SELECTING AN IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY Rev. 4/21/06 Attached is a list of attorneys who have handled immigration law matters for students, faculty and other employees at Ohio State. This list is provided as a convenience to assist you in identifying lawyers who may have expertise in immigration matters. The Office of International Education is not in a position to evaluate the professional competence or experience of these individuals. However, to assist you in selecting an attorney, we have prepared the following suggestions. Select an attorney early in the process Immigration procedures can be very slow and time consuming. Therefore, we recommend that you select your legal advisor early in the process. Do not wait until a few weeks before your deadline. In order to present your application in the best possible manner, you should allow sufficient time for your lawyer to do a thorough job of researching your case. Consult others concerning the immigration process Before you contact an attorney on our list, consult family members, friends or associates who have been involved with the immigration process. They may be able to share with you their experiences with the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), their legal costs, and recommendations concerning attorneys they worked with. Begin your evaluation of the attorney when you make your initial call Once you have selected a prospective attorney, you should call to make an appointment to discuss your case. This call should be an important part of your evaluation of the attorney. You should begin the call with a short description of your situation and the immigration problem you wish to address. You do not have to give all the details at this time. You should merely describe in general terms the nature of the issue and you should include any deadlines you are facing. You should then ask the following questions:! Do you handle these types of cases?! How long have you been doing this type of work? (It is best to hire a lawyer who has a lot of experience.)! How many cases similar to mine have you handled?! What percentage of your practice is devoted to immigration law? (Some attorneys have a general practice and immigration is only a small part of their work. It is best to hire a specialist who devotes a major percentage of his or her time to this area.)! Do you charge an initial consultation fee? (Some lawyers will charge a fee for your first meeting.)! How do you set your fees for these types of cases? 1
You may wish to contact several attorneys to compare their answers to these questions. Once you have identified a lawyer who you may wish to hire, you should schedule a meeting to discuss your case in greater detail. The first meeting It is important to remember that at this meeting, you are still evaluating the lawyer. If you are not confident that this person can do the best job for you, you may decide to seek another legal advisor. You should be prepared to give a concise statement of your situation and the goals you would like to achieve. You may save time by writing a short chronology of your experiences and contacts with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. Be sure to bring with you your passport (including visa stamps), copies of correspondence with government agencies and other immigration documents. Questions that you should ask the lawyer during the initial meeting:! What are the CIS procedures for handling my case?! How long might it take to resolve my case? (Every case is different and more complex cases will take longer to resolve. The attorney should be able to give you some idea of the length of time it may take to get an INS decision in cases such as yours.)! What are my prospects for success? (The lawyer cannot guarantee a successful outcome. However, based on his or her experience, the attorney should be able to give you a preliminary evaluation of the strengths or weaknesses of your case.)! What is the fee that you will charge for my case? (It is important that you understand how you will be charged for the attorney s services and when you will be required to make payments.) Questions you should ask yourself during the initial meeting:! Does the lawyer demonstrate an understanding of immigration law and procedures?! Does the lawyer communicate ideas to you in a clear and effective manner?! Does he or she seem to care about your problem?! Are you confident that this person has the ability to handle your case competently and honestly?! Do you understand the fee arrangement, and can you afford it? If the answers to these questions are affirmative, you may proceed to retain the attorney to handle your case. As the case proceeds, you should remember that you are paying the lawyer to provide a service to you. You should feel free to give explicit instructions on the way you would like your case to be handled. If, at any time, you have concerns about the level of service you are receiving, you should be comfortable discussing this with the attorney. 2
OHIO IMMIGRATION ATTORNEYS (OIE does not endorse or recommend immigration attorneys.) COLUMBUS AREA David S. Bloomfield (dbloo@msn.com) Bloomfield & Kempf 199 South Fifth St., Suite 302 Columbus OH 43215 614-224-9221 614-224-9464 (fax) Bernard G. Boiston (boiston@sbc.global.net) 1620 East Broad St. Suite 107 Columbus OH 43203 614-252-8066 Oscar A. Budde (obudde@perez-morris.com) Perez & Morris LLC 8000 Ravine's Edge Court, Suite 300 Columbus, Ohio 43235 614-431-1500 614-431-3885 (fax) Robert H. Cohen (rcohen@porterwright.com) Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP 41 South High St. Columbus Ohio 43215-6194 614-227-2066 614-227-2100 (fax) David Cook (dwcook@vssp.com) Vorys Sater Seymour & Pease LLP 52 East Gay St. PO Box 1008 Columbus OH 43216-1008 614-464-5459 614-464-6400 (general) www.vssp.com Andrew C. Hall (ach@columbuslawyer.org) Strip Hoppers Leithart McGrath&Terlecky Co., LPA 575 S. Third St. Columbus, OH 43215-5759 614-228-6345 614-228-6369 (fax) Robert A. Harris (raharris@vssp.com) Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease, LLP 52 East Gay St. Columbus OH 43215 614-464-8373 614-464-6400 (general) 614-719-4751 (fax) www.vssp.com Mark J. Hedien (mhedien@clark-hedien.com) Clark & Hedien, Attorneys at Law-www.clark-hedien.com 2000 Bethel Road Columbus, OH 43220 614-538-5382 614-538-5380 (fax) Matthew W. Hoyt (mhoyt@bakerlaw.com) Baker & Hostetler LLP 65 E. State St. Suite 2100 Columbus, OH 43215-4260 614-462-2650 614-462-2616 (fax) Christopher Kempf Bloomfield & Kempf 199 South Fifth St., Suite 302 Columbus, Ohio 43215 614-224-9221 614-224-9299 (fax) Kyle A. Knapp (kknapp@porterwright.com) Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP 41 S. High St. Columbus, OH 43215-6194 614-227-2132 614-227-2100 (fax) Roxi A. Liming (roxil@hotmail.com) 1989 W. Fifth Ave. Columbus OH 43212 614-488-2053 614-488-2069 (fax) www.roxiliming.com Patricia LeVeque Niehoff (pniehoff@columbus.rr.com) 330 S. High St. Columbus, OH 43215-4510 614-224-7292 614-224-7268 Mark M. Nesbit (nesbitlaw@aol.com) Nesbit Law Firm 308 Marshall Passage Columbus, OH, 43215 614-586-1310 614-586-1313 (fax) Kenneth Robinson Donald C. Slowik Slowik & Robinson, LLC 250 E. Broad St., Suite 250 Columbus, Ohio 43215 614-884-4800 614-884-4801 (fax) www.s-r-law.com Constance L. Sharma (sharmalawoffices@ameritech.net) Sharma Law Offices, LLC 853 Pipestone Dr. Columbus, OH 43235 614-436-1240 614-436-0220 (fax) 3
Sam Shihab (sam@shihab.net) Gus Shihab (gus@shihab.net) Shihab & Associates CO, LPA 65 E. State Street, Suite 1550 Columbus, Ohio 43215 614-224-2428 www.shihablaw.com Georges S. Zeidan (georges@zdlaw.com) Zeidan & Associates 1170 Old Henderson Road suite 112 Columbus Ohio 43220 (614)459 2830 (614)459 3163 Fax CINCINNATI AREA Gregory P. Adams (gadams@fbtlaw.com) Douglas Halbert (dhalbert@fbtlaw.com) Frost, Brown, Todd, LLC 2200 PNC Center 201 East Fifth St. -4182 513-651-6489 www.frostbrowntodd.com Linda Ash (linda.ash@dinslaw.com) Dinsmore & Shohl 1900 Chemed Center 255 East Fifth St. 513-977-8200 513-977-8141 (fax) www.dinslaw.com William T. Bartlett (bartlettlaw@fuse.net) Douglas S. Weigle Bartlett & Weigle 432 Walnut St. Suite 1100 513-241-3992 513-241-1816 (fax) www.bartlettlaw.com Neil I. Fleischer (fleischern@immigrate2usa.com) Richard I. Fleischer (fleischer@immigrate2usa.com) 917 Main St. -1314 513-977-4209 513-977-4209 (fax) www.immigrate2usa.com Firooz T. Namei (firooz@zoomtown.com) McKinney & Namei Co LPA 15 E. Eighth St. 513-721-0200 513-632-5898 (fax) 4 Sherry L. Neal (sln@hammondlawfirm.com) Hammond Law Group, LLC 3311 Carew Tower 441 Vine Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513)381-2011 (513)381-2227 (fax) www.hammondlawfirm.com Steven Rothstein (smr@kgnlaw.com) Katz, Greenberger & Norton 105 East Fourth St. Suite 400-4011 513-721-5151 513-621-9285 (fax) www.kgnlaw.com Brenda V. Thompson (bthompson@graydon.com) Graydon Head & Ritchey, LLP 511 Walnut St. 1900 Fifth Third Center 513-629-2727 513-621-6464 (general) www.graydon.com Deborah Youtsey (deborah.youtsey@thompsonhine.com) Thompson, Hine, LLP 312 Walnut St. Suite 1400 513-352-6507 513-241-4771 (fax) Michael J. Zavatsky (zavatsky@taftlaw.com) Taft, Stettinius & Hollister 425 Walnut St. 513-381-2838 513-381-0205 (fax) www.taftlaw.com CLEVELAND AREA Kim K. Alabasi (kalabasi@yormicklaw.com) Cathy Prusinski Yormick & Associates Co., L.P.A. Key Tower - 52nd Floor 216-928-3474 216-566-0857 Barbara A. Firstenberg (immlawbaf@aol.com) Ohio Savings Bldg 20133 Farnsleigh Road Shaker Heights OH 44122 216-991-6200 216-991-6199 (fax)
Mark Floyd (mark.floyd@thompsonhine.com) Thompson, Hine, LLP 3900 Key Center Cleveland OH 44114 216-566-5836 216-566-5500 (general #) Gary Johnson (gjohnson@westonhurd.com) 2500 Terminal Tower, 50 Public Square -2241 216-241-6602 216-621-8369 (fax) www.westonhurd.com C. Lyonel Jones (hn7556@handsnet.org) Legal Aid Society of Cleveland 1223 West Sixth St. 216-687-1900 (ext. 6477 www.lasclev.org Ken Kabb (kabblaw@ameritech.net) PO Box 18558 Cleveland Height OH 44118 216 861 6250 216-291-9126 (fax) Abraham Kay 55 Public Square Suite 1200 216-579-6252 216 589-0764 (Fax) AFK55PS@aol.com Karen K. Meade (karenkmeade@aol.com) 1370 West Sixth St. Suite 208 216-696-3327 216-621-8609 (fax) Cathy Prusinski (cprusinski@yormicklaw.com) Yormick & Associates Co., L.P.A. Key Tower - 52nd Floor 216-928-3474 216-566-0857 (fax) Susan L. Riddle (sriddle@yormicklaw.com) Yormick & Associates Co., L.P.A. Key Tower - 52nd Floor 216-928-3474 216-566-0857 (fax) William R. Rosner (immigration@rosnerlaw.com) Rosner & Associates 812 Huron Rd. 5 Caxton Bldg, Suite 601 Cleveland OH 44115 216-771-5588 216-771-5894 (fax) Svetlana Schreiber (svetlana@immigrationgreencards.com) Svetlana Schreiber & Associates 1228 Standard Bldg 1370 Ontario St. 216-621-7292 216-621-7293 (fax) Margaret Wong (wong@imwong.com) Margaret W. Wong & Associates MWW Center, 3150 Chester Ave. 216-566-9908 216-566-1125 (fax) www.imwong.com Wojnar Associates (ndwojnar@aol.com) 1370 Ontario St. Suite 1100 216-771-1111 216-771-1111 (fax) OTHER OHIO Roderieck Jaballas (RodJaballas@aol.com) 450 Grant St. Suite 104 Akron OH 44311 330-762-2448 Linda Mansour-Ismail (lindamansour@aol.com) 2909 West Central Ave. Suite 200 Toledo OH 43606 419-535-7100 419-535-8739 (fax) William G. Meyer (wgmeyer@att.net) 608 Madison Ave. Suite 1400 Toledo OH 43604-1121 419-246-5722 419-246-5764 (fax) Mary Ellen Pisanelli (mpisanelli@slk-law.com) Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP 1000 Jackson St. Toledo OH 43624 419-321-1313 419-241-6894 (fax) H. Alan Rothenbuecher 395 Merriman Road Akron, Ohio 44303 (330) 472-4899 Fax: (216) 394-5092 Email: arothenbuecher@szd.com
Hilary B. Wilson (hwilson@bw.edu) Baldwin-Wallace College 275 Eastland Rd. Berea OH 44017 440-826-2220 For U.S. immigration attorneys outside Ohio: AILA Immigration Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-954-0254 ilrs@aila.org http://www.aila.org/content/default.aspx?docid=10180 Useful Immigration Websites: http://www.shusterman.com http://uscis.gov http://www.visalaw.com/forms http://www.twmlaw.com http://www.visalaw.com http://www.immigration.com/faq http://www.wave.net/upg/immigration/students.html http://www.us-immigration.com http://www.murthy.com/law/update.html http://www.grasmick.com/whatsnew.htm http://www.americanlaw.com/info.html http://www.visalaw.com/97may/index.html http://www.ilw.com DISCLAIMER: OIE does not endorse or recommend immigration attorneys. 6