“Immigration is a mystery and a mastery of obfuscation, and the lawyers who can figure it out are worth their weight in gold.” – USCIS spokeswoman Karen Kraushaar
IMMIGRATION LAW
Los Angeles Attorney Patricia Depew helps her clients through the often-baffling and always-evolving immigration laws and regulations governing foreigners desiring work or residency in the United States. She has represented business executives, engineers, and those with specialized technical skills as well as asylum seekers and political activists. One client was threatened with death by the Taliban; another client, a gay man, was fleeing from Iran; and still another was a Guatemalan student activist wanted by death squads. Ms. Depew also works directly with film producers, directors, actors, and other entertainment industry professionals who seek work or residency in the U.S.
The United States Customs and Immigration Service is a colossal bureaucracy, enormously backlogged, with plenty of pitfalls and red tape. Yet immigration problems often demand immediate solutions; sometimes it's a matter of life and death. Ms. Depew understands the problems and knows how to move your personal case through the system in the most expeditious possible way.
FIGHTING FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL
Patricia Depew fights aggressively for her clients. She answers your questions, addresses your concerns, and advises you regarding potential action at every stage of the legal process. In addition to her considerable legal skills, Ms. Depew draws on her experiences and professional background to help her clients attain their goals in the United States. As a veteran of the entertainment industry, for example, she has helped scores of actors, directors, and cinematographers qualify for U.S. work visas.
Many people try to address their personal immigration needs alone, without the help of an experienced immigration attorney. That's not a good idea. Immigration law is so complicated that a simple immigration matter can quickly erupt into a calamity. Regrettably, many of these cases end up in convoluted legal snarls when the paperwork isn't completed properly, causing delays and in some cases denials of visas, asylum, or green cards. Those working with Patricia Depew can rest assured that their case is in the hands of a skilled, experienced immigration attorney.
Attorney Depew represents clients before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Immigration Courts. Her immigration law practice includes:
- Deportation – defending clients before the U.S. Immigration Courts
- Naturalization – becoming a U.S. citizen
- Working with USCIS officials and to resolve delays and denials
- Acquiring a visa to marry a U.S. citizen
- Acquiring a nonimmigrant, business, tourist, or temporary specialty worker visa
- Acquiring an intracompany transferee, treaty trader, treaty investor, or student visa
- Acquiring an exchange visitor visa
- Acquiring a green card through a family member or as an investor or special immigrant
- Acquiring a green card through employment or through the diversity visa lottery
- Human rights and protection including asylum and temporary protection status (TPS)
To find out more about how Attorney Patricia Depew can help you, click here.
CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY
Attorney Patricia Depew offers bankruptcy counsel to those who feel trapped financially. For clients in Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13 bankruptcy proceedings, Attorney Patricia Depew offers exceptional legal counsel and representation. She works diligently to stay on top of recent developments in the evolving field of bankruptcy law. Ms. Depew knows and understands the worries and tensions that clients experience when they are pestered and harassed about debts. She also knows the satisfaction of seeing honest, hard-working people get an opportunity to start over and build a secure future. She has successfully represented a number of homeowners and saved their homes from foreclosure.
Many people who confront sudden life changes – a negative legal verdict, a medical crisis, divorce, job loss, or the death of a loved one – become very quickly unable to pay their unexpected and mounting expenses. Patricia Depew offers counsel and conscientious representation to set people free from devastating financial overcommitments. Bankruptcy law, properly applied, helps many to move on with their lives without overwhelming debts and with fresh credit options. Does bankruptcy enable you to get a fresh start? Patricia Depew is an expert at helping those who face seemingly impossible debts. Usually this help entails procedures under Chapter 7 (for liquidation) or Chapter 13 (for adjustment of debts of those with regular income) of the Federal Bankruptcy Code. If you need to file for bankruptcy, paying the wrong bills or shielding the wrong assets can be financially catastrophic.
Ms. Depew explains to her clients the pluses, minuses, and expenses of filing for bankruptcy. Her thorough preparation and expert counsel make the bankruptcy laws work for you. If asset liquidation under Chapter 7 will produce the best result, Ms. Depew shows clients which of their assets can be protected. If a Chapter 13 debt adjustment is the best option, she will help you design a payment plan that the court will accept. Secured debts such as mortgages usually must be paid; unsecured creditors may receive a percentage (such as 20 cents on the dollar, for example) of the debt. Loan modification can be included with Chapter 13 plans. We are ready to help you get the fresh start you need and deserve.
PREVENTING FINANCIAL DISASTER
After a hurtful divorce, one woman wrongly thought that assets in a children's trust fund had to be transferred for protection from creditors. Prior to filing for bankruptcy, she paid an additional debt to the ex-spouse to guard her children from more conflict. The Chapter 7 Trustee ruled that both acts amounted to fraudulent transfers. Substantial fees were imposed. Ms. Depew saved the woman's home from liquidation by refiling the Chapter 7 bankruptcy as a Chapter 13. She obtained a $12,000 reduction of the legal fees. A consultation with Ms. Depew turned around a distressing situation and helped the woman get free from debt.
To learn more about Credit Repair, click here.
ENTERTAINMENT LAW
Patricia Depew knows the entertainment business. She's produced and directed PBS broadcasts and other network productions. Ms. Depew has also received an NEA grant and numerous awards for her film work. In her legal practice, Patricia Depew helps producers, writers, directors, and actors with contracts, intellectual property concerns, and related issues. She is a skilled litigator and negotiator who keeps her clients well-informed to make the long-term decisions that are in their best interests.