Schenck, Price, Smith & King, LLP partner, Eric A. Inglis, and counsel, Olga Kats-Chalfant, recently achieved a significant victory in a pro bono matter representing a Russian refugee seeking political asylum in the United States.  The client was a political dissident in Russia, where he organized demonstrations and blogged against the totalitarian rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s recent invasion of the Ukraine.  The client had fled Russia after being warned that his arrest by the Russian security service was imminent, and he travelled through several countries before walking across the U.S.-Mexican border to seek protection from the United States Government.  At the time Mr. Inglis and Ms. Kats-Chalfant took on the pro bono representation, the client had been in detention for 4 months.  On August 22, 2016, Mr. Inglis and Ms. Kats-Chalfant prevailed before the United States Immigration Court and as a result, the judge granted the client asylum based upon the persecution he faced in Russia due to his political opinions.  Schenck, Price, Smith & King, LLP will continue its pro bono representation as the client seeks legal permanent residency in the United States.

 

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