The problem of questionable counsel

Immigrants to this country — whether they enter with or without authorization — face many barriers.  Often, one of those barriers is finding legitimate and competent counsel to help them navigate the complexities of our immigration laws.  Lawyers and nonlawyers sometimes exploit vulnerable immigrant populations and provide inadequate counsel in exchange for significant sums of money.  One apparent example: on March 22, NY State Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. Dolan issued hissecond judgment against Christine Owad, a Greene County woman who posedas an immigration consultant and took large payments from dozens ofpeople, mostly of Irish descent, seeking U.S. green cards.  More on that story can be found on the Attorney General’s website, here.

-jmc