The Law Office of Matthew L. Guadagno

New York Immigration and Deportation Attorney

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My Amazing Experience with Justice Breyer

June 30, 2022 by Matthew

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer retired today. When I argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in Luna Torres v. Lynch, 136 S. Ct. 1619 (2016), I had the most amazing experience with him. When the Assistant to the Solicitor General began to speak, Justice Breyer made comments that appeared to indicate that I changed his mind with my opening argument. He cited one of the government’s arguments and said, “I agreed with that when I came in.” He went on to comment on my opening statement to my oral argument and said, “So now, if that’s right, I’m left with only half the problem I thought I was left with.” While I lost that case, Justice Breyer joined in Justice Sotomayor’s dissent. Since he said that he originally agreed with the government and he joined with Justice Sotomayor’s dissent, it appears that I changed his mind with what I said in court.

There is a lot of debate among lawyers about whether oral argument in appellate cases is for “show” or whether judges actually change their minds based upon what is said in court during an oral argument. There are a lot of attorneys who think that judges make up their minds from reading the briefs so that oral argument is not important.  My personal experience is that what happened that day is very rare.  Usually, judges (or justices) hide their positions.  I have had cases where I’ve gone to court and it was clear that a judge was on my side or against me.  However, it’s not very often when a judge indicates that he or she is against you that you can change their mind.  It looks like I was able to change Justice Breyer’s mind. When he made those comments, it was one of the proudest moments that I have ever had in a courtroom.

I hope that Justice Breyer enjoys his retirement.

All

My 10th Anniversary of Teaching at Brooklyn Law School!

June 22, 2022 by Matthew

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.

Updates About Me

My 25th Anniversary of Practicing Immigration Law!

June 21, 2022 by Matthew

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.

Updates About Me

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What I can help you with:

  • Deportation Defense
  • Board of Immigration Appeals Cases
  • Petitions for Review
  • Consequences of a Plea Agreement
  • Mandamus Actions
  • Detention Cases
  • Criminal Immigration
  • Citizenship
  • Adjustment of Status
  • Asylum
  • Joint Motions to Reopen
  • Deferred Actions

Recent Blogs

  • My Amazing Experience with Justice Breyer
  • My 10th Anniversary of Teaching at Brooklyn Law School!
  • My 25th Anniversary of Practicing Immigration Law!
  • My 10th Year Anniversary of Starting My Solo Practice!
  • Getting Back to Normal

From My Blog

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  • Deferred Action for DREAMers
  • Immigration News
  • My Opinion
  • Success Stories
  • Things Clients Should Know
  • Updates About Me

The Law Office of
Matthew L. Guadagno

265 Canal Street, Suite 506
New York NY 10013
Tel:  (212) 343-1373
Fax: (212) 537-0019

The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer / client relationship. Prior success does not guarantee future results.

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