Should you patiently wait for some type of legalizing reform? Or pursue benefits through DACA now? Many potential DREAMers are asking whether it would be wise to wait for the Immigration reform to pass and seek legalization, or to apply for DACA now. In recent weeks the Senate introduced their immigration bill, NO. S.744. This bill is not yet law. That means that the most straightforward answer to the posed question is: pursue DACA now.

Higbee & Associates attorney, Natasha Buchanan, was extensively quoted in a USA Today article entitled, “FDIC Quietly Changes Rules That Cost Thousands Their Jobs,” which highlights the FDIC regulation change that was likely inspired by the story of Richard Eggers.  Mr. Eggers, a 69 year old Wells Fargo Employee, was terminated after a background check revealed he had been convicted in 1963 for putting a cardboard cutout of a dime in a washing machine, nearly 50 years after

Since the Supreme Court overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, commonly known as DOMA, many same-sex couples have reacted by taking advantage of the new immigration benefits that became available overnight. Others have been skeptical and somehow led to believe that DOMA only applied to certain individuals who were already married in a marriage equality state. Despite statements by the Obama administration, articles by constitutional lawyers, and wide-ranging reports from the media, some still refuse

Generally, the case for asylum for nationals of Mexico is all but unavailable.  There are rare circumstances for native ethnic minorities and LGBT petitioners, but largely Mexicans are not granted asylum.  This has remained the case even though drug violence has raged in the country for the past half decade.  The suffering and the violence could not be linked to race, religion, nationality, or membership in a particular social group or political opinion. This week,

On Thursday, June 27, 2013 below an irreverent gallery bustling with anticipation, the United States Senate held a vote on its version of immigration reform.  Vice President Joe Biden presided over the traditionally formatted vote that required each Senator to declare “aye” in the affirmative or “no” in opposition.  In the end, the sitting President of the Senate announced the final tally of 68 to 32 in favor of the bill as chants of “Yes

A whole new world of opportunity has opened up for LGBT immigrants after yesterday’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  This unprecedented ruling will give immigrants, and their families, new options. Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that the 17 year-old Defense of Marriage Act, commonly known as DOMA, is unconstitutional, and struck it down.  As a result, the federal government must now recognize all marriages determined to be valid

An estimated 11 million illegal immigrants may have the opportunity to lawfully secure permanent residency in the US within eight years, according to the drafted immigration bill entitled “Lawful Prospective Immigrant” in The White House. This approach towards immigration reform can cause detrimental consequences to immigrants who have a criminal record. If the bill is enacted, President Barack Obama’s proposal will “target convicted [immigrant] criminals in federal or state correctional facilities,” according to The White

Higbee and Associates, is now serving Indiana and will begin offering record clearing services. The current services that will be offered include expungement, restricted access, felony reduction, firearm rights restoration, etc. This will be the fourteenth state that the national law firm offers record clearing services in. If you have a criminal record in Indiana please visit www.recordgone.com and take our free eligibility test to see if you are eligible to remove the record. If

In support of Senator Roderick Wright’s bill, Attorney Mathew Higbee has been the lead contributor to expand benefits towards California’s current expungement law. SB 530, the bill, is expected to be approved by the committee. Higbee said, “In many ways, California is very progressive and innovative when it comes to helping former offenders. We provide drug treatment, continuing education, job training and even tattoo removal. But California does not remove the one thing that many

On Wednesday April 16, 2013, eight senators known as the “Gang of 8” presented the awaited Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.  The Gang of 8 is composed of Senators: Marco Rubio (R-FL), John McCain (R-AZ), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is the principal drafter of the Bill.  The proposed Act is the result of a bipartisan effort

President Obama recently stated the United States is in an “epidemic of gun violence,” at a White House proposal meeting regarding gun control. Many Americans who have been convicted of crimes are concerned about the possibility of losing Second Amendment rights due to the President’s proposal. President Obama’s proposed legislation arises in response to incidents such as the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, as well as other shootings associated with the mishandling of

Today, The Law Firm of Higbee & Associates successfully won an appeal for a client who was wrongfully denied a firearm purchase by the N, commonly known as NICS. The client had previously sought record clear clearing relief in the state of California and had a felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor pursuant to Cal. Penal Code § 17(b). After the client’s case was granted, he no longer had a felony on his record and

Higbee and Associates has been mentioned in several blogs and publications for a recent victory in the California Court of Appeals. Higbee and Associates filed suit against non-attorneys engaging in the unauthorized practice of law by offering expungement related services. The decision in the California appeals case was published and makes clear that attorneys can, in some instances, sue non-attorneys for unauthorized practice of law. The California Court of Appeals published its ruling in Law