I have another anniversary post. I just finished teaching the spring semester at Brooklyn Law School.  This was my tenth year of teaching at Brooklyn Law School as an adjunct professor.  I created a course called, “Immigration Workshop: Deportation Defense.” It’s a different kind of law school class. It’s a “case simulation” course. I don’t just teach immigration law – I teach my students how to practice immigration law. I’ve created a legal problem about a lawful permanent resident who is facing removal because he was convicted of a crime. I teach my students about immigration law as we discuss how we would represent this imaginary client.  We talk about the intake process, how to evaluate the issues in a case, what to do in immigration court, how to do an appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, and how to litigate a petition for review in the Court of Appeals.  Instead of an exam, the final paper is to write a legal brief about why the “client” shouldn’t be deported.

I love teaching. I’m very concerned about the quality of the immigration bar. I regularly do consultations with people where I am shocked by what their previous lawyers have done wrong. There are a lot of people out there with horror stories about having hired bad immigration lawyers. I created my class because I want there to be good immigration attorneys out there that help people.

In the Fall, I posted about how I celebrated the 10th anniversary of starting my solo law practice. I just realized another anniversary. I have been practicing immigration law for 25 years. That’s a long time to be doing something! I got my first job as an immigration lawyer in April 1997. I started out working part-time at what used to be called Bretz & Associates, Inc., and went on to become a partner with the successor firm Bretz & Coven, LLP.

I’ve had a pretty amazing career as an immigration lawyer. There is virtually no one who has had a career as an immigration lawyer that is comparable to my career as an immigration lawyer. I’m one of the few immigration lawyers to have argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. I’ve successfully litigated twelve precedent decisions in the U.S. Court of Appeals. I am an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School where I created my own course on deportation defense. I also spent a semester at Fordham University School of Law’s Immigrant Rights and Access to Justice Clinic. I’ve lost count, but I believe that I have taught at least 70 continuing legal education courses on how to practice immigration law.

I’m glad that I became an immigration lawyer. I enjoy what I do. I have saved a lot of people from deportation over the last 25 years. It’s important to me that I get to do work where I can help people and make a difference in their lives.

It was ten years ago today that I opened my own practice. Before I started my practice, I was a partner in a very busy immigration law firm. I rarely got to meet with my clients. Most of my client contact was done through paralegals. When I started my own practice, I decided that I would do things differently. I don’t have any staff. I deal directly with my clients. I really like working directly with my clients and getting to know them. I actually prefer doing everything myself. Looking back on the ten years, I’m glad that I do things this way and I will keep doing it this way.

I love my office on Canal Street. My office building has a unique feel to it that is different from most office buildings. I’ve had lots of successes and accomplishments over the last ten years. However, my biggest accomplishment is that I got to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Most lawyers will never get to do this during their legal careers. Arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court is definitely the highlight of my ten years of solo practice.