Zeman and Petterson, PLLC

11/10/2021

After 11 years, 4 attorneys, 8 cancelled Individual Hearings, and a 3-hour contested trial, we are happy to share that an Immigration Judge granted asylum to our Client H-C-R- from El Salvador. We are grateful that she can finally move forward with her life in the United States. Congratulations to H-C-R- and Shira Zeman, as well as attorneys Rachael Petterson, Tamara Jezic, Alexa G***k, and Geraldine Villagomez, who previously worked on this case.

09/24/2021

Congratulations to D-, who just returned from her interview at the consulate in Guatemala City. She is now a Lawful Permanent Resident! D- is pictured here with her husband, two kids, and brother. We have been working with D- and her brother, who is also a Lawful Permanent Resident, for almost ten years. We're so happy for D- and her beautiful family!

07/09/2021

Yesterday, an Immigration Judge granted our clients B- and E-, two siblings from El Salvador, adjustment of status. They are now Lawful Permanent Residents! We started working on B- and E-'s case in early 2015, and we have watched them grow from little kids to teenagers! They are now in middle school and doing well despite virtual school for the last year. Congratulations to Rachael, B-, E-, and their mother, who worked hard for years to see this case through!

05/14/2021

An Immigration Judge in Baltimore granted Shira's client K- asylum this past week. K- worked tireless to obtain documentary evidence from her native El Salvador, and her hard work paid off. The Immigration Judge was satisfied that she met her burden and the Department of Homeland Security waived appeal. K- lives with her partner and son, and they will welcome a baby boy next month. K- will be eligible to apply for Lawful Permanent Residency in a year. Congratulations to K- and to Shira!

04/01/2021

This is a month overdue, but we would like to welcome Carmen Hernandez to our team! Carmen started as our receptionist in February, and we have already benefited from her experience and professionalism. We look forward to our continuing work together and to our clients getting to know Carmen.

11/12/2020

On Monday, an Immigration Judge issued a written decision granting our client M- and her oldest son, who are from El Salvador, asylum. We've been waiting for over a year for the decision and were overjoyed to receive the news. Congratulations to Rachael Petterson and to attorney Alexa G***k, who formulated the winning legal argument in this case!

11/09/2020

Congratulations to Shira’s Client O-A- from Mongolia who was recently granted lawful permanent residence by USCIS. O-A- lives in Virginia with his wife and their two U.S. citizen daughters. He will be eligible to apply for citizenship in three years.

10/08/2020

Zeman and Petterson welcomes Aiiden Mondé to our team as a legal intern! Aiiden was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and grew up in Miami. He graduated cm laude from Florida State University in May of 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and English. Through his studies and life experiences, Aiiden developed a passion for human rights law. He hopes to pursue a career in this area of law to "repair broken systems that take away peoples’ rights so that these people may no longer fear being subject to abuses by their own country." Aiiden would like to one day work for the International Criminal Court. At Zeman and Petterson, Aiiden is drafting motions, preparing forms and filings, and conducting legal and country conditions research for asylum cases and waivers.

06/12/2020

It has been a while since we have posted, but we hope everyone is safe and healthy. Although the last few months have been difficult, we still have our rays of sunshine. Like A- and her son D-, originally from Guatemala, who just became Lawful Permanent Residents of the United States. An Immigration Judge granted them asylum in 2017, and they have been waiting on the adjudication of their residency applications for two years. Congratulations to A- and D-!

03/16/2020

In order to help protect the health of our clients, our families, and others in our community, Zeman and Petterson is suspending all in-person appointments until further notice. However, we are still here and working and conducting appointments by phone. Please feel free to call or email us with any questions or concerns about your case. We thank you for your business and we look forward to seeking you all again soon. Please stay safe and healthy.

Para ayudar a proteger la salud de nuestros clientes, nuestras familias y otros en nuestra comunidad, Zeman y Petterson está suspendiendo todas las citas en persona hasta nuevo aviso. Sin embargo, todavía estamos aquí y trabajando y realizando citas por teléfono. No dude en llamarnos o enviarnos un correo electrónico con cualquier pregunta o inquietud sobre su caso. Le agradecemos su negocio y esperamos volver a buscarlo pronto. Por favor manténgase seguro y saludable.

02/03/2020

An Immigration Judge in Baltimore granted our client, M-, who is from El Salvador, asylum. The government waived appeal. The Judge welcomed M- to the United States as her second home. Congratulations to M-, Rachael, and Alexa G***k, who did amazing work on crafting many of the legal arguments in this case.

11/29/2019

As some of you may know, Attorney Chris Carr was a professional football player before becoming an attorney. Chris' story is chronicled in the most recent episode of the Baltimore Raven's podcast, What Happened to That Guy with John Eisenberg. Eisenberg interviews Chris about his NFL career, especially his time with the Baltimore Ravens, and his new(er) career as an immigration attorney. He observed one of Chris' asylum hearings and offers insight into the immigration court system from an outsider's perspective. If you're on the road or have some free time this holiday, check out the podcast (which is also available on most podcast apps).

The former cornerback spent three seasons in Baltimore (2009-2011) and is now an immigration lawyer arguing life and death cases in the courtroom.