The Olawale Scholarship Aids New Americans Studying Law at Capital

  The Emmanuel Olawale Scholarship for New Americans at Capital University  

The Emmanuel Olawale Law Scholarship for New Americans will give preference to incoming Capital University Law School students who have participated in the immigration process themselves or have parents or grandparents who did.

 

“Education is empowering,” says Olawale, who is a native of Lagos, Nigeria. “Education is a great equalizer. It opens doors that wouldn’t exist without it. I hope this scholarship will attract new Americans to study law. Few immigrants consider law as a career.”

 

Olawale attended Capital University Law School as a day student while juggling full-time jobs while attending classes.

 

“I think Capital is one of those institutions that built me. It’s my foundation.”

 

As a result, Olawale wants to ensure that he helps others achieve their dream of becoming lawyers, and he encourages his fellow alumni to do the same. “There’s no better time to do the right or good thing than now,” he says. “Pay it forward. Sustain the institution that made you. Make sure that all those coming behind us get the same opportunity.”

 

His hope is that the Olawale Law Scholarship will break barriers, encourage new Americans and support future leaders.

 

Click here to read the full story by Capital University.

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Emmanuel Olawale, Game Changing Winner of the G-Wagen at the 2022 Game Changers Summit in Atlanta, GA

  Courtesy of Crisp  

The 2022 Game Changers Summit took place November 2-3, 2022 in Atlanta, GA at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Summit was created to give lawyers the ability to discover comprehensive strategies for taking every aspect of their law firms to the next level.

 

Representing his own personal injury and immigration law firm, Emmanuel Olawale walked away from the Game Changers Summit with much more than knowledge and motivation to take on the challenges awaiting him at his firm.

 

Click here to read more.

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Columbus Green Card Holder Faces Deportation Despite Biden's Favorable Immigration Rules

  Authored by Yilun Cheng (Columbus Dispatch)   When Lansana Gottor filled out his information at a voter registration drive in 2016, the then-19-year-old high school senior had no idea that a simple form would lead to an immigration nightmare years later.   Gottor, 26, a Columbus resident, has been a permanent U.S. resident since he first came here from Sierra Leone at age 15 to reunite with his mother, who has since become a U.S. citizen.   In late 2020, however, Gotto was put in deportation proceedings after U.S. immigration authorities discovered that he cast a ballot in the 2016 primary election as a teenager. He said he did not know that green card holders are not eligible to vote.   Gottor, who has no criminal record, is a "poster child" for the type of noncitizens who should receive favorable consideration under President Joe Biden's immigration enforcement priorities, according to Emmanuel Olawale, a Westerville immigration and civil rights attorney representing him.   Click here to read more.
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Story from 10 WBNS TV

 

Olentangy Schools Bus Driver Accused of Breaking Student's Finger

 

An Olentangy Schools bus driver is charged for allegedly breaking a student’s finger, according to officials and public records.   According to an incident report from the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called Tuesday afternoon to Olentangy Orange High School for a reported assault that happened Tuesday morning.

 

The 15 year old student is represented by student rights attorney, Emmanuel Olawale.

 

"The bus driver gave him instructions to put on his seatbelt," says Olawale. "Because he is autistic, he wasn't able to understand the bus driver, so the driver proceeded to lay his hand on my client to force him to wear his seatbelt."

 

Click here to read more about the story and see the interview.

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Advocates: New Protection for Cameroonians Could Save Many in Ohio from 'Death Sentence

  Authored by Yilun Cheng (Columbus Dispatch)  

The TPS designation for Cameroon comes at a time when advocates nationwide are protesting against what they see as a double standard in the way that the U.S. government has treated displaced Ukrainians and non-Europeans escaping wars.

 

While encouraged by Cameroon’s recent TPS designation, Bello said she hopes the U.S. extends the same benefits that it gave Ukrainians — including humanitarian parole, special student relief and a halt in deportation — to Cameroonians and other African refugees.

 

Humanitarian parole, for example, offers a streamlined process for those in exceptional circumstances to enter the country without visas. No African nations currently are on the U.S. list of special parole countries.

 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees TPS and other humanitarian programs, did not respond to requests from The Dispatch for comment.

 

It might take some time for the new policy to reach the people that it intends to help, according to Emmanuel Olawale, a Westerville-based immigration attorney who is working with about a dozen Cameroonian clients.

 

“I’m calling my clients to tell them about TPS, but some of them are still on the fence about it. This is new information to them, and some of them, having waited on their asylum decisions for years and years, feel a sense of distrust toward the system,” Olawale said. “They are going to need a little convincing.”

 

Click here to read more.

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Authored by Yilun Cheng (Columbus Dispatch).

In the fall of 2020, “Juan” had trouble falling asleep whenever he thought about his upcoming court appearance in Cleveland, where the only immigration court in Ohio is located.

The 43-year-old father of three from Mexico, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, had already gone through three hours-long hearings for his application to obtain permanent residency. He said he was nervous and exhausted when he stepped into the court on Oct. 16, 2020, for his fourth hearing....

Emmanuel Olawale, a Westerville-based immigration attorney, said he has faced this dilemma firsthand. In October 2020, when he received a notice from the Cleveland Immigration Court that the asylum case of one of his clients was denied, he was disturbed by the language that Judge Jonathan Owens used in the decision.Click here to read more.

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Click the link to watch Attorney Olawale's encounter with police officers. Encounter with WPD   Attorney Olawale was throwing trash into a dumpster outside his office when two police officers accosted him.  Olawale identified himself and proved to them that he owns a law firm there and co-owned the dumpster. The officers insisted on running a criminal check on Attorney Olawale in violation of his civil rights.  Olawale boldly asserted his rights and stood up against the abuse of power.
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The Genoa Township Police Department is investigating a report of inappropriate behavior by a former employee at Walnut Creek Elementary School who is accused of taking photos of a partially clothed student with autism. Click link to continue reading about this student rights case.
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I came to the United States 25 years ago as a permanent resident, without a dime but the determination to achieve the American dream. I enrolled in college within two years of my arrival. I completed college in three years, funding my education with the Pell grant and the state of New York’s tuition assistance program. After college, I moved on to law school. I graduated and passed the bar three years later. I was a licensed attorney by my seventh year in the United States. By my twelfth year, I have started my law practice focusing on helping first-generation immigrants and their families through immigration law. Click link to continue reading.
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Columbus Babysitter Charged with Abuse of Toddler After Parents Place Hidden Camera

 

After realizing something was wrong with their toddler, a Columbus family installed a hidden camera to keep an eye on the babysitter.

 

Now, that babysitter is facing charges, accused of repeatedly hitting the child.

 

Read more about this personal injury case below.

  https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus-babysitter-charged-with-abuse-of-toddler-after-parents-place-hidden-camera/ (more…)
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I Lived Through Coups in Nigeria. A Similarly Dangerous Path Could be Developing Here: Opinion

 

As seen published on Cleveland.com.

 

Until I came to the United States 23 years ago, I grew up mostly under a series of authoritarian regimes in Nigeria. Of the first 20 years of my life, only four involved a democratic government, from 1979 to 1983, when I was too young to understand political systems.

 

I witnessed my first coup d’etat at the age of 6. We woke up to the sound of martial music on the radio, then a military leader came on the radio and the television screen to announce that the democratic government had been suspended along with the constitution. He announced that they would instead rule by decrees and he delineated a set of new decrees which became effective immediately, including a national curfew..

 

The whole country was paralyzed with fear and uncertainty. There were speculations about counter coups, battles raging between military factions, rumors and gloomy surmises about the plight of the civilians the military just ousted.

 

Before I emigrated from Nigeria to the United States in 1997, I witnessed two more unsuccessful coup plots and two successful coups; numerous election postponements; and two election annulments after the voters had cast their votes..

 

The most notable of the annulled elections was the 1993 presidential election in which a philanthropist, Moshood Abiola, was a presidential candidate. According to international observers, it was the fairest and freest election in Nigerian history. Mr. Abiola won the election, only for Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the military dictator, to annul the election after making promises for eight years to hand over to a democratic government. Mr. Abiola died in prison five years later under a military dictatorship. He was imprisoned without a trial because he refused to renounce his claim to the presidency.

 

The most notable of the annulled elections was the 1993 presidential election in which a philanthropist, Moshood Abiola, was a presidential candidate. According to international observers, it was the fairest and freest election in Nigerian history. Mr. Abiola won the election, only for Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the military dictator, to annul the election after making promises for eight years to hand over to a democratic government. Mr. Abiola died in prison five years later under a military dictatorship. He was imprisoned without a trial because he refused to renounce his claim to the presidency.

 

The average American reading this prologue might wonder what this has to do with their lives or with the United States.

 

It has everything to do with you and this nation if you cherish the democratic ideal and respect for the rule of law -- the virtues of America’s brand of global leadership.

 

You are at the cusp of losing the freedom and democracy you enjoy, if not totally, then to a great degree. The American democratic tradition of honor is being daily desecrated with a concentric cycle of chaos and with reckless disregard for truth.

 

People like me fled dictatorial regimes in search of democratic freedom in the United States. However, every symptom of dictatorship and authoritarianism we fled from has now become manifest in the current administration:

 

* The lack of respect for the rule of law.

* The politicization of the Justice Department, where the president’s foes are investigated and punished, while friends are rewarded with pardons after convictions and a conviction is quashed arbitrarily.

 

* The administration’s arbitrary and capricious manner of churning out executive orders targeting particular groups of people, without any rational governmental basis, and their fiendish enforcement, are synonymous with military dictatorships’ rollout of decrees.

 

This frontal assault on the rule of law, the lack of respect for congressional oversight and contempt for the courts when they rule against the administration are precursors of what is to come in the event President Donald Trump loses in the November elections.

 

If Trump loses, he is likely to use every power within his arsenal to reject the results and prolong his presidency without regard for the constitutional authority of the other arms of government. This nation could be plunged into a constitutional crisis of unimaginable proportions, a first in the history of the republic, one that could upend a peaceful transition of government for the first time since 1776.

 

Hence, the U.S. House and Senate need to draw up a bipartisan contingency plan for such a situation, to ensure the preservation of the integrity of the upcoming presidential election and a smooth transition of power if the incumbent loses.

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The Olawale Law Firm has been named a finalist shortlisted for the prestigious Elite Trial Lawyers award, 2020 by the National Trial Lawyers. The award honors law firms achieving results for plaintiffs in cutting edge matters.

 

The lawyers and law firms selected this year have demonstrated repeated success in cutting-edge work on behalf of plaintiffs over the last 15 months. They also possess a solid track record of client wins over the past three to five years.

 
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I have represented several young adults since DACA was instituted in 2012.  The program has made significant positive impacts in the lives of these clients.  They are from different countries and came to the United States with their parents at different times and at different ages, but they all share one thing in common: they were undocumented young immigrants living under the shadow and shackled by their status, unable to strive for the American Dream.

 

They are popularly called DREAMers, the name was coined from a failed bill drafted by a group of eight congress men from both parties under president Bush, the bill was known as the DREAM Act.  The then president supported the bill, but it ultimately failed as the president was unable to convince enough members from his own party to vote in favor of the bill.  It was president Bush’s last ditch effort at immigration reform shortly before he left the office.

 

DACA is an acronym for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, it prevents applicants who were brought into the country while under the age of 15 and have not turned 31 years as of June 15, 2012, from being removed or deported from the United States.  They have to prove that they have been present in the U.S for at least 5 years prior to June 15, 2012 and that they were physically present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012.  They also have to show that they were either in high school or have obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent.  They must also show that they have not been convicted of a crime because certain criminal convictions are automatic disqualification for the program.

 

Additionally, the program instructed the DHS Office of Chief Counsel to administratively close the cases of DACA recipients who were in active removal proceedings, thus taking away that looming threat of deportation.  Those who were approved got Employment Authorization cards, which enabled them for the first time to obtain social security number, driver’s license, open bank accounts and attend colleges.

 

Notable among the clients I represented are Mary and Paul, not their real names, their names are being changed to ensure their privacies. Mary was brought into the country by her parents from Brazil at the age of eight.  They left Brazil while fleeing gang violence and hoped to create a better life in the U.S.  Mary completed elementary school in the U.S. and also attended and completed high school in the U.S.  However, her life came to a standstill after high school because she was unable to sit for college admission tests and unable to register for college because of her status.  So, she became a cleaner, cleaning people’s homes and doing other manual labor to make ends meet.  When DACA program started in 2012, she was a 19-year-old who speaks English fluently with an American accent and who can pass for an American but for her undocumented status.  She was resigned to a life of living under the shadows.

 

After she got approved for DACA, she was able to obtain work authorization and social security number, she registered her cleaning business, obtained her driver’s license and started taking college classes.  After a year, she was able to further contribute to the American economy by hiring others to help with her business.

 

Paul was brought to the United States at the age of 5 from Tanzania by his aunt, he was an orphan.  He completed both elementary and high school in the U.S. He graduated at the top of his high school class and was offered several scholarships and enrollment opportunities by colleges interested in him, however, he was unable to accept these offers because of his undocumented status.  He had to face the reality of his life as an unwilling, undocumented teenager as he witnessed his classmates get driver’s licenses, attend colleges and graduate from colleges while he was unable to work legally, drive legally or fulfill his academic dreams.  He was working as a personal assistant for a benefactor who took him in to help him after hearing his story.

 

Paul was 23 years old when the DACA program commenced in 2012.  After he got approved for DACA, he was able to enroll in college in 2013, he earned his bachelor degree in 2017 and he is currently working towards his Master’s degree.

 

The program has made tremendous impacts on the recipients, but it has come under attack by the current administration.  The president tried to cancel it, but his effort was overruled by the court, so the program is continuing and recipients can still renew their work authorizations, obtain travel permits to visit their countries of origin and enroll in colleges, although they are not qualified for federal financial aids, some states allow them to pay in-state tuition or get state tuition assistance.

 

In all, it has been a successful program that has benefited both the recipients and the country.

 
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Attorney Emmanuel Olawale: A Decade of Gratitude.

Ohio-based multiple award-winning Attorney Emmanuel Olawale sits at the table of his new 2,250 square foot office space on County Line Road, Westerville. Arranged behind him are copies of his book, “Flavor of Favor: Quest for the American Dream,” two trophies won from different body builder’s competitions and at the corner, a wine wood table rack with a filled vintage glass decanter between two cups. It’s 10 years!

 

In the midst of the world economic recession in 2009, U.S fresh attorney Emmanuel Olawale took a bold leap of starting his own law practice in the City of Columbus basing his hope on favor, and in his quest for the American dream and determined steel of vigor to succeed.

 

Decade Ago

 

Ten years ago when I was about to start my practice, it was a period when everyone was suffering and going through the recession, most businesses were closing, most big law firms were shutting down, lawyers were getting fired and the new ones that were coming out of law school were not able to find a job. It was in this turbulent period that I decided to start my own practice. It wasn’t as if things were easy or palatable at the time because at that time too, I was the only one working. My wife was in school working towards her Master’s degree. It was a very strange bold step. It was either you sink or you swim.

 

It didn’t seem like a reasonable or logical thing to do at that time for anyone. At that time if you have a job you have that job security, and you stick to it. People were getting fired. You are either looking for one or not trying to start one. That was why it seemed like a crazy idea.

 

This is one of the best decisions I ever made. Even though at the beginning it seemed like a foolish decision at that time to go out on my own into uncharted terrain not knowing what was going to happen.

 

Accomplishment

 

I have assisted over 4,000 clients through the immigration system; I have served over 6,000 satisfied clients. When it comes to personal injury part, I have won or settled over $10 million in settlements and verdicts and in lawsuits I have filed or defended over 350.

 

In the next 10 years, my hope is that we will be able to get more of that; get more people to help with the same philosophy and that is caring for people.

 

Recently I represented victims of sex abuse and I was able to get a very good settlement for them. That was in the Olentangy School District, Delaware County of a teacher that was molesting female students. Over the years there have been notable victories in the criminal case area. I have been able to overturn criminal convictions over the last 10 years which include that of clients with 15 years, 17 years and 6 years. I have also helped thousands of clients to obtain their green cards. In the last 10 years, we’ve been able to help a lot of people to get justice and make life easier.

 

Drive

 

As I continued to build the practice,, help more people and win cases, words spread around. The practice grew and I developed a large following. The trust is there that when people are sending their friends or colleagues or family members or relatives they know that this lawyer knows what he is doing and he is going to take very good care.

 

If I have to tell someone in my shoes who want to do this, I will have to tell him that “you have to know yourself.” I don’t think it is for everybody. You must have the drive, put in the work, and throw shyness to the winds.

 

Campaign

 

When I started, everywhere I go was like a campaign ground for me. If I go to a party I share my business cards; if I go to stores I am letting everyone know this is what I do. If I go to any restaurant I will spread my cards. It was like I was campaigning. That was how I was able to put my name out there because at that time I couldn’t afford any form of advertising.

 

I don’t think I was on Facebook at that time. It was more of leg-walk advertising. I will go to churches and seek permission from the pastors to talk to their congregants to let them know what I do.

 

Standard

 

When I started my practice my intention was to start a practice that will meet the highest form of professional standard. Even though I am a Nigerian American or an American African, I didn’t want to be boxed into a corner of ethnicity. I wanted a practice that will meet any standard and that it didn’t matter what your ethnicity is – whether you’re black, white, Asian or Latino, I just wanted to meet the highest standard of professionalism.

 

You have this stereotype when it comes to being of African descent, in what I will describe as self-effacing. We don’t trust fellow Africans to be as professional as it should be. From the beginning of my practice, it was intentional that I did not fall into that trap.

 

I built on what I learned from the law practice that I worked for out of law school and was able to inculcate it into my law practice. It was from that continuity of making sure that everything I do was excellent. Anything worth doing at all is worth doing excellently. I never sacrificed quality for expediency. To me, if it doesn’t look right or feel right, I won’t do it. Starting from my choice of office space, first I started in my house in a very nice neighborhood. Other people I couldn’t see at home I see them in very nice places like the public library and book stores. When I decided to move out to get a virtual office, there were cheaper virtual offices, but I went to one that was standard and excellently looking office space so that when clients came they will know that I was in an excellent environment and expect excellent services. I have built on that over the years and never sacrificed that.

 

Passion

 

My passion for justice comes from the time I was growing up. There were situations growing up where I was accused of doing the things that I didn’t do. That instilled in me the passion for justice; the passion to hate injustice. That is why the mantra of my practice is “It’s not just business. I take it personally!”

 

When people come to me if I feel that they have a good case I am into it all the way. If I know they don’t have a good case, I tell them. This is because I have the self-drive to abhor injustice. Since 2013 I have won several awards.

 

Writer

 

I still see myself as a journalist but it’s just that I am a non-practicing journalist. My transition to law was kind of progressive. My first degree is in Journalism. Growing up I loved to read and write and I also love the law. Getting to the United States, I realized that law is a second degree, it is a postgraduate degree. Starting school, I went to my first love, which is writing and journalism. I got my first degree in that. I went to law school and became a lawyer.

 

My first book is a memoir. In the process of dealing with people and where people call me for counseling, I found out that there are some experiences that I have had that can come in handy and people were encouraging me of the need to write a book.

 

Currently, I just finished writing my second book which is similar but going to be for practicing attorneys or for those that are planning to start a law firm.

 

Expectations

 

We only have to keep building on what we have right now. We should expect better professionalism, better work and more compassion in helping people. I see this practice as not just as a way to make money but I see it as a calling, a ministry, a way to be the voice of the voiceless, to help the downtrodden, a way to give hope to the hopeless and a way to build lives.

 

Gratitude

 

I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the help of my wife. We have something we call business meetings. We sit down regularly and discuss what we should do next and how we can do better. She has been my number one fan.

 

I am grateful to God for how I have been able to live my life up to this point. How I have been able to build the law practice from scratch and being an immigrant. I came here not knowing what life had in store for me. I am grateful for the opportunities that America offered me to be able to go to college, go to law school, start a practice and thrive. I am grateful to be able to express myself the way I am. From the background I came from and even with all the talents that I have, if it were to be in Nigeria some of the things that I am able to do, apart from being a lawyer, will be judged differently. I hope to be able to build on that; a legacy, that people behind me, who are of African descent or immigrants or who are minority will not limit themselves. It doesn’t really matter where you are born or where you come from or what your background is, with hard work, determination, the right opportunity and the grace of God you can be who or what you want to be. That is the American Dream and that is the opportunity of being in this country.

 

By Deba Uwadiae

New Americans Magazine

Posted May 1, 2019

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Emmanuel Olawale Speaks with NBC On Behalf of Rape Victim

 

Recently, sexual abuse attorney, Emmanuel Olawale spoke with local NBC affiliate on behalf of the family of a rape victim he represents. See the full story below.

 
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The Olentangy Local School District Settles Sex Abuse Cases of clients represented by The Olawale Law Firm.

By Dean Narciso

 

The Columbus Dispatch

 

Posted Jun 1, 2018 at 10:44 AM Updated Jun 1, 2018 at 3:50 PM

 

The Olentangy Local School District has agreed to pay almost $500,000 to settle three lawsuits brought by families of students who were sexually abused by a veteran second-grade teacher.

 

According to two separate settlement agreements released by the district Thursday, the district agreed to pay $360,000 to two of the families.

 

A third agreement, for $130,000, is pending in Delaware County Probate Court because it involves a minor, said attorney Emmanuel Olawale, who represented the students. The other two settlements, for $235,000 and $125,000, involved students who turned 18 and 19, respectively, since their cases were settled. There are no other cases pending.

 

The victims were among at least nine girls Matthew Rausenberg physically abused during the 2015-2016 school year and years earlier. An eight-minute video of Rausenberg groping a student, found on his cellphone in March 2015, proved to a Delaware County Common Pleas Court jury that the victims were telling the truth when they testified that they were groped and assaulted by Rausenberg as their classmates at Arrowhead Elementary worked nearby.

 

Rausenberg, 42, was convicted Jan. 25, 2016, on 34 counts of gross sexual imposition; four counts of kidnapping; and three counts of pandering sexually oriented materials. He is serving a more than 100-year sentence with no chance of parole at the Lorain Correctional Institution. He had taught in the district for 14 years. The district denied any responsibility for his actions.

 

The district’s insurance companies, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Netherlands Insurance, will pay the claims.

 

Olawale said tort reform policy limited the awards to $250,000 apiece because there were no physical injuries.

 

“I got justice for them in the only way the justice system can provide,” he said.

 

The district declined to discuss the settlement details on the advice of attorneys, but did acknowledge changes in security procedure.

 

“Our hope is that we continue to find ways to improve and implement best practices as we always strive to do better,” said Krista Davis, director of communications.

 

During and after Rausenberg’s trial, the victims’ families repeatedly asked the district to take action to prevent similar abuse.

 

“Even if they (district officials) might not admit to it, we were able to show that there were some lapses in monitoring Mr. Rausenberg,” Olawale said.

 

Since the abuse case, the district has expanded the types of prohibited “boundary issues” related to students and teachers, increased the number of staff to be notified when abuse is suspected and emphasized to staff that they must report abuse immediately. In addition, a student well-being supervisor was hired two years ago to address “non-academic barriers to learning,” and it is seeking to hire a newly created safety and security supervisor position.

 

Olawale, whose child graduated from Arrowhead this year, said he hopes it is enough.

 

“We really had to put their feet to the fire — past principals, counselors, teachers — and in the process of discovery, we learned that there were some red lights that they all missed,” he said. “They knew something was shady about him (Rausenberg), but they probably didn’t know the extent. They trusted him more than they should have.”

 

dnarciso@dispatch.com

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Click on the link to watch Emmanuel Olawale’s short story on the

 

WOSU TV Documentary, “The New American” which aired in January 2016. It was an exciting experience and an honor to be considered for the documentary.

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Emmanuel Olawale has declared his candidacy for judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Delaware County, Ohio in the 2014 election.

 

He is bringing freshness and change to the Delaware County bench, while also transferring his passion for justice and fairness to all who appear before the court.

 

To volunteer and support the campaign visit www.emmanuelforjudge.com.

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I was honored when I got a call from the Columbus’ Mayor’s Office to be a speaker and one of the five panelists at an immigration reform forum being organized by the City of Columbus and co-sponsored by YWCA Columbus titled “A Conversation on Immigration Reform” scheduled for August 20, 2013. I was slated as the only immigration attorney on the panel and was requested to speak on the need for immigration reform in reference to family reunification.

 

The speakers and other panelists include Maria Klemack McGraw, Grove City Council member, Benito Lucio,Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services’ Migrant Worker Ombudsman, Pat Valente from The International Entrepreneurs (TiEOhio), Carl Ruby, Director for Bibles, Badges and business for Immigration Reform of Ohio and Michael Dalby, President and CEO, Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Also present were the press, city officials, politicians and staffers from Congress woman Joyce Beaty’s office. Congressman Pat Tiberi and Steve Stivers were invited, but they sent their regrets.

 

I brought my years of experience as an immigration attorney and personal experience as a second generation immigration reform beneficiary to the forum while I detailed the reasons we need to reform existing law to allow family reunification without unnecessary delay. I am a second generation beneficiary of the last immigration reform law that was passed in the 1980’s.

 

I arrived in the United States in 1997 without a dime but with big dreams and the determination to succeed. From 1999 to 2002, I was enrolled in college full time, while also working two full-time jobs concurrently and still managed to graduate college in three years. After college, I immediately enrolled in law school and worked all through law school. After law school, I worked for a law firm for four years before starting my own practice, which I have managed successfully for another four years. Thereby, I am able to contribute to both the Ohio and the American economy as an entrepreneur and an employer of labor. All these were possible because of the 1986 immigration reform, this personal story also accentuates the fact that new immigrants create new businesses; they are hard working and help shore up the economy. When given the opportunity, immigrants often thrive because of their work ethics and determination.

 

A Conversation on Immigration Reform (Click link to watch video)

 

I spoke about how current immigration laws impede family reunification, especially for permanent residents who do not obtain residency simultaneously or contemporaneously with their spouses and children. A green card holder has to wait between three to five years after petitioning for their spouses and children before the family members can join them. If peradventure, the spouses and children are already in the United States, they are not allowed any temporary immigration relief such as work authorization or travel permit while their petition is pending, neither would they be allowed to adjust their status in the United States even when their visas become available unless their non-immigrant status have not expired.

 

The long wait for visas and reunification often destroy marriages and alienate children from their parents. Based on my professional experience, when an immigrant spouse has to wait between three to five years for their spouse to join them, by the time they reunify, they would have become strangers to each other. Strangers created by the long years of separation, living in different countries and experiencing different cultures. The magic and affection that once held them together would have died because it wasn’t frozen in time like the visa.

 

With the children of permanent residents, the long wait strains the parent-child relationship. Thus, by the time the child joins their parent, both would have lost the time to bond, the parent would have missed integral period of developments in the child’s life; as such the child may not be able to develop the feeling of intimacy and trust a child develops for a parent because of the years of separation.

 

Immigrants should not be forced to choose between living in the United States to the detriment and exclusion of their spouses and children abroad. The family is the foundation of a nation. As such we should ensure that we are not systematically gradually breaking down the family unit of new immigrants by making them wait for so long before reunifying. Since our collective American consciousness put the family institution on a high pedestal, we ought to do the same for new immigrants and ensure reunification with their families within a reasonable time.

 

Emmanuel Olawale, Esq.

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Emmanuel Olawale, the founder and owner of The Olawale Law Firm, LLC has written his first book, titled "The Flavor of Favor: Quest For The American Dream. A Memoir."

 

"The Flavor of Favor" is now available for purchase in both e-book and paperback on Amazon.com. To read excerpts of this inspirational and riveting memoir, visit flavoroffavor.com.

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On November 21, 2012, Emmanuel Olawale of The Olawale Law Firm won a $2.5 million judgment for the estate of a two-year-old girl who was killed by a reckless driver. The accident occurred in October 2009 in Columbus, Ohio when the Defendant, who was driving without a valid driver’s license failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the toddler’s mother’s vehicle. The impact tipped the vehicle over and ejected the two-year-old from the car.  She died at the scene of the crash.

 

In his closing argument, Attorney Olawale argued, “There is no amount of money that would compensate for the life of this two-year-old that was snuffed out prematurely. What dollar value can you put on the life of a girl who because of death would never go to preschool, would never go to elementary school, would never learn to play the piano or ever hug her parents? I am sure that if one asked her mother a day before the accident for permission to run her daughter down with a car, killing her in exchange for five million dollars, she would say no. Yet, here she is without her daughter, but with the haunting memory of her loss, a loss that can never be filled, one that is forever etched in her life forever. This court should send a message to this driver, who was not only driving without a drivers’ license but was reckless to run a stop sign and kill this innocent girl. I ask this court to return a verdict of nothing less than a million dollars.”

 

The Court agreed and awarded a total verdict of $2.5 million.

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When injustice becomes law or the norm, standing firm against it becomes a duty. When the agents of the law arbitrarily misapply and manipulate the law in order to reach a certain conclusion, albeit unjust, it is the obligation of the social engineer to challenge their actions to ensure that justice prevails.

 

The man came into the U.S legally with a valid visa in the year 2000, however over the course of time, he overstayed and became out of status.  He later got married to a US citizen and they had two children as fruits of the marriage. However, the marriage fell apart and so was the immigration petition and applications filed on behalf of the man. As a result, the United States Citizen and Immigration Service (USCIS) placed him in removal/deportation proceedings in January 2007.

 

About a year into his immigration dilemma, he reunited with his high school sweetheart who had recently become a widow. He became her source of comfort and lent his ears to accommodate her lamentations of grieving.  Meanwhile, he was still in the US while the woman, a US citizen moved back to her home country after the death of her husband in order to wound up his affairs and complete some projects she and her deceased husband were working on before his death.

 

After maintaining constant telephonic contacts for over a year, the high school sweethearts decided to get married. The woman flew from a country in Africa to tie the knot with her new found partner. They got married in a quiet ceremony. As a result of this nuptial, the woman knowingly gave up the monthly social security financial benefits she had been receiving stemming from the death of her previous husband.  Nevertheless, this was a small price she was willing to pay to recapture love and companionship once again.

 

Subsequently, she filed a petition for alien relative (form I-130) for her new husband. The USCIS approved the petition after having being satisfied that the marriage was genuine and not entered for immigration purposes.

 

Nevertheless, because of the nature of the building and business projects she was handling in Africa, she could not fully relocate to the US until she had completed the projects.  However, her two college-age children were attending colleges in the U.S.  In spite of the diametrically opposed obligations she had to handle in two different continents, she travels to the US to visit her husband three to four times a year.

 

After the approval of the marriage petition, her husband applied for his green card before the Immigration Judge. However, the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Chief Counsel opposed the application and requested a  hearing so the couple could prove to the court again that their marriage was bonafide even though USCIS had already made that conclusion.  The hearing was held and the Immigration Judge concluded that the couple’s marriage was genuine.  The judge scheduled an adjustment of status/green card hearing for a year later.

 

About a week to the green card or adjustment hearing, the couple consulted with me for representation because their prior counsel could not continue to represent them for personal reasons unrelated to their case.

 

In July 2009, we went for the hearing. The man, who was the intending immigrant was put on the stand and was grilled for hours by ICE counsel until it was time for the court to close. As such, we were not able to put the wife, (who flew in from Africa for the hearing) on the stand. In short, the hearing could not be completed on that day because of the lengthy cross-examination of the husband by the government counsel.  Hence, the judge adjourned the hearing to September 30, 2009.

 

The wife had to return to Africa shortly after the hearing.  However, about a week prior to the September hearing, she flew back to join her husband and present herself for the hearing. Just like the hearing in July, she was subjected to lengthy, long wounded cross-examination by the government’s counsel. Government’s counsel asked her why she had not moved back fully to the U.S and she explained the nature of the projects she was handling and how she could not just leave without finalizing the project as her deceased husband’s families were waging a battle to dispossess her of her deceased husband’s properties. The government counsel then suggested that if she could not move here until she stabilized her inheritance, why couldn’t her new husband move to Africa to join and live with her. She replied that they had both decided to stay in the U.S especially since she is a U.S citizen and that she was planning to finally move back by the end of 2009.

 

On redirect examination, I asked her to explain to the court how it is perceived in the African culture if a man moved in to live with his wife.  She told the court that it is seen as a disgraceful act only a man without dignity would dare embark on. I followed up and asked her to explain to the court how the culture in her country would react to a situation in which her new husband moves in to reside with her in the house that was built by her deceased husband. She elucidated that such an act is considered as one of the highest taboo and could lead to her eviction from the house by her late husband’s family especially since there was ongoing legal dispute regarding the property that she was defending.

 

At the end of the trial, the Immigration Judge granted my client’s application for adjustment of status (green card), he further found that all the witnesses were “substantially credible.”  Nevertheless, in spite of the judge’s well-founded decision, the government counsel,  looking awestruck appealed the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeal (BIA).

 

The government counsel knowing that her appeal had no factual and legal basis, embarked on a backdoor way to deny my clients their rights by contacting the local immigration field office to retroactively deny the marriage petition which had been approved over a year prior. The local office, in turn, issued a Notice of Intent to Revoke visa approval to my clients. I vehemently opposed the issuance of the notice but responded under protest producing all the documents they requested and more. I also wrote a personal letter of complaint to the Field Office Director and her supervisor explaining that the process of retroactive revocation being used against my client violates due process of law, is unjust and should not be condoned and that the agency should not allow it to be used as an instrument of injustice by a sister agency just because a government counsel was dyspeptic about a judge’s decision.

 

In spite of the overwhelming additional evidence my clients submitted, the local immigration office revoked the visa without any credible or reasonable basis. The Regional Office Director also wrote me back sanctioning the actions of the field office citing that it was not a violation of due process. Hence, I filed an appeal to this unfair decision to the BIA.

 

Meanwhile, I also sent a letter of complaint to the Chief Counsel about the Assistant Chief Counsel, alleging that her assistant was abusing her authority by her actions and the quest to ensure that an unjust decision is reached contrary to the judge’s decision after lengthy hearings and trials.  I prayed him to stop the unjust process and call his assistant to order and to ensure that similar situations do not arise in the future. The Chief Counsel called me back a few days later acknowledging my concern but said that he believed his assistant’s actions were within the province of their power. I fired back a letter to him expressing my disappointment with his decision in spite of the apparent injustice and abuse of power. I vilified his support of his assistant and promised that I will not stop short until justice prevails and that “I will assiduously assert the rectitude of the matter.”

 

After the revocation of my client’s visa approval, the Assistant Chief Counsel filed a Motion to Remand with the BIA, stressing that my client’s visa had been revoked by the USCIS. I countered the motion accordingly and explained the process through which my client’s visa was revoked in spite of the evidence he presented and the immigration judge’s decision.  The BIA agreed with me and denied the government’s motion to remand.

 

In December 2010, the BIA made a decision on my clients’ appeal of the revocation of their visa approval. The BIA agreed with my arguments, ruled in my client’s favor and instructed the local field office to reinstate the visa approval immediately. A month later, January 2011, the BIA denied the appeal filed by the Assistant Chief Counsel and held that the judge did not err in ruling in favor of my clients.

 

Upon receipt of these decisions, I sent a letter to the local immigration field office requesting that they issue my client’s green card immediately. My client scheduled several appointments with the USCIS to commence the issuance of his green card. However, every time he appeared at the field office, they told him that they had not received his file back from the Office of Chief Counsel, which was only two hours drive away. They promised to request the file, only for my client to go back the next time and be told the same thing.

 

I gave them enough time to ensure that enough patience had been exhausted. When my client had not received his green card by the middle of September 2011, I sent a letter requesting the local field office to issue the green card and adhere to the judge’s decision, especially since it had been about two years, I also pointed out that it could not have taken over five months to transport a file from a city two hours away, even by road. The following week, my client received his green card. The process had taken over four years, two of which my client was in immigration limbo, fighting the injustice of the system and the power that be.  Although, in the beginning, it seemed that my client was entangled in an ineluctable legal net fashioned by government agents, he eventually prevailed because he had an advocate who would not relent until justice was served.

 

This is a case that ignited the burning embers of constructive, justified anger within me. My anger was based on compassion and grieved by injustice. I delved into the quest for justice without fear and with an intrepid determination to get my clients justice even if they couldn’t afford it, which in this case, they could not afford to pay me my reasonable prevailing fees as the matter was dragging on for years. Nevertheless, I was not discouraged by the lack of funding, but propelled by my vision to be a voice to the voiceless. In the face of injustice being perpetrated by the people hired by the government and sworn to enforce the law, I made it a duty to oppose the injustice to the highest level possible. Though justice was delayed, I ensured that it was not denied regardless of the roaring powerful oppositions mounted by two separate immigration agencies.  My anger lead to a positive result. It is for situations such as this that I became a lawyer.

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I see the practice of law as a calling, a calling to serve, to build lives, to edify, to admonish and to revive the defeated. It is like the calling to priesthood or to a religious ministry. While the priest uses the religious books as tools to advance their ministrations, the lawyer uses the law books and knowledge of the law to propagate change, to advocate, to redeem, to construct, to seek justice and to positively impact lives.

 

A probate judge recently told me in open court that ”I have been practicing for over 30 years and I hope you spend more time practicing because I have not seen a lawyer display so much compassion on behalf of a client. It is one thing to serve and make a living, it is another to serve and touch lives…” To my clients, he said, “You have the best lawyer, who has done a wonderful job for you, I hope you know this because no lawyer out there would do what this man has done for you at this fee, considering all the work that was involved…” This magistrate said this on the record at a wrongful death settlement approval hearing stemming from the death of a two-year-old girl who was killed by a reckless teenage driver. As one can imagine, the parents were so distraught and inconsolable even after almost two years since the fatal accident.

 

When I initially met with the parents to take on the case, I felt the irreplaceable loss they had suffered, I was overwhelmed by the depth of their grief, I felt inexplicable empathy and realized that no matter how much money they are to be paid for the death of their toddler, it cannot heal their grief or fill the deep hole of bereavement indelibly scarred into their hearts. No amount of money could substitute for the smile of the innocent child, no amount of dollars could make up for the warm little hugs of their daughter or compensate for the promising years cut short by death. As such, I decided to charge them a fraction of the prevailing attorney’s fee, I discounted my fees by 70%. This act of professional altruism was what moved the judge to effusively thank me, encourage and praise my act of service.

 

I often feel the gratification of service when I represent indigent clients for free or for ridiculously minuscule fees and yet advocate on their behalf as if I had been paid millions. At the end, these clients are eternally grateful and I see the positive difference my act of service made in their lives. I recall the case of a young lady whose employment was unjustly terminated by a manager of a retail store on some discriminatory grounds. After the termination, the store refused to pay her for the last week of employment, holding on to the paycheck for over 3 weeks and giving her the runaround whenever she demanded her check. When I got involved, I was able to get the employer to overnight the check the same week. At the mediation of the matter, a few weeks later, I got the manager to admit her wrongdoing, apologize to my client face to face and the employer to rehire my client to a much better position with a better pay and pay her for all the wages she had lost while unemployed as a result of the wrongful termination. All this, I did without charging my client a dime because I knew she could not afford the fees.

 

There was the case of another client locked up in jail for over two weeks without representation. I took on the case for free, visited him in jail, negotiated with the prosecutor to get 3 out of the 4 criminal charges dismissed with no additional jail time and got him set free without collecting a nickel. Although, he and his family had no money to pay for my services, their flattering adulation and their relentless referrals testify to the depth of their appreciation.

 

Yet, in all these, I adapt, I grow professionally and personally. I advance spiritually, I mature mentally, realizing that I was called to be of service through my profession. While I make a living through the same career path, in the process, I am a social engineer, I build lives leaving ineffaceable marks of constructive paths in the lives of my clients, building bridges of hope, channeling rivers of possibilities with tributaries that flow to benefit the next generation yet unborn.

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I feel elated when I am able to affect the lives of my clients on micro-personal levels as well as delivering the results they expected. It makes the clients realize that their problems matter to me and that I am not just interested in working with them mechanically, while dissociating myself from the troubles that propelled them into my office in the first place

 

I recall the case of a father who was wrongly accused of abandoning his two young children after their mother died of cancer while the children were in her custody. The county’s children’s services, as well as the families of the deceased, colluded to ensure that this man would permanently lose custody of his children. They fabricated stories of abuse, physical and sexual against the father, they accused him of intentionally abandoning his children while the mother was stricken with the terminal illness, when in fact, he was never made aware of the nature of her illness or the seriousness of her ailment because he lived several states away.

 

By the time he consulted with me, he had been denied custody and frequent access to his children for over three months while the children were placed in the custody of their maternal aunt. It was a shock when I appeared at a scheduled hearing because my client was never expected to fight back, simply because they believed he could not afford representation as he had showed up on two prior occasions without a lawyer.

 

My investigation and discovery requests later revealed that the basis upon which my client was being denied access and custody to his children were nothing but fabrications. I clearly remember the smile on the client’s face as the court delivered the good news, acknowledging that he is on the right side of the law and that he deserves to see his children and to have them in his custody, after being kept away from them for over six months. His countenance of thanksgiving, his sister’s effusive gratefulness and his brother’s generous display of appreciation were much more than any fees they could have paid. The entire case was later dismissed and the children were reunited with their father.

 

Cases like this make me realize that practicing law is indeed “practicing.” You have to practice how to manage people. You have to practice how not to give clients and their families false hopes. You have to practice how to be realistic with clients without being pessimistic. You have to practice how to encourage clients. You have to practice the art of empathizing with clients without making them objects of pity. You have to practice how to do the best with the facts you have. You have to practice how to work hard to get fair results in difficult cases. You have to practice to earn the trust of your clients. You have to practice to love what you do and the people you represent. You have to practice not to sacrifice your integrity. You have to practice to always continue to strive for excellence in your practice without jeopardizing your integrity. You have to practice how to discern when your clients are not completely being honest with you. You have to practice how to turn down a non-meritorious case without hurting the client’s feelings.

 

You have to practice to be civil and cordial to opposing counsels. You have to practice to be open-minded and be willing to see the point of views of the opposing side. You have to practice to continue to learn and update your knowledge without ceasing. You have to practice how not to take litigation losses personal as long as you did your best.

 

The practice of law has indeed imbibed in me practical life experiences and lessons that can never be taught in law schools or any academic institution. The practice of law itself is a series of abysmal lessons and practical life courses one can never complete. Every lesson learned adds a feather to my professional cap and makes me a better lawyer, a better person and better equipped for the next challenge.

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