to 2018 The Best Lawyers in America list:

• David F. Bienvenu – Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Litigation – Insurance
• Daniel J. Caruso – Litigation – Construction
• Jay H. Kern – Construction Law, Litigation – Construction
• Susan B. Kohn – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Denise C. Puente – Construction Law, Litigation – Construction
• H. Bruce Shreves – Mediation, Arbitration, Litigation – Construction

In addition to being named a Best Lawyer in America, Denise Puente and Bruce Shreves have been selected as “Lawyer of the Year” in Construction Law and Arbitration respectively.Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant. These lawyers are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the peer review assessments.

Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity.

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