Immigration

My preference is to work with families seeking lawful residence status based on petition.

Persons applying for U.S. citizenship.

Persons in deportation and removal proceedings.

Asylum applicants.

• Citizenship or Naturalization
• Removal or Deportation
• Permanent Resident (Green Card)
• Political Asylum & Refugees
• Visas

CA, Dec 1991
Bar Number: 154540

Ninth Circuit
Northern District of California
Supreme Court of California

California State Bar

I go to many Immigration conferences for the Lawyers Committee focusing on asylum.

I have written and updated chapters for the San Francisco's Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights.

Many of my clients have been with me for 10 years or longer, which gives me the opportunity to help the whole family.

One example is a man who came to the US in 1990 escaping from political persecution. He was caught by immigration authorities coming across the border and put into deportation proceedings. We applied for political asylum and won his case in 1994. This provided us with the opportunity to petition for the wife and 6 children to come into the US as refugees also, and they came finally in 1997. The whole family was able to get their green cards in 1998, and finally, once the mom and dad had learned enough English, we applied for US citizenship for them in 2004. The mom and dad passed their citizenship test in 2005, and on that same day, the two oldest children also passed their citizenship tests. When the mom and dad and two oldest sons were sworn in as U.S. citizens in February of 2005, the three youngest kids, who were still under 18 years of age, also automatically became citizens.

This was definitely one of the most exciting days of my career as an immigration attorney! I enjoy the continuity and flow of family members coming back over the years to complete each successive step from entry to the United States to full U.S. citizenship, to petitioning for other family members to also immigrate.

1

California

My firm focus is to keep families together whether it is through adjustment or family petition. I also prepare waivers through extreme hardships. I do a lot of work with refugees and asylum applicants who are fleeing from political, religious, or for other reasons such as sexual orientation. I have been in practice for over 14 years and most of my clients have been with me through the entire process.

I have a Ph.D in Psychology. I worked in a veterans hospital with people who had depression. I was interested in working with torture survivors and started working with them as an attorney. Since then my practice has grown to cover other fields of immigration.

2002 - Present: Mentor Attorney for Asylum, Cancellation of Removal, NACARA, TPS -- American Immigration Lawyers Association

1996 - Present: Mentor Attorney, Pro Bono Asylum Panel of Lawyers Committee

1992 - Present: Representation of Asylum Applicants, Pro Bono Asylum Panel of Lawyers Committee

none

(415) 788-4328

Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

If an existing client has an emergency than I do my best to see them.

No

Spanish

I do not provide a blanket list of fixed prices. When I consult with a client, I take into account the factors of the particular case that will be likely to affect the amount of work that will be required and the amount of time it will take to complete a case. I then tell the client what I feel is a fair and reasonable fee to accomplish this work. If the client wants to retain me but cannot afford that fee, I will try to find ways to reduce the fee or provide a payment plan. My fees are generally in the average range compared to other immigration attorneys with more than 10 years of experience.

My hourly rate is $300, but I do not often take cases on an hourly fee basis. Most clients prefer a flat rate. When I do work on a hourly fee basis, I am willing to negotiate if the case is one I would like to take, and the client is willing to be a responsible and active partner in completing tasks and making timely payments as agreed upon, and the client cannot afford my full hourly fee.

I generally do not give free initial office consultations, though there are exceptions. I charge $100 for the initial consultation in my office which usually lasts between 30 minutes to one hour. If as a result of the initial consultation the client wishes to retain me, I do not charge a separate consultation fee, but enter a written contract with the client for all work to be performed, including that first consultation.

This completely depends upon the nature of the case.