Immigration software news and updates.

Many, if not most, immigration lawyers choose this line of work in part because of a desire to help people. In many cases, immigration lawyers have been immigrants themselves, or have recent family history tied to immigration, which helps them build stronger connections with their clients. Indeed, practicing immigration law is a direct way to have an impact on the immigration landscape.

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Another way you can make a difference in immigration is by getting involved in advocacy. But how can you go about getting involved? Which organizations can you work with, or for, to advocate for change in immigration law and policy? In this article we'll break down how to approach getting involved in immigration advocacy as an immigration lawyer.

Immigration advocacy at the local vs. national level

Immigration law is federal in scope but that doesn’t mean that all advocacy for immigration law has to be done on a national scale. Advocacy at the local level is necessary too, although perhaps at times overlooked or undersung. In this section we’re going to explore ways in which you can get involved in advocacy at the local level, and mention some organizations that can be a good place to start. Some of these you may already be involved with, or have connections to, through your network that you can leverage to find initiatives that match your interests. Let’s jump in.

Local advocacy

Getting involved with local advocacy and local immigrant communities may be the most direct way you can impact the people you serve, thus allowing you to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening on the ground.

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One common example of local advocacy is working to make your city a sanctuary city. Sanctuary cities are those that, at a high level, “limit how local law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration agents.” Sanctuary cities are seen as havens for undocumented or other foreign nationals that want or need a safe place to live while they work through their immigration challenges. Examples of sanctuary cities include New York City, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Boston. Coming at this issue from another angle, you can advocate against anti-sanctuary city proposals; for example, proposals obligating law enforcement or healthcare providers to report undocumented immigrants to immigration law enforcement. 

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The National Immigration Law Center has a toolkit which has been used successfully in past challenges to sanctuary cities across the nation and includes talking points and legal research you can refer to.

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You could also go beyond the city level and work on statewide advocacy. Two examples from the state of New York of non-profit organizations advocating for the wellbeing of immigrant communities are NY Immigration Coalition and Immigrant ARC. The NY Immigration Coalition focuses on improving access to basic rights, such as education and healthcare, for immigrant families, as well as engaging them in the community through civic action. Immigrant ARC, on the other hand, focuses more on emergency services, by providing immigration lawyer access to immigrants under threat, as well as educating immigrants in the state about their rights. A first step toward taking action would be to see if your state or local government has directories for immigration legal advocacy organizations operating in your state, such as what Texas and New York City have.

National advocacy 

Affecting change at a higher level is another way to advocate for immigrants’ rights. Here are some categories of organizations advocating for immigrants at the national level.

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National immigration organizations

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First, the American Immigration Council (AIC), which “employs four coordinated approaches to advance change - litigation, research, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications,” is a great place to start. There are two ways in which you can get involved with an organization like the AIC: you can either become a member, or actively and more directly participate in some of their initiatives. For a complete list of opportunities for attorneys, check out the AIC’s website. 

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Additionally, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a non-profit professional organization for professionals in all areas of international education, takes part in advocacy around foreign students and scholars and other impacted individuals that work for or are part of the higher education sector.

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Of course there is also the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which is the largest immigration attorney bar association and has a number of initiatives you can get involved in, including: 

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• The Immigration Justice Campaign, a partnership with the American Immigration Council (AIC). Its goal is to identify opportunities for attorneys to provide pro bono support to immigrants in need and train them to provide the best representation possible. The Campaign also advocates by recording changes in the letter and application of the law, connecting with mentors currently assisting immigrants and their communities, and communicating with the media about the challenges immigrants face through opinion pieces, blogs, and media
  appearances. Indeed, if you’ve been trying to raise your public profile by booking speaking engagements, volunteering with an organization of this kind could be a great way to do that, and at the same time, raise awareness of the issues that affect immigrant communities the most.
  
  
• AILA’s National Day of Action, a coordinated effort during which immigration lawyers from across the country meet with congressional leaders in Washington DC to discuss ways in which lawmakers can support AILA’s priorities for the benefit of immigrant communities. It’s a day to brainstorm possible solutions to some of the most pressing problems in immigration, and for lawmakers to get feedback on the effects immigration laws have on real people in real cases. Granted, sweeping change does not happen overnight, but through opportunities like this, the immigration lawyer community strengthens its connections with Congress.
  
  
• AILA’s Advocacy and media page : This section of the AILA website provides other opportunities to advocate for change in immigration law. From flyers you can share online educating the public about important immigration issues to direct calls to action for policy change, this can be a more approachable way to get into advocacy, especially if you don’t want to or cannot commit to something bigger. 

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Ethnic interest groups

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Another way to get involved in advocacy is to work with ethnic or other community groups that have a political presence and, among other things, work on immigration advocacy. For example, there’s the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which represents the Latino community in the nation’s capital and focuses on increasing participation in the political process. One of LULAC’s immigration-specific initiatives is the Hispanic Immigration Integration Program (HIIP), through which they help participants prepare for naturalization. For opportunities to get involved in your state, find your state’s LULAC Council in this map. 

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LULAC is just one example as there are many ethnic interest groups that are politically active and, among other things, seek to influence policy at both the domestic and international level in a way that promotes that group’s interests.

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Industry advocacy organizations

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Some advocacy work comes from industry-specific organizations that fight for immigration changes based on their field of work. A few examples of such organizations include Compete America, which advocates for reform of the high-skill immigration law system and implementing education initiatives that elevate the skill set of the American workforce and ITServe Alliance, which advocates for fair immigration toward the technology sector.

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Another example is Farmworker Justice, which seeks to empower migrant and seasonal farmworkers to improve their living and working conditions, immigration status, health, occupational safety, and access to justice.

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Finally, outside of getting involved with an advocacy organization through membership, volunteering, or other programs, you can also get involved in advocating for immigrants’ rights through impact litigation. 

Impact litigation

Strategic in nature, and with long-term, far-reaching goals in mind, impact litigation is more than delivering convincing conclusions and obtaining a favorable outcome in court. Impact litigation involves a selective process, where a case is chosen based on the possible effects it may trigger beyond that individual case outcome. In order for impact litigation to be successful, you have to get involved in activities outside the courtroom, including using social media, engaging community organizations and academic institutions, and provoking a public reaction by calling out an issue in both the actual courts and the court of public opinion. Ideally, the effects of impact litigation are felt far beyond the individual case and result in broader change. 

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A recent example of impact litigation within immigration includes groups of immigrants turning to the courts in large numbers to file writs of mandamus against USCIS when their months- or years-long waits for immigrant visa processing and adjudication interfered with their ability to work or travel. The goal was to force USCIS to take action and bring relief to not just those who filed these actions but to any applicant who may be suffering delays due to similar backlogs.

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In this particular example, some of the ways in which USCIS enacted changes were by rolling out new phases of premium processing and increasing extension periods for some visa categories. And while those may not be long-term solutions, they’ve had a positive impact for thousands of applicants. The people who brought these cases definitely made an impact.

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If you’re interested in this kind of strategic work, here are some organizations who currently work on impact litigation in the immigration space: 

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• Immigrant Defense Project, 
• Immigration Equality, 
• Capital Area Immigrant Rights’ Coalition, 
• AILA and the AIC, mentioned above, also engage in impact litigation. 

Honorable mention: IMMPACT Litigation

IMMPACT Litigation is one of the most interesting initiatives in immigration law right now. Made of an alliance of multiple immigration law firms, IMMPACT Litigation focuses on urgent needs in the immigration system by taking mass-action and class-action cases at the Federal District Court and Circuit Court of Appeals levels. Working cooperatively, the attorneys at this organization advocate for immigrants in the court system with the goal of bringing changes to the applicable law that benefit people beyond the listed plaintiffs. 

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If you want to start a similar working alliance, this could be a good example to follow. 

Docketwise automates immigration case management, including immigration litigation

Docketwise makes immigration advocacy and litigation easier. Not only does Docketwise handle traditional immigration casework, it can also support immigration attorneys with litigation matters by helping organize and track client correspondence, document and information upload, etc., and can support advocacy by providing reports, statistics, and other data that may help advocacy efforts. 

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From a full library of immigration forms to client questionnaires in multiple languages to an industry-leading set of API integrations, we help you stay up to date on all your cases, communicate easily with your clients, and otherwise build and manage your firm.

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If you want to learn more about Docketwise, schedule a demo at the link below, or sign up for our Immigration Briefings newsletter for daily and weekly immigration updates!

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In part 1 of this two-part series we discussed why launching a podcast can be a great way to grow your immigration law firm’s reach, build an audience and establish yourself as an expert. We also went over a few possible directions you can take as far as the focus of your podcast, format and more.

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In this article, part 2 of our series, we’re getting a bit more practical and will be talking about the logistics of actually creating and distributing a podcast. We’ll go over some of the equipment, tools and apps you’ll need, ranging from low-end to high-end.

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The goal of this article is to leave you feeling confident about the merits of creating the podcast and everything you need to actually get started.

Tools and tech you need to start an immigration podcast

If you want to approach launching a podcast as minimalistically as possible, all you really need to start is a smartphone. You can use your smartphone’s built-in microphone, record yourself talking using your phone’s native voice recording app, and upload that audio onto a podcast platform. Technically, this is all you need.

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But if you’re looking to launch a podcast to grow your immigration law firm, while it doesn’t have to be professional, we would recommend putting in a little effort to make the content compelling, the quality sufficiently good, and the appearance professional. So let’s look at some of the essential tools you’ll need to get started with your podcast. 

A microphone.

As we mentioned above, at the most basic level, your smartphone microphone will do, especially if you use the wired headphone microphone that comes with your smartphone. But if you’re able to invest even a little bit of money in a microphone, two common podcasting microphones you can consider include Audio-Technica’s ATR series, which range from inexpensive to higher-end mics, and which are especially good for early-stage podcasters, as well as the Blue Yeti, one of the most highly rated microphones on the market, and only slightly more expensive than the Audio-Technicas.

Good headphones.

Again, when you’re just getting started at the most basic level, you can simply use the speakers on your smartphone or laptop. However, wearing headphones, even the ones that come with your smartphone, is preferred, to help you get a better idea of the sound quality of your recording, and simply to hear better as you’re recording, especially if you have a guest. However, a good pair of over-ear headphones are advisable over earbuds, as they are more comfortable and have much better sound quality. Here are some headphone recommendations covering various price points and technical specifications. You may be surprised to find the headphones used by Joe Rogan, one of the biggest podcasters in the world, on this list, which just goes to show that even a podcast with millions of listeners doesn’t need the most expensive equipment.

Recording software.

Continuing with our basic to more advanced recommendations, you can start recording podcast episodes with a virtual meeting software like Zoom, Google Meets, Skype, or Ringr, especially if you have one or multiple guests. However, as you work towards improving your podcast, you may want to consider using more specialized recording software, ranging from Quicktime or GarageBand, both of which come preloaded on most Apple computers, a free recording platform like Audacity, which has the advantage of being open source and compatible with all major operating systems, or many others. The important thing is to look for one that fits your price range and has the features that you truly need.

Editing software.

Once your episode is recorded, you may want to edit it. Whether you’re simply cutting out unwanted clips or fully producing each podcast episode, editing software makes this process easier. Free editing tools include GarageBand, which is noted above as a recording tool as well and which comes preloaded on Apple computers, Audacity, which was also mentioned above and Riverside.fm. For paid options, consider Adobe Audition, Logic Pro X or REAPER, which range in price, as well as sophistication, but will enable you to tackle even the most complex editing projects.

Podcast hosting services.

In the same way you need to host your website on a site like GoDaddy, you also need to host your podcast on a platform that will enable others to find it. In 2022, Anchor has become one of the most known podcast hosting platforms, not only because of its hosting capabilities but because it was created to take you through the entire podcast creation process in one platform. Anchor combines recording, editing, and sharing in all the major podcast platforms and even includes monetization tools, the ability to record your own ads to insert into your podcasts, and video podcast recording capabilities. 

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Other podcast hosting platforms such as Buzzsprout and Libsyn offer similar features to Anchor, as well as different plans depending on the number of hours of audio you will upload each month. Given that features are rather similar across platforms, evaluate and pick one that fits your needs and personal preferences.

Podcast marketing tools.

Since one of the most important aspects of creating a podcast is actually getting others to listen to it, knowing how to brand and market your podcast is crucial. Here are two great tools that can easily help: Canva for creating podcast artwork, and Headliner to create short clips of your podcast episodes that you can upload and share on social media. Let’s go over each of them. 

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Canva gives you access to hundreds of podcast templates you can choose from to create your own cover art for your podcast. If you have guests, your episode cover artwork can help you advertise your guests more prominently. In addition to podcast covers, Canva offers beautiful templates for all your content creating needs. 

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As for Headliner, it helps you cross-promote your podcast on social media by taking snippets of your already-published podcast episodes, superimposing that audio snippet on that episode’s cover art, and enabling you to download and thus share that file, as a video, on social media. As your existing audience on social media learns about your podcast and follows you “across platforms,” they learn about you, your immigration law firm and your expertise in greater depth. Plus, sharing the snippets you create on Headliner on social media helps get your podcast on the radar of even more listeners, some of whom may invite you onto their podcast or otherwise present you with speaking opportunities. 

Let Docketwise streamline your immigration practice while you launch your podcast!

As a busy immigration lawyer fully immersed in growing your firm, it may seem impossible to even think about starting something like a podcast. But what if you could cut your case preparation time by as much as 50% with the right immigration case management platform in place? That’s where Docketwise comes in.

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With our full library of immigration forms, easy-to-use client questionnaires, client communication tools, industry-leading API integrations and more, Docketwise helps you stay up to date and ahead of the curve on all your immigration cases, thereby helping you focus on building your immigration law firm, even if that means starting your own podcast. 

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To learn more about Docketwise, schedule a demo at the link below, or sign up for our Immigration Briefings newsletter for daily and weekly immigration updates!

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Podcasting has become one of the most popular forms of media in recent years and is one of the fastest growing forms of communication today. Indeed, industry statistics show that there are over 2 million podcasts available to listen to through different platforms, with over 70% of Americans reporting they know about at least one podcast. For what it’s worth, in addition, projections show that the podcasting industry will generate over $4 billion in revenue by 2024. 

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As an immigration lawyer, especially if you’re already  leveraging digital marketing to grow your law firm, starting a podcast could be a very powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.

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So, in this article, we’ll go into the benefits of podcasting for your firm, why you should get started, and some ideas on how to structure your podcast. By the way, this is part one of a two-part series, so if this article convinces you to look further into starting a podcast, part two will dive into the equipment and tools you need to actually get started.

Three benefits of podcasting

Let’s talk about three major benefits that having a podcast can bring to your immigration law firm.

Podcasting helps you build relationships

As a podcast host, you’re establishing relationships with two groups of people: your target audience, who are ideally prospective clients, and your guests, if you choose to have guests as part of your show.

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First, given that the intention behind a podcast content is to bring value to your target audience, keep in mind that by doing that, and by being in their ears as they listen to you, you’re building a relationship with them. Just like listeners feel that they have a relationship with long-running radio shows hosts, podcasts, which can be considered the modern manifestation of radio, can create the same impact.

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Second, if your podcast features guests, remember that you build a relationship with those guests simply by having them on! Whether these guests are colleagues, former clients or others that you believe will bring value to your target audience, the fact that you are giving them a platform to share their thoughts, their expertise and their story creates a positive relationship. While there is inherent value in simply having these relationships with more people, the more business-focused benefit of this is the fact that these guests are then more likely to think of you when they need immigration services or refer you to someone who does.

A podcast can help you advertise your services without being salesy

An immigration attorney with a podcast focused on immigration topics not only builds your expertise, it also provides opportunities for you to remind your audience how to contact you with questions or to discuss their specific matters in a way that doesn’t come off as pushy or salesy. For example, if you have a recurring immigration column or blog, your podcast is a great way to remind people to visit your website blog to learn even more - once they’re there, they can be prompted to contact you for a consultation, at which point that “call to action” may feel more appropriate and not overly pushy.

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Make sure to remind your audience on each episode of your podcast where they can find your website or social media accounts, and provide links in your show notes. While it may seem redundant to do this on every episode, remember, each episode you may be reaching someone new who isn’t familiar with you, so it’s important that each time you communicate with your audience, they know how to contact you! 

Podcasting is media, and a media presence attracts more media attention

Podcasting is a great way to build a media presence without having to go through traditional  channels, i.e. be on an existing radio show or mass media station. In a sense, the very idea that you can create your own show and simply put it out there without traditional media gatekeepers is remarkable. But because traditional media still does wield a lot of influence, getting interviewed by a major news station or getting onto an NPR news segment can be a boon for your business. With a podcast, you give yourself the opportunity to be found that you might not otherwise have had. If a major show is looking for a new immigration law expert to interview, having a podcast quite literally allows them to hear what you would sound like on their show, which may help you land the opportunity.

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In addition, hosting a podcast can help you strengthen your appeal when you apply to speak in person at industry events. Not only does hosting a podcast with regularly scheduled episodes keep your speaking skills sharp, but as your podcast grows in popularity, you can use those figures to boost speaking engagement application.  

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Three Podcast formats immigration lawyers can consider

When you think about starting your own podcast, it may sound like a big undertaking. And yes, it could be, if you’re envisioning becoming a hit sensation like Serial. But every podcast starts somewhere, and to start one, all you really need is a computer, an internet connection, a microphone, and a format. Here are two podcast formats you can consider.

A podcast featuring just you as the host

Doing a solo podcast is the most straightforward way to start. This format lets you maintain a predictable schedule, avoid having to coordinate with guests, and otherwise minimizes the variability of the show. Of course the flip side is that the content relies entirely on you as the speaker, which may seem daunting at first. But remember, this is your show, and you can make your podcast episode as long or as short as you want! For example, you can set a time limit of 20 minutes per episode, which is a good length to discuss a topic in some depth without being too exhaustive. Or you can go even shorter - there are plenty of podcasts with 7-10 minute “quick bite” episodes.

A podcast featuring one or multiple guests

If you’d prefer to have one or multiple guests on your podcast, you can either ask pre-determined questions and conduct a more formal interview or you could have a more fluid discussion. A podcast featuring guests has two significant advantages, and two important disadvantages. As for the advantages, having guests on your podcast increases the value you deliver through your episodes by multiple points of view, and takes the pressure off of you to carry the discussion alone. On the other hand, the disadvantages of having guests are that you have to book them and schedule the recording around their availability, and the resulting risk of having last-minute cancellations.

A podcast with a co-host.

Having a consistent co-host on your podcast is a nice in-between strategy. You’re not alone, so you don’t have to fully carry the conversation, but you’re also not dealing with guest interviews and exposing yourself to the potential disadvantages there.

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At the end of the day, there’s no right answer. And remember that creating a podcast should be fun. If you feel empowered being the only one on “stage,” consider doing a one-person show. If you love interviewing people or otherwise having a dialogue, consider a podcast with guests or at least a co-host. At the end of the day, once you choose your format and decide on a topic of discussion, just get started!

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You’ll get better along the way, and remember that if it gets to be too much you can always put the podcast on pause or stop it altogether.

Led Docketwise Streamline your immigration law firm while you focus on marketing

A case management system like Docketwise can help you save time, time that you can reinvest into things like starting a podcast for your immigration law firm, which can lead to more clients, growth, and exposure for you and your firm.

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Docketwise has a full library of immigration forms, easy-to-use client questionnaires and industry-leading API integrations. Docketwise also help you stay up to date on all your immigration cases, communicate easily with your clients, and otherwise build and manage your immigration law firm. 

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If you want to learn more about Docketwise, schedule a demo at the link below, or sign up for our Immigration Briefings newsletter for daily and weekly immigration updates!

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In 2016, we set out to build modern software that immigration lawyers love.

This month, after many years of development and growing our customer base to over ten thousand immigration practitioners, we’re thrilled to be recognized as the #1 most used immigration case management software in AILA’s Marketplace Study 2022 according to Law360.com.

Docketwise is the #1 choice for Immigration Case Management Software

Docketwise is now the preferred immigration case management software for lawyers handling immigration cases.

This recognition is a proud milestone. 

Founded by immigration lawyers, we’ve worked hard to help thousands of fellow immigration lawyers become more efficient and impact more lives by offering:

• fantastic customer service
• multilingual intakes that dynamically generate complete immigration applications
• comprehensive case management and CRM
• integrations that create better workflows

Thanks to our Customers 

How have we gotten here? By listening to our customers. We obsessively track every suggestion from immigration lawyers that use Docketwise and build the most popular requests.  This attentiveness to our users’ needs has enabled us to help practitioners:

• reduce case preparation time by 50% (read the case study)
• work smarter, not harder, with comprehensive case management (read the case study)
• meet the special needs of specific practices, like nonprofit organizations (read the case study)

Schedule a Docketwise Demo

Not using Docketwise yet?  Schedule a demo to discover why thousands of your peers have already switched to our immigration software.  

We’ll spend time learning about your practice, then walk you through how Docketwise can make you a more efficient and modern immigration lawyer.

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In previous articles we’ve focused on marketing your immigration law firm using digital marketing and social media, partly because these tools allow you to reach a much wider audience than, for example, your community or nearby geographic area, and partly because during COVID, that was the only way to reach prospective clients at all. Now that in-person events are coming back, however, it’s time to talk about how in-person events can be yet another tool in your marketing toolbox and how you can leverage them to expand your network and connect with new clients. 

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Event marketing has long been a key way for businesses in general to put themselves out into the world, build connections with their target audience and community in real life, and otherwise grow their brand. Indeed, in the immigration law context, the goal of event marketing would be to provide information about your legal services, perhaps answer specific questions, try to schedule consultations to further discuss cases with potential clients in more detail, better understand a potential customer’s Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), and ultimately to close new business.

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So, this blog will dive into some background information about event marketing, share some event ideas a family-based immigration law firm can organize, and similarly share ideas for business immigration law firms as well. Let’s dive in.

Some general thoughts about event marketing. 

Hosting an event to market your law firm doesn’t have to be an open-ended event for anyone who walks through your door. The goal behind event marketing is to create an event specifically for your target audience and make sure that event enables that target audience to connect and engage with you, learn about you and your work, and network with one another.

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Indeed, in-person events can help you create lasting connections with your target clients or, if you organize an event with another immigration law firm, you can build a stronger relationship with that firm as well. You may not gain a new paying client at every event and with every interaction, but you might get some email addresses to add to your law firm newsletter, some additional social media followers or simply contact information for you to follow up with in the future.

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And don’t worry, promoting more than one law firm or otherwise partnering with another business doesn't have to dilute your brand. For example, if you practice family-based immigration and focus on Green Cards and citizenship, you can partner with someone who focuses on asylum to have broader expertise in the room. Alternatively, if you practice employment-based immigration, you can team up with a real estate agent to promote - you can show that ideal clients how you can help them navigate their employment-based immigration law case and your partner organizer can explain how their services help relocating families finding an ideal place to live. 

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Let’s go through some examples of in-person events you can organize or be part of to help market your immigration law firm and build both potential professional connections and client connections as well. We’ll split our recommendations based on whether you practice family-based or employment-based immigration law.

Event marketing ideas for family-based immigration attorneys

Let’s start with family-based immigration: in this field, your events should have more of a “community feel.” What might that look like? Here are some ideas:

• A free-of-charge gathering involving food: This could be a breakfast, coffee, or lunch that you hold at your office, the public library, a community center, or another local public venue. It doesn’t have to be fancy - even just some coffee and pastries (bonus points if the pastries are from a local, immigrant-owned business!) that you can do to get people in the door. As the host and organizer of the event you can make an announcement, share some information about you and your firm, or otherwise come up with something that would tie the event into the kind of cases your law firm handles.

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• A language-specific immigration Q&A: If you live in a community with a large immigrant population speaking a language other than English, another idea is to set up a free immigration Q&A session in their language. Immigrants who are not fluent in English may be wary of the immigration process and of engaging with immigration lawyers who don’t speak their language. If you speak a second language, connecting with your local community in person, in that language, can be really powerful. 

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• Organize or sponsor an event with a performer or artist from the community: Whether you choose to support a local artist or you’re able to sponsor or host someone famous or respected from a particular community’s home country, this will create excitement around the event with the added benefit that it brings extra eyes on you and your services. Make sure that people know what your role behind it is, who you are, and what you can do for them as an immigration lawyer.

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Ultimately, if you’re able to set up a space where things like cost, language, etc., are removed as barriers, that can help build trust within your community and increase awareness of both your services and the value you bring to the community as an immigration lawyer. As mentioned above, you can host small events at your office, local library or religious community center, or if you have a bigger budget, you can rent out a hall, auditorium or arena. Ultimately, the goal is to get a certain group of people in one place and deliver value. The rest of the pieces will fall into place.

Event marketing ideas for employment-based immigration lawyers.

The focus and the ambience of your events is going to change depending on your area of practice. If you’re using events to market your business immigration services, here are some ideas.

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• Organize an industry happy hour: An industry-specific, after-work activity gives attendees the opportunity to “talk shop” in a relaxed atmosphere while getting to know each other on a personal level as well. This is a great opportunity to showcase and support a small business, like a local brewery or restaurant, for example, and bonus points if it’s immigrant-owned as well. Consider sponsoring one or two free drinks for anyone who arrives, arrange a special discount for attendees for the duration of your event, or otherwise make the happy hour special with some kind of freebie. Depending on how the event is set up you can then determine whether and how you’d like to introduce yourself and your law firm. Maybe you get on a stage for a moment if it’s a large group, or make a toast if it’s a small one. Or maybe you don’t say anything during the event and let the promotion itself do the work. 

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• Host a panel discussion on an industry topic: Specifically, reach out to and gather a few guest speakers from your industry who can provide insight, advice or other useful information that would be valuable enough to draw a crowd from the industry. A few examples of locations that may be a good fit for a panel session include your office, a conference room in a co-working space or a university library or auditorium. Ultimately, it should be a place where people can have a discussion and engage with the panelists by asking questions and getting answers. If you can invite current clients as panelists and have your audience learn from them, that indirectly benefits you as well.

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• Attend in-person conferences! Whether you simply attend an industry conference to go to sessions and casually network, pay for a booth where attendees can visit and engage with you, or get invited or otherwise sign up to speak and share your knowledge and experience, industry conferences can be a powerful way to pick up new clients. Importantly, you’re going beyond immigration law conferences and rather focusing on conferences related to your clients’ industries. For example, if you handle immigration for real estate companies or hospitals, attend a real estate conference or healthcare industry symposium to meet prospective clients that align with your current expertise and may be impressed by your existing book of business. 

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Oh, and for more ideas on how to actually get to speak at these conferences, check out our three favorite ways to secure speaking engagements as an immigration lawyer on our blog.

Manage your immigration law firm’s growth with Docketwise

Whether your marketing happens online or in person, effective marketing leads to growth. And to manage your growth in a way that makes sense to you and helps you save time and stay organized, it’s important to use a case management system that allows you to scale.

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At Docketwise, we’ve built an immigration case management, forms management and CRM platform that suits law firms of all specialities and sizes. We pride ourselves on our entrepreneurial spirit, our focus on building features for all types of clients, and our industry-first open API that allows our users to connect Docketwise to a number of other platforms. 

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If you’re new to Docketwise, and would like to try and see if it’s a good fit for your firm, schedule a demo on our website today.

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If you’re an existing Docketwise client, thank you for preferring us for your immigration case management needs!

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Almost every immigration lawyer knows their “why” when it comes to being in the industry - helping people. Perhaps it’s because they or a family member immigrated to the United States. Perhaps it’s because they have seen firsthand the positive impact timely and knowledgeable help can have in people’s lives. Rarely is money the reason immigration lawyers get into the industry.

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Sometimes this leads to ignoring the financial realities of successfully practicing as an immigration lawyer, offering rates that are too low, or just not feeling comfortable discussing money at all. However it’s important to consider in a sober and unemotional way what low rates can mean, such as creating a situation where you are overworking to make ends meet, being unable to pay for additional staff or necessary software, or worse, worrying about your own financial well-being. As you can imagine, this can ultimately result in your clients not getting the best version of you. 

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So in this article, we’re discussing the issue of money mindset for immigration lawyers. Whether it’s undercharging, feeling uncomfortable with raising your rates, or simply not knowing how to scale your services in order to be more financially secure, adopting the right money mindset can determine whether your immigration practice succeeds or fails. 

Your relationship with money affects your life

When you consider that, according to a study in 2015, money is the biggest stressor for people, the importance of cultivating a healthy relationship with money becomes apparent. Money is tied to every person’s basic needs and our most primal feelings, such as feeling secure and shaping our sense of belonging amongst our peers and in society in general.

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Moreover, the negative effects of worrying about money not only cause stress in your personal life and relationships, but also may affect your productivity at work. As an immigration lawyer, you know that in order to offer the best service, you have to be at your best. If you’re worried, in the back of your mind, that your firm is not making enough to support itself, that stress may seep through to your work and, in the long run, affect your current work product and future growth, ultimately perpetuating the cycle of anxiety over money. 

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One of the simplest ways of ensuring your firm’s income meets your expectations and adequately compensates your work is to price your services appropriately. Since you’re in control of your rates, it’s part of your management responsibilities to adjust your fees to ensure you’re not undercharging. Let’s go over how you can go through the process of either establishing, raising, or adjusting your fees.

Adjusting your immigration law services and rates

The two main levers you can pull to increase your law firm’s income are to charge more for existing work or take on more work, or some combination of the two. Let’s look at a few ways you can approach these two sides of the same coin. 

Offer higher-priced services in addition to your current services

Adding higher-priced services gives you the option of increasing your revenue with new offerings while keeping your current prices with existing services. This way you can continue working with your current client base at the rates you currently feel comfortable with while developing a new client base that needs and can pay for your new, higher-priced services. While there are many options of higher-priced services you can offer, and this list is by no means complete or exhaustive, a few examples may include working on PERM, EB-5, O-1 or EB-1A business immigration cases. Outside of the business immigration context, more complicated removal or asylum cases, or family-based cases with non-routine complications justify higher fees than straightforward cases of the same type. And if you’re a family-based immigration lawyer and don’t currently offer any business immigration services, check out our blog on getting started with business immigration to explore ways you can expand your practice. 

Raise your rates slightly for your current immigration services

All businesses have to adjust their pricing from time to time. In these inflationary times we’re seeing businesses raise prices across industries, so it makes sense to adjust your rates as your costs rise, too. The other reason raising your rates in small increments over time makes sense is because ultimately, money represents compensation for your time, your knowledge and your experience. As you become more knowledgeable and experienced, it’s fair to regularly raise your rates, even if slightly, to account for that depth of knowledge and experience. Be sure to communicate your price increases with enough time and through all your communication channels, explain to your existing clients when any increases will apply and otherwise be transparent and understanding. 

Raise your rates considerably to attract new types of clients

By raising your rates dramatically and appropriately marketing your services to prospective clients who may be able to pay those rates, your law firm can make more money doing the type of work you’re already doing now. It’s common for professionals to not feel like they “deserve” to get paid a certain amount or be afraid that raising their rates dramatically can hurt their business by scaring clients away, but it’s been shown that raising prices can actually be good for marketing, including for immigration attorneys. And if you want to continue to service clientele that may not be able to pay your new, considerably higher fees, consider this: you can potentially now offer those services at perhaps even lower rates, or pro bono, since your newly increased revenue can offset that work. This way you can both have the ability to make more money by charging more to your new client base while being even more accessible to current clients who may not be able to pay.

If you offer payment plans, consider revisiting your terms

Immigration attorneys often offer payment plans, which make their services more accessible. Part of the reality of offering payment plans, however, is that some percentage of your clients may take longer than you’ve planned to pay you back, thus leaving you with less cash on hand than you expected, or may not fully pay you back at all, leaving you to foot part of their bill. With that in mind, if you offer payment plans and experience some of these issues, consider revisiting your payment plan terms and figure out ways to make them less risky for your firm. For example, ask clients to pay more up front or set them up with electronic payment processing to ensure you get paid on time. 

A new money mindset leads to growth - let Docketwise grow with you.

Once you start generating more revenue by raising or adjusting your rates, you’ll be able to invest that revenue into growing your team and your client base. If you do, having a case management system that supports that growth is crucial. 

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At Docketwise, our robust CRM, full immigration forms library, easy-to-use client questionnaires and industry-leading API integrations helps you stay up-to-date on your growing immigration caseload, communicate easily with all your clients, and otherwise build and manage your law firm’s growth and evolution.

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If you want to learn more about Docketwise, schedule a demo at the link below, or sign up for our Immigration Briefings newsletter for daily and weekly immigration updates!

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We’ve spoken at length in previous articles about how you can leverage social media to establish yourself as an expert and connect with existing and potential clients. When it comes to video content, longer videos were the more prevalent form of content used in online marketing and on social media. Think long informational videos, interviews and more.

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Over time, however, this has changed, and today short-form video content, with its minimal time commitment and clever editing, has become an increasingly popular form of online content. This is true to such an extent that many social media platforms, even those that used to focus on other forms of online content, have added short-form video features to keep up with trends.

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In this article we’re going to look at what short form video is, provide an overview of how online video changed over time, and offer some information on how to optimize your use of short-form video to grow your immigration law firm’s brand. 

What is short form video and where does it come from?

Typically, videos are classified as “short-form” when they are a minute long or shorter. Short-form video started to pick up popularity in the early 2000s with the once-popular but now defunct Vine, which started the short-form video trend on social media. One of the main reasons this format became so popular was because the short length required creators to push the boundaries of creativity to synthesize their messaging into a very short amount of time while still being engaging, informative, etc.

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Although Vine is no longer here, short-form video has not only survived, but has also thrived. From Snapchat and TikTok, both of which started as a short-form social video apps (although the maximum time for videos on the platform has recently increased to 10 minutes), to Instagram Reels, Facebook Watch and even to YouTube Shorts, which was introduced in 2021, short form video is dominating social media today.

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But just because short-form video is trending in society at large, does that mean that you as an immigration attorney should start creating TikTok videos? Well, in short, we think the answer may be yes, and here’s why.

Why you should consider short-form video as a marketing tool for your immigration law firm and some tips on getting started.

Here are some reasons you should consider incorporating short-form video into your immigration law firm marketing strategy.

Short-form videos are easy to make but can pack a lot of value.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the brevity of these videos implies you have to sacrifice on quality or value. While short-form videos are meant to be straightforward, with clever editing they can still be engaging and informative. Indeed, the goal is to give your audience one piece of information or actionable advice that they can take with them and then entice them to either reach out to you or engage with other content you might have that may be longer or more detailed. Think of it as an entry point to you and your knowledge, not the whole thing.

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The appeal of short-form content lies in its relatability: it should feel like you’re just sharing something interesting with a friend. A good place to start for short-form videos could be by providing concise answers to frequent questions. You can provide short answers to topics you’ve explained in longer videos, provide quick updates on immigration law or policy changes, or provide a lawyer’s perspective on current events. To increase engagement, ask your audience for their opinions in the comments and remind them to share the video with someone else who may find it helpful. 

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Short-form videos can also be a way to build a more relatable side to your professional social media presence, letting your audience see a bit more of your personality, maybe even some of your personal story if it’s part of your “why” when it comes to practicing immigration law.

Short-form video allows for quick trial, error, and pivoting

One of the hardest parts of building an audience online is figuring out what content will connect with them. Since a short-form video can, in theory, take just minutes to create, if something doesn’t work out (e.g. doesn’t get any engagement), you can always delete it and try a new idea without much loss of time, and with a rapid feedback loop of what works and what doesn’t. 

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If you’re still not convinced, here is something else to consider: given the popularity of short-form video as a marketing strategy across all industries at the moment, not giving it a try is potentially a missed opportunity to grow your firm and reach a new audience. YouTube Shorts is not even the most popular of these short-form video formats present on social media, but in its first month, it reported billions of views. There’s a reason why short-form video is increasingly becoming a go-to digital marketing strategy across industries and on all the various platforms where it’s available. 

Short-form video content is trending right now.

Before you reject the idea of doing something “just because it’s trendy,” remember that the goal of using social media to share your knowledge about immigration law is to get yourself in front of people who may benefit from your knowledge and experience and, hopefully, convert some of them into clients. Most likely, the online platform of your choice already has a short-form video integration: Instagram has Reels, YouTube has Shorts, and TikTok and Snapchat are made for short-form videos from the start.

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As more lawyers across industries catch up on social media marketing in general, keeping up with trends such as video marketing is the best way to stay ahead of the curve and keep your law firm relevant. Given the rising popularity of short-form video and the relatively low cost of getting started, it’s worth a try.

Docketwise helps you streamline your practice so you can spend more time creating video content.

Social media marketing allows you to continue growing your immigration law firm and show your ability to connect with people as technology changes and societal trends change with it. As you grow and support more clients along their immigration journey, you’ll need a case management system equally as adaptable. 

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From a full library of immigration forms to client questionnaires in multiple languages to an industry-leading set of API integrations, Docketwise helps you stay up to date on all your cases, communicate easily with your clients, and otherwise build and manage your firm.

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If you want to learn more about Docketwise, schedule a demo at the link below, or sign up for our Immigration Briefings newsletter for daily and weekly immigration updates!

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US immigration has long had family reunification as a policy imperative. Ever since the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, which prioritized family-based immigration, the bulk of immigrants coming to the United States have come through a family-based immigrant visa. Thus it makes sense that many immigration lawyers focus their practice on family-based cases. 

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Over time, though, employment-based immigration in the US has grown tremendously, especially as the number of immigrants working in high-skilled positions continues to rise, according to the Pew Research Center. The United States continues to be a leading destination for businesses around the world, and employers turn to immigrants more and more as they require a growing labor force. That means a continuously growing demand for business immigration services in the United States. 

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If you have primarily worked in family-based immigration up to this point, business immigration can be an extraordinary opportunity for you as an immigration lawyer to broaden your expertise and become a more versatile lawyer. But getting that first business immigration case can be tough. So, in this article, we’re going to look at how you can expand your family immigration law practice into the business immigration space.

Three steps to start building a business immigration practice

To start building your business immigration track record, the steps you’ll take may be similar to what you may have done in the past to get clients, but with a focus on employment-based cases. Let’s start with your former clients: 

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1. Your past family immigration clients may be able to recommend you to businesses that need immigration help. Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful marketing strategies, so don’t be afraid to ask former clients if they know someone who may need business immigration support, whether an individual (e.g. who has questions around an EB green card) or a company (that may be looking to sponsor a worker). Remember that any referrals your clients bring to the table are part of what you calculate as a Customer’s Lifetime Value, which goes beyond what they could bring as an individual petitioner. And because that client was happy with your services, they’ll likely be happy to refer more business to you!

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2. Approach small businesses. Since you’re building your experience in business immigration, you’ll want to be deliberate and focused about how much you’re working on at a time. Focus on working with small businesses who may need help with just a handful of petitions so that you can work on them to completion without getting overwhelmed. And of course don’t neglect the rest of your practice amidst the excitement of this new opportunity! Not only to ensure that your existing clients continue to get the support they need, but also to give yourself time to familiarize yourself with this new area of immigration law.

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3. Add your new business immigration services to your website and other marketing platforms you may be using. Whether you’ve already worked on a particular business immigration case type, or you simply want to get into it, publicly advertising it is important to letting the world know about your new service. A few ways to do this include adding text to your website, posting about it across your social media channels, sharing it during speaking opportunities you may have, etc.

When you’re just starting to work on business immigration cases, leverage your network for support.

When you finally start working on business immigration cases, getting it right and building a successful track record is important. Luckily, there are ways in which you can get support along the way. Here are three of them.

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1. Mentorship: Given that business immigration is a new area for you, leverage the knowledge and experience of a mentor who has walked the path you’re just starting. If you don’t have a lawyer in your professional network that can mentor you on business immigration, check out your state bar association, your local AILA chapter to find out more about mentorship programs. 

2. Co-counseling: Another way in which you can learn closely from a more experienced lawyer is co-counseling. If you find someone to actively work with you on a new business immigration case, you get the benefit of having partial hands-on experience while learning from them at the same time.

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3. Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses: Taking Continuing Legal Education courses on business immigration topics can help you become more familiar with the types of cases you may want to start taking on, at least on a theoretical / academic level. You may still want to co-counsel with someone more experienced or at least get mentored by them as you actually get started on your first cases. One great place to access immigration-specific CLEs is AILA University. 

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4. Specialized guides and reference books: Advance your learning about business immigration through books published by experienced attorneys. You can start with manuals and guides available at AILA or more specific books covering a particular visa type oftentimes published directly by practicing immigration attorneys. Some of these books go over procedures and applicable principles while others include practical items like templates you can use. All, however, are helpful.

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At the end of the day, expanding your immigration practice takes time and patience. Leveraging the above recommendations will surely give you a lot of knowledge to get started, but nothing beats rolling up your sleeves and simply getting at it. So if you’re thinking about expanding your family immigration practice into the business immigration world, the best advice is to just go for it!

Docketwise grows with you as your expand into business immigration

Whether you’re a family immigration lawyer trying to expand into business immigration, or if you already handle some business immigration cases, Docketwise has everything you need to manage any type of immigration case from one platform. And if you’re an existing Docketwise focused on family immigration expanding into the business immigration side, check out our On Demand Webinars to learn how you can use your Docketwise account for your new clients and visa types. In these videos we explain product updates and walk you through some of our most helpful features, like Smart Forms. 

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At the end of the day, Docketwise provides a robust CRM, full immigration forms library, easy-to-use client questionnaires and industry-leading API integrations, all of which can help you stay up-to-date on all your immigration cases, communicate easily with your clients, and otherwise build and manage your immigration law firm as you grow and evolve. 

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If you want to learn more about Docketwise, schedule a demo at the link below, or sign up for our Immigration Briefings newsletter for daily and weekly immigration updates!

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Developing your skills as a lawyer goes beyond the training you receive in law school, especially if you own your immigration law firm or are a partner and responsible for finding new clients and managing team members. From marketing to branding, to building your professional network, immigration law is a multifaceted occupation that leans on both hard legal skills and soft skills.

One of the best, yet rarely explored ways, of learning these important soft skills is improvisational theater, often known as just “improv.” Indeed, improv is a fantastic way to engage a person’s creative side and work on important soft skills in a low-risk environment that’s also fun.

In this article we’re going to learn a bit more about what improv is and how it came about and how improv can help you as a legal professional work on a variety of important soft skills to make you a better lawyer, advocate and law firm owner.

What is improv theater?

Improvisation theater, or improv as it’s more commonly known, goes as far back as Ancient Rome and, at its core, involves performing without a script. Improv has traditionally been closely tied to comedic performance, but it has in fact transcended the theater and is part of other forms of performing arts as well such as music, specifically jazz, and television and film through shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Today, we find that improv has gone beyond the context of art and performance and is now a professional development tool, too. The Second City, arguably one of the most famous improv theaters in the United States and Canada with such recognizable alumni as Tina Fey, Catherine O’Hara, Mike Myers, and Steve Carell, has a corporate training division focused on “using humor and authenticity to connect with employees.”

Other instances outside of performing arts where we see people using improv to better their communications skills include business schools and legal continuing education programs, to name a few. Improv demands, and thus teaches, flexibility, collaboration, and creative problem solving, gets you to exercise these skills in a low-stakes environment, and above all, is fun.

So how does improv work? Generally improv is a “no rules” kind of activity but there are a few key tenets worth knowing.

• Saying “Yes, and.” The cardinal principle of improv is “yes, and.” Meaning, accepting a situation or premise or set of facts that you’re given during an improv scene, saying “yes” to that information, and then adding to it, thereby moving the scene along.
• Active listening and collaborating with others. In order to create a successful improv scene, you have to actively listen to your scene partner in order to “yes, and” what they are saying and come up with your own lines, on the spot, to progress the show. Both active listening and collaboration are also crucial skills as an immigration lawyer - these two characteristics can transform your relationship with clients and build stronger professional relationships within your lawyer network.
• Showing your authentic self and getting comfortable with failure. The more comfortable you are in being yourself, the more authentic you will come across as to your current and prospective clients, partners, colleagues, etc. And when it comes to failure, the worst that can happen in an improv setting is that the audience doesn’t laugh at something you think might be funny. Exposing yourself to failure and uncomfortable situations can help you build resilience to face real life obstacles that come with immigration law practice.

Keeping these rules in mind, then, what are the benefits that improv can bring to immigration lawyers?

What are the benefits of improv for immigration lawyers?

Improv can benefit your professional practice - and even your personal life - as it helps you work on important life skills that incidentally make you a better immigration lawyer, too. Granted, improv is not the first thing that comes to mind when we think of professional development for attorneys, but if you do give it a try, here are some of the benefits you can expect to gain from improv that may be of value to you.

Improv builds your empathy

Empathy, or the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, enables you as an immigration attorney to better understand and relate to your clients. The better you are at empathizing with your clients, the better you are as a provider. And when it comes to improv, it’s actually one of the best ways to build empathy. For example, the main tenet of “yes, and” requires you as an improv performer to listen intently, agree with your scene partner and validate what they’re saying by adding to it. Active listening, fundamental agreement and validation all help build empathy.

Improv helps you flex your creativity muscle

Whether you’re trying to market your law firm in a memorable way or you’re tackling a novel visa situation where there is little precedent or guidance from DHS, creativity is a major key to success. And because improv inherently requires participants to come up with ideas and dialogue on the spot, it requires participants to really flex and build their creativity muscle. How? Creativity requires taking risks with your ideas, and the only way to do that is to not have fear that your ideas will be judged. That’s where the “Yes, and” tenet of improv comes in - every idea is accepted and built upon, and that environment or support and collaboration fosters creativity. By practicing that on an improv stage, you build your creativity muscle and are then more easily able to bring that to your work as an immigration attorney.

Improv builds your communication skills

Improv relies on effective communication, both among those performing, and with the audience. Not only is it important for performers to be able to catch and interpret the audience’s cues, but those performing together need to fine tune their verbal and nonverbal communication skills to build upon each other’s ideas since improv performances are made up on the spot. Improv helps you build communication skills by teaching you to build rapport with others through purposeful, effective communication.

Improv is a fun way to build professional skills.

It's important to remember that work can have some elements of fun. Indeed, having at least some fun at work helps boost productivity and, in general, helps balance out other professional building activities you might already participate in, such as taking traditional CLEs, leadership courses and more. Simply put, adding improv into the mix of development workshops simply makes work more fun!

Docketwise streamlines your practice while you’re at improv class

In a world full of productivity hacks, tips, and tricks, leveraging improv as a tool can be just what you need to become more effective at work and to make work more fun at the same time. Well, at Docketwise, our entire workday revolves around creating the most complete and streamlined immigration case management system for immigration law firms of all sizes and across specialties.

From immigration forms, to electronic communication tools, payment features, and integrations with other useful tech platforms, Docketwise helps you stay up to date on all your immigration cases, communicate easily with your clients and team members, and otherwise build and manage your immigration law firm.

If you want to learn more about Docketwise, schedule a demo at the link below, or sign up for our Immigration Briefings newsletter for daily and weekly immigration updates!

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