“I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN THE PHILIPPINES!”

By Michael J. Gurfinkel, Esq.

            Whenever I attend a Filipino function, or even when I am out shopping in the U.S., many Filipinos approach me and say, “Attorney, I would have loved to hire you for my case, but I thought that you live in the Philippines”.

            The reason some believe I live in the Philippines is because they regularly watch my TV show, Citizen Pinoy, which I occasionally tape in the Philippines, at ABS-CBN studios.  But allow me to let you in on a little secret: although Citizen Pinoy is broadcast every week, it is not “live”, as is, for example, Wowowee.  Instead, I fly to the Philippines, tape several episodes at ABS-CBN, and then fly right back to the U.S. to practice law.  So, even though an episode may be “coming from Manila”, it was taped sometime ago, and I actually am stationed, work, and live in the U.S.

            And that brings up another important point: many people think that an immigration attorney must be in the same city or state as the client in order to represent them.  This is not true.  An immigration attorney can represent his or her client anywhere in the U.S. or the world.  An immigration attorney with an office in California can nevertheless represent a client in New Jersey for immigration matters.  This is because immigration law is federal law, as opposed to state law, and immigration issues are adjudicated by federal agencies.  In fact, my office has clients all across the U.S., from Alaska and Hawaii, over to New York and Florida. Additionally, an attorney is able to represent a client and handle the case by phone, email, scanning, faxing, etc. unlike doctors (who ordinarily need to see their patients “in the flesh” in order to diagnose and cure their ailment). 

            Therefore, the next time a Filipino sees me in the U.S., he or she should not be surprised that I don’t live in Manila.

            Four offices to serve you:  PHILIPPINES: 894-0258 or 894-0239; LOS ANGELES;  SAN FRANCISCO; NEW YORK : TOLL FREE NUMBER: 1-866-GURFINKEL (1-866-487-3465)