Law Office of Elizabeth A. Lawrence Blog

Back in April, we published a blog post giving an overview of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). There is a chance that SIJS could be a great option for you or your child under the age of 21 who has become undocumented through means outside of their control. To help you gain a deeper understanding of SIJS and whether you may qualify, here are five frequently asked questions about SIJS.

Back in April, we published a blog post outlining The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The post outlined the numerous benefits filing a VAWA case can present to women suffering due to circumstances involving domestic violence. Among these benefits is immigration relief. VAWA offers immigration relief and allows individuals impacted by domestic violence to apply for permanent resident status after receiving VAWA designation. To do so, the affected individual must fill in the VAWA self-petition and subsequently complete an application for adjustment of status based on VAWA. While this sounds excellent on paper, there are a hand full of questions that tend to pop up along the way. In this blog, we’ll answer the most common of them!

If you are a parent or guardian of an undocumented minor, there is a chance the child will qualify for a specific type of immigration status by the name of “Special Immigrant Juvenile Status” (SIJS). In the state of Maryland, SIJS is a great option for individuals under the age of 21 who have become undocumented through means outside of their control. So, what exactly is SIJS and how does one file?

Originally signed back in 1994, The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) exists to support victims of domestic violence and ultimately reduce instances of violence and sexual assault. The law expired back in 2019, but it is in the news once again as President Biden recently signed its reauthorization into law. As such, we’ve decided to outline exactly what supports the Violence Against Women Act offers, and how those in need can take advantage.

Earlier this year, we published a blog post all about proving your innocence after a car crash. The advice in that blog was centered around gathering evidence that displayed that the other driver involved was the one at fault. However, the scope of personal injury cases extends well beyond car accidents. As such, we’re circling back and offering a few tips for gathering evidence to support your slip and fall case. 

Distracted driving has become a serious issue across the United States. The NHTSA reports that 26,000 lives were lost from distracted drivers between 2012 and 2019 alone. In the interest of protecting yourself and everyone else on the road, we’ve created this guide to avoid distracted driving complications.

While they are quite similar, there are a few key differences between personal injury cases and medical malpractice cases. If you are preparing to file a lawsuit or insurance claim in the aftermath of an injury, you will want to be sure you have a firm grasp of these distinctions.

After being involved in an auto crash, you may find yourself in the difficult situation in which the at-fault driver’s insurance company is claiming that you are the one responsible for causing the crash. You deserve compensation for any damages or injuries sustained after your crash, so what can you do to protect yourself and ensure that you aren’t handed the blame for an incident that you did not cause?

We’ve covered the consequences of driving under the influence previously on our blog, but certain circumstances can alter the aftermath of the charge significantly. In this blog post, we circle back and outline exactly what happens when a minor is charged with DUI.

Traffic violations are among the most common offenses across the state of Maryland. That’s because there is such a large spectrum of traffic violations. While an individual with dangerous driving tendencies could easily receive a major traffic violation, a driver with a perfect record who made a one-off mistake could just as easily be charged a minor offense. Because there are so many types of traffic violations, we’ll be focusing on one of them in this blog: moving traffic violations.