Speaking with Allissa Wickham of Law360, Pryor Cashman partner Avram Morell, a member of the firm’s Immigration Group, offered practical guidance for avoiding the pitfalls that can plague an immigration representation. 

At the top of Morell’s list of things never to say to clients are guarantees of successful outcomes.  “You could be the best immigration lawyer in the world, but we can’t control the government and we need always be aware of that.  [Attorneys must] always make sure that clients are not relying on a 100 percent likelihood of success,” he explained. 

Morell emphasized the importance of maintaining active communication with clients during what can be an uncertain and highly emotional process, cautioning against a “don’t call me; I’ll call you” approach: “Such comments give the client the impression that you are not as concerned about their case as they are and that they are being unreasonable in being anxious.”  Equally vital is refraining from telling clients that their cases aren’t urgent: “although it may not be legally urgent, it is certainly emotionally urgent for the client,” Morella said.

In closing, he warned against counseling clients to manipulate or “fudge” the facts: “as lawyers, we have a duty to help our clients avoid making material misrepresentations of the facts.  Never tell or suggest to a client that it is OK to not respond truthfully to a written or oral question in the context of an immigration application, interview or inspection.”

Morell is nationally and regionally ranked in the field of Immigration law and advises clients ranging from multinational banks to research institutes and entertainment companies on a broad spectrum of immigration matters.  To read the full Law360 article, please visit here.