On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of FitzGerald Law Company, we would like to share a snapshot of our history helping people with their immigration [1], criminal [2], and personal injury matters [3].
Attorney Desmond P. FitzGerald [4] started his own immigration, criminal, and personal injury law office in 1997, only one year after he graduated from the New England School of Law. Back then, the law firm was named the Law Offices of Desmond P. FitzGerald. It was not until 2001 that the firm became known as FitzGerald & Company, LLC and 2015 when we rolled out our new brand and logo [5] with the name that we all recognize today: FitzGerald Law Company.
Desmond has successfully filed legal actions against numerous government agencies, including the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, USCIS for failing to properly and timely adjudicate immigrant petitions, and ICE to stop the detention of an individual with a court case pending in the state of MA .
Significant legal accomplishments include establishing the rights of step children of U.S. citizens to be recognized as “unconditional” legal permanent residents; getting USCIS to accept applications from detained immigrants without a fee; successfully suing USCIS [6] for improperly denying work authorization in cancellation of removal cases; getting a state criminal court to waive the presence of a defendant who was being held by federal authorities and allowing her criminal case to proceed and be exonerated, getting state courts to vacate convictions [7] that were obtained in violation of individual’s rights so they may have a fair trial and to allow immigrants to apply for legal status; and having the first case of a residency petition approved for a same sex marriage [8] by the US District Court of Massachusetts. He has also had several important court decisions on his cases published (read more about his published court decisions [9]).
Through 4 Presidents and countless changes to the law and regulations, Desmond has guided his clients to successful outcomes.
- With former President Clinton, our office grew our immigration practice with the extension of the 245(i) law [10]. This law allowed immigrants who had entered without inspection to adjust their status to legal permanent residency without leaving the U.S. under certain circumstances.
- When former President Bush was in office, the country underwent a time of great uncertainty, both in terms of immigration and financial security. FitzGerald Law Company remained focused on its objective of assisting those in need, and adapted to the financial crisis and the government’s strict attitude towards the immigrant community by tailoring case strategies.
- With former President Obama, a fresh and positive attitude towards the immigrant community resulted in greater opportunities for our clients. The introduction of DACA [11] and I-601A provisional waivers [12] brought new work and education opportunities for Additionally, the Obama administration embraced the possibility of administratively closing cases in removal proceedings for qualified candidates, which avoided orders of deportation for a substantial number of people with U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident family members. Desmond and his team capitalized on this important change in the government’s position, and used it to keep family members together in the United States.
- Today, FitzGerald Law Company is facing the challenges presented by the anti-immigrant policies of Trump administration, using its 20 years of experience to guide clients in the most effective manner, while minimizing the inherent risks.
Throughout its history, the office has also addressed the criminal and personal injury concerns of our clients, which are often intimately related to their immigration cases. On the criminal front [13], we have successfully litigated domestic violence, assault, theft, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and attempted murder cases among others; as well as helped clients vacate a prior conviction and re-open their immigration case [7] to obtain their lawful status.
On the immigration front [1], we have helped clients obtain all the different types of visas [14], waivers (I-601) [15], cancellation of removal [16], residency [17] and citizenship [18], as well as defended them from deportation. We have also won a significant number of immigration appeals, and lawsuits against the USCIS [6]. Finally, on the personal injury front [3], we have helped clients obtain monetary compensation regardless of their immigration status, for personal injury claims resulting from car, bike, product defects and falling accidents.
Assisting the immigrant community is a personal matter for Desmond, who is the son of Irish immigrants and is married to a Colombian immigrant. Every case is important because Desmond knows the value of a successful immigration, criminal, and personal injury case for the client and his or her family. Our focus and ability to obtain results are the reason our clients have continued to spread the word about our services. It has been a pleasure to serve our community for the last 20 years, and with your help we hope to continue to do so for many years to come. We appreciate your continued loyalty and thank you for the wonderful reviews [19] and for referring your friends to our firm.
Below are comments from some of our clients which have filled us with pride and a wonderful sense of accomplishment.
Thank You!
Client excerpts from reviews on third party sites such as Google, Facebook [20], and Customer Lobby [21]:
“The service I received from Fitzgerald & Co. is the best service I have ever received in my life”
“Attorney Fitzgerald is an amazing immigration attorney. He not only understands the law and systems, he understands his client’s emotional needs as well. That is rare in a lawyer”
“After many disappointments dealing with many lawyers in criminal and immigration issues, Fitzgerald Law Company is one of the best law firm teams in New England. Fitzgerald brand is synonymous of professionalism, honesty, confidentiality and quality services”
“Personally I feel like they are angels sent from above to represent the voiceless”
“I cannot say enough wonderful things about my experience with the Fitzgerald Law Company. Desmond is straightforward, honest, and incredibly supportive of his clients”
“My experience was exceptionally great. A very well organized firm, experienced and professional.”
“I’ve been taking my cases to Fitzgerald & Co for about 10 years now. They’re extremely professional, they get the job done”
“The firm is well staffed, Desmond pays close attention to each client, he is detail oriented, timely and efficient”
Sincerely,
The FitzGerald Law Company Team