Last Friday, January 27, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order that has come to be known alternately as the Immigration Ban or Muslim Ban. Goodhearted citizens across the nation have been outraged by the policy, as a profound strike…
This morning we are recording a podcast for the American Immigration Lawyer's Association, covering ethical issues on the Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. This post provides two additional items referenced in the podcast recording. Sample language for legal service agreements. I…
The material in this post comes from a presentation I gave for the Washington State Bar Association's Solo and Small Practice Section's annual CLE on January 22, 2016. This article won the BlawgWorld Pick of the Week award. The editors of…
All marriage-based immigration visas require a promise by the U.S. citizen petitioner to financially support the foreign spouse. The Form I-864 Affidavit of Support is a binding contract between the petitioner and the U.S. government. Financial support under the I-864…
In this piece we explore the ethics of whether attorneys should draft the Form I-864 for a co-sponsor, where the attorney represents the petitioner and/or beneficiary in the family immigration case. Because the new I-864 requires an attorney-client relationship with…
Social media marketing presents genuine ethical challenges for attorneys. But there are also plenty of non-issues. This is an attempt to separate some of the former from the latter. These materials were prepared for Business Development 101 Tools and Techniques…
We argue that attorneys need to better safeguard clients when using flat fee billing. Even in jurisdictions, like Washington, where flat fees become property of the attorney when they are paid, lawyers need to have systems in place to ensure…
This article was initially published as: Solo Attorneys: Who's Got Your Back? You Need Backup Counsel to Protect Your Clients and Yourself, Greg McLawsen and Russell Mikow, The Bar News (Journal of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association) (August 1, 2013)…
Solo and small firm practitioners are faced with tough choices as their practices grow. As demands increase, the traditional answer is to add a part time general assistant. The part time assistant becomes a fulltime employee, and more staff follow…
Is it ethical for attorneys to advertise on “daily deal” websites like Groupon and LivingSocial? My article in the current Jul-Aug 2013 issue of NWLawyer discusses some serious ethics issues: • Are daily deal sites a form of paid referral? •…