Mark Richard Kowalewski

My interest in law stems from a high school civics class which so inspired me that the next year I actually moved to Sacramento to attend college and explore future opportunities to serve the public.  After college, I was fortunate to land a position on the staff of the late Congressman Robert T. Matsui, a dedicated public servant.  My work there (1987-1994) gave me the opportunity to serve the public and opened my eyes to the power of law.  Since obtaining a law degree (1999), and passing the bar (2000), I have been applying my skills toward representing foreign nationals in administrative interviews and in hearings before immigration judges.  My line of work is extremely satisfying knowing that people like my clients would virtually have no chance of success in navigating the complex immigration rules without people like me.

There is a quote famous amongst immigration practitioners attributed to an INS spokeswoman that appeared in the Washington Post:

"Immigration is a mystery and a mastery of obfuscation, and the lawyers who can figure it out are worth their weight in gold."

Everyday I meet with clients with a myriad of complex issues as many foreign nationals, out of sheer desperation, take some rather questionable actions just to create a slim hope of obtaining an immigration status in the United States. I identify and prioritize their immigration goals, and figure out whether the damage they have done to their case can be overcome, and then I advise them accordingly. 

Another aspect of immigration law involves advising U.S. businesses and multinational corporations in securing employment based visas for their foreign national employees or prospective employees.  These types of cases often involve companies on the cutting edge of technology who have identified some foreign talent that they wish to have here in the United States working for them.  In some of these cases, I assist my business clients in convincing the U.S. government that issuing the desired visa is in the best interest of the United States.

My litigation and appellate practice has been confined to the immigration courts.  In that forum I have successfully assisted my clients on some unusual cases including a grant by the Board of Immigration Appeals to reopen a matter where the immigration judge ordered my client removed in absentia.   In that case, I was able to argue that the ineffectiveness of my client’s previous counsel- a Lozada Motion caused my client to miss the hearing in which he was ordered removed.  The twist being that the previous counsel was not an attorney at all but rather an individual posing as an immigration officer.