Attorneys

Robert A. RemesRobert A. Remes

Robert A. Remes began his career in immigration and nationality law in 1977 and has limited his practice to that area ever since. A mentor to other immigration lawyers, he is called upon frequently to solve problems resulting from the mistakes of less-skilled attorneys or the frequently harsh and unforgiving decisions of CIS. A graduate of Cornell University and Boston University Law School, a member of the Bars of the District of Columbia and Massachusetts, and admitted to practice in the 4th Circuit and the US District Court of Maryland, Mr. Remes appears before immigration courts and CIS offices throughout the United States.

Mr. Remes has prepared successful asylum applications from scores of countries, pursuing claims based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, political opinion, and genital mutilation. He has successfully helped clients defeat removal proceeding, overcome the use of secret evidence, and secured approval of applications for cancellation of removal from immigration judges.  He is especially well-known for the care and time he spends on preparing submissions to courts and CIS and painstakingly readying clients for their interviews or hearings.

He has prepared and supervised the preparation of many hundreds of labor certifications, employment and family based petitions and applications for permanent residence.  Mr. Remes and the firm have also obtained approval of Section 13 applications for former diplomats.

Phung "Mimi" Duong

Phung “Mimi” Duong

Associate Attorney Phung Duong (known as “Mimi”) became an attorney after watching the  struggle of her Vietnamese refugee parents. She is trilingual and spent over two years living in Guatemala as a Peace Corps volunteer.  Mimi has dedicated her career to helping immigrants and refugees and understands the uncertainty and hardship of navigating the legal system.

Mimi earned three undergraduate degrees from Mississippi State University and received her Juris Doctorate and Diploma of Comparative Law, cum laude, from the Louisiana State University. She is admitted to practice in the Virginia, Louisiana and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Mimi has successfully represented clients before USCIS and the immigration courts in Arlington and Baltimore. She is passionate about assisting individuals and organizations  obtain various immigration benefits by filing affirmative petitions/applications with USCIS or defensive applications with the immigration court. She has drafted writs of mandamus and filed appeals with the Board of Immigration Appeals. Mimi is committed to providing direct and competent representation to all her clients.

Mimi speaks Spanish and Vietnamese.

Staff

Muhammad Aslam Muhammad Aslam

As Paralegal, Muhammad Aslam provides an outstanding service to our clients regarding their immigrant and nonimmigrant concerns, and directly supports the work of the attorneys. As an immigrant himself, he is empathetic and dedicated to the clients he serves. He is careful and meticulous, and knows all there is to know about immigrant visa processing, CIS forms and immigration procedures.

Aslam is a Certified Paralegal from George Mason University. Prior to working with Carliner and Remes, Aslam worked in various law firms in Fairfax and Reston.. Aslam has almost 16 years of experience working with immigration, divorce, bankruptcy, personal injury and criminal defense attorneys.

Aslam speaks fluently Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Pashto.