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Immigration is not an area that sees high levels of legal malpractice claims (possibly because badly served clients are generally not in the country anymore), but it is a hot bed for arrests for practicing without a license and/or fraud.  Every month attorneys and fake attorneys are arrested on immigration fraud charges.  This week brings news of twenty six individuals, including six lawyers, charged in New York in an immigration fraud scheme involving hundreds of fraudulent asylum applications.  The schemes allegedly stretched across “at least 10 New York City law firms.”  Asylum applicants falsely claimed to have been persecuted in China based on their religious beliefs.  The fraud allegedly included training in basic Christianity, and providing translators who would provide appropriate answers even if the applicant did not answer questions correctly. Just because you are somewhat safe from legal malpractice (there are significant legal malpractice claims which arise out of immigration practice) does not mean that you will escape justice.  The Department of Homeland Security knows that immigration fraud is rampant, and actively pursues anyone who engages in it. -Josh J.T. Byrne, Esquire