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powerful legal documentary films every budding lawyer should watch

POWERFUL LEGAL DOCUMENTARY FILMS EVERY BUDDING LAWYER SHOULD WATCH

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It is an undeniable fact that aspiring lawyers should establish and strengthen their legal foundation through law books, case laws, and organizational experience. But, sometimes there are legal stories that go unnoticed or forgotten amidst all the long case laws and daily cases to be worked on, which, in our opinion, should be known to the upcoming lawyers too. It can help to refresh their knowledge and perception, and it may even give rise to newer ideas that can help them find new paths.

Here is a list of some of the best legal documentaries discussing alarming legal issues. Let us know in the comment section if you have any other suggestions as well.

 

Making a Murderer

Based on the real-life story of Steven Avery, rape and murder convict who had served a 32-year sentence before being exonerated on account of DNA evidence, this documentary is enthralling and highlights the effects of wrongful conviction and evidence tampering. In short, this documentary is one that can hit you right where it should with its portrayals and storytelling.

 

Cleanflix

This documentary is for those inclined towards copyright laws. Based on the story of a movie-editing company, it deals with the rift of morality that has occurred within the company and between Cleanflix and Hollywood filmmakers for 6 years.

 

Capturing the Friedmans

A normal family was pushed into the darkness of molestation charges followed by an exacting legal battle. Sounds engaging? Capturing the Friedmans tells the story of Arnold Friedman, who had faced charges of child molestation, sodomy, and sexual abuse, how his trial ensued, and ultimately how he breathed his last in prison. The winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, it was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and this movie screams volumes about the importance of speculating allegations and subtly throws light on how far the American legal system has come from the 1980s to now.

 

Hot Coffee, aka The Famous McDonald’s Lawsuit

Do you remember the infamous case of Liebeck v. McDonald’s? Well, this documentary definitely paints a striking picture of the lawsuit. This documentary is based on the 78-year-old Stella Liebeck, who won a $2.7 million verdict from a globally recognized fast food chain after it had sold her scorching hot coffee, resulting in second and third-degree burns on her body. Having been recognized with stellar reviews in the Washington Post and New York Times, it is not to say that Hot Coffee is not without its fair share of criticism. Nevertheless, it is an interesting watch (special mention: Susan Saladoff, the director, is a trial lawyer herself) for everyone wishing to understand the nuances of tort reform and how there are different shades of grey.

 

Indivisible

Delving into the other, darker side of illegal immigration, Indivisible talks about families parting due to anti-immigration laws, more specifically about the Dreamers, and showcases the complexities of immigration from both the legal and humanitarian perspectives.

These are just a portion of the long list of the best legal documentaries out there which should be watched by everyone associated with the legal profession in the United States. They are certainly made with the intention of providing entertainment but with hidden messages and, in some cases, the truth of the incident concerned.

On a factual note, films and documentaries can surely give you ideas from a recreational perspective, but for genuine legal information and queries, it is best to contact attorneys and law practitioners.

At the law offices of Gehi and Associates, our attorneys are equipped to deal with legal issues with substantial experience, thereby having the ability to provide you with high-quality legal services as per your requirements.

For more information, you can directly call our law office or send an email to the addresses given below.

For more details visit our website
💻www.gehilaw.com
📧email us at info@gehilaw.com

For FREE CONSULTATION
☎ Call us at +1 718-263-599
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Final Rule to Expand USCIS Premium Processing Program in Phases

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Premium processing is the name given to an optional program that lets eligible petitioners or applicants request faster processing times with the promise of more guarantees for eligible petitions and applications. The fees for Premium processing are added to those for the regular petition filing or application fees for the request of the underlying benefits.

On May 31, 2022, this rule came into effect. However, the new premium processing categories that have been added by the rule will be only available when the USCIS completes the requisite system development and their availability is explicitly announced.

Availability of Premium Processing

Premium processing remains available for existing categories eligible for premium processing even now. This rule designates new premium processing eligibility for specific immigrant petitions, employment applications, an extension of stay, and changes of status.

However, eligibility to request premium processing for all the categories added newly depends on the revision of systems by the USCIS in order to have the new categories accommodated.

According to the effective date language of the final rule, USCIS will announce the availability of premium processing for immigration benefit requests designated newly according to the regulations of DHS premium processing. These will be available as mentioned during that time.

For such new categories, until the USCIS announces the availability, Premium processing will not be available. It can be assistive to think about the availability of premium processing according to the benefit requested, instead of just the USCIS form number, due to some petitions and applications being used for many purposes. Some of these are not designated for premium processing eligibility. Benefit requests will not be eligible for premium processing if these are not there in the final rule.

USCIS Final Rule and Premium Processing Expansion

A final rule was published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on March 30, 2022, which was – The implementation of the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act.

It is important to note that the new rule is expanding the “Premium Processing” requesting availability for specific USCIS applications, which include:

Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization includes F-1 STEM OPT Extension and F-1 Optional Practical Training. The Application Processing Timeframes is 30 business days, and US$1,500 is the fee.

Form I-539 Application for Change of Nonimmigrant Status includes applications to J-1 Exchange Visitor or F student visa status from specific statuses. Thirty business days are needed for the processing of the application, and the fee is US$1,750.

Form I-129 and Form I-140, for O and H-1B petitions and most other petitions based on employment status. 15 business days are needed for the processing of the application, and US$2,500 is the processing fee – the same amount as for the current Premium Processing for such categories.

Although May 31, 2022, is the rule’s effective date, it will be impossible to file Premium Processing requests for the new types of application form until new premium processing request form versions and the USCIS and processing timelines issue instructions are confirmed by the same.

 There are indications from the USCIS that the Fiscal Year 2022 will have the planned effective date of the rule, and the earliest date might not be until the Fall of the year.

The ISO will surely notify students, and the ISO website will be updated after Premium Processing for Form I-539 and the Form I-765 applications are available. It is expected that the announcement will be made by USCIS on its website as every new type of case gets eligible for premium processing.

Conditions may also be placed on premium processing available for new case types when there is an announcement on the website. These conditions may include restricting the availability of premium processing to all those cases which have been pending for a minimum duration or delaying the initiation of the premium processing schedule due to some administrative factor, like operating a necessary selection lottery.

Other than this, to have new case types be premium processing-eligible, processing will start only on the date when “all prerequisites for adjudication” are obtained by the USCIS, which means that the processing timeframe would start being counted by the agency only upon getting all the background checks, biometrics, interview information, and necessary documentation, as deemed to be suitable for the case type.

Based on the type of case and its needs, applicants and petitioners could have to wait for more time to see their cases get processed, as compared to the official timeframes for premium processing.

Things to Know

This regulation will expand premium processing service to additional case types, which would include:

  • Some Form I-765 employment authorization document (EAD) applications
  • Additional I-140 petition categories
  • Change or extension of status of some Form I-539 applications

This rule will start becoming effective 60 days after the Federal Register publication. However, the implementation will happen in phases – over a time of 3 years at least and will depend on the capacity of the DHS.

It is expected that the phased implementation will start this fiscal year. This rule will also announce a new method for determining the start of the premium processing timeframe for new case types on the basis of when “all prerequisites for adjudication” are obtained by the USCIS, which could prolong the real-time wait for the action to happen on a case.

Until the final rule comes into effect and the premium processing availability details are announced by the USCIS for the eligible cases, the availability of premium processing will be only for the I-140 and I-129 petition case types.

Foreign nationals and employers can start to work with their immigration service provider agencies for the review of cases that are pending (in case of the affected types of cases for which premium processing is expected to become effectual in this financial year) and for detecting those cases that are time-sensitive and need to be considered for premium processing when the case becomes eligible in type.

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Best Ways to Find an H1-B Visa Sponsorship

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Are you planning to live and work in the USA this year? In that case, you need to apply for an H1B visa. There are various options that you can choose from in order to live the kind of life and have the profession that you want in the United States. However, the first step to getting work in the US is to apply for this kind of a visa and submit a petition with the USCIS.

However, keep in mind that in order to get an H1B visa, you might face several problems starting with getting a sponsor. If you do not have a sponsor yet, you have to get one for yourself.

How to Find an H1-B Visa Sponsor?

 

You are probably already worried about how you can get an H1B visa sponsor for yourself all the way from your country. You are probably also concerned about which companies allow sponsoring an H1B visa or whether some list is there for you to look at and determine which company to go for.

Even if you already live in the US and own an F1 visa or an H4 visa, you will possibly be asking the same questions. Read and find out how you can find a sponsor for your H1-B visa.

Try to Find a Job in the Database of the H1B Visa Sponsors

 

First and foremost, you have to look for companies that have already sponsored each H1B visa in the last few years. This can be done by checking the list of companies that sponsor H1B Visas or searching the H1B Visa Sponsors Database.

You can use these keywords in search engines like Google and change the wording a little to get lists of the names of all those companies that have sponsored H1-B visas in the last few years.

If you wish to go to a specific region in the US, you could try to look for “H1B Visa Sponsors Database California” or use any other word combination with the State / City you want to visit. You might also be able to find the kind of jobs, information about salary, and which kinds of petitions have received approval from the USCIS.

After you have done proper research, make a list of all those companies you are interested in working with and carry out a proper assessment – on the basis of the number of petitions that they approve or reject every year. Please find out how many petitions they file annually and more. Based on this kind of assessment, you can choose those companies you would like to apply to for a job.

It is imperative to choose a company for an internship that has sponsored other H1-B visa petitions already in the past, given that the process can be pretty complex. If the company knows the process already, everything can become easier for you.

There are plenty of companies in the United States offering H1B sponsorship. Some of the biggest and most profitable agencies provide this kind of sponsorship, such as Facebook, Google Salesforce, Microsoft, and Amazon.

Apply for a job and receive an offer letter

 

Then, you have to create an outstanding resume and write an impeccable application. You have to apply to all the companies on your list and not only to a specific company so that there are more chances of getting an H1B visa sponsor for yourself.

The best way to obtain a job is to send your application to all those companies that have sponsored a number of H1B visa petitions already in the past few years. But, if you are unable to find agencies in your domain of expertise, you can check out US job websites such as Dice, Monster, or CareerBuilder. It is also a good idea to check out the homepage of the website techfetch.com. While looking for good jobs in the US, you might get fortunate while browsing those websites.

After getting an employment offer, you must inform the company that you would like to be on the H1B visa sponsorship petition for the current year. It can make the company understand that it has to act quickly, to make it easier for you to get the coveted H1B visa. It is also advisable that you apply to as many jobs in as many companies approving H1B visa sponsorship applications as possible.

Look for an internship.

 

Finding an internship is another excellent option that you should try out. If you are already on an F1 Visa in the US and have plans to stay, try to look for an internship at an agency that can sponsor an H1B Visa. Then, you have to use the first two steps to search for and get an internship.

It is also possible for you to find internships at career events and job fairs. You would do well to stay up to date at all times and go to as many networking events as possible.

Try to find global consulting companies.

 

Try to make a list of all the major global consulting agencies such as Wipro and TCS. Then check out their home pages and look for the types of positions they have on offer before you hit the “Apply” button.

When you manage to get an employment offer, you can negotiate with those agencies about the H1B visa. Always ensure that your competencies and skills are displayed to the companies, and the recruiters have an idea about why you deserve an H1B Visa. It is recommended that you look for a niche in your domain. Although no guarantee is there that you will manage to get the job, the attempt will surely be worthwhile because you might just hit lucky.

Conclusion

 

You can see that when you are trying to find an H1B Visa sponsor, there are many ways that you can try. With careful planning and approach, getting an H1B sponsorship will not be too difficult for you.