Thank You Kevin!

We have had found it very difficult finding a way we could possible express our thanks and gratitude to the man who made our lives together possible: Attorney Kevin Dehghani.

We tried many times to “sum it up”. Not possible. There are no words to use. Thank You is just not enough. Actually, there came a point in July, where we said it so much it sounded so meaningless, we started using a translation app to say “Thank You” in different languages. What Kevin did for us, in both process and outcome, is not something we can “simply” describe. It’s something, at this early stage of marriage equality, only a few people in this country can relate to. No one but us, can know what we experienced -together- with Kevin; his being by our side the entire time!

US with our Atty. Kevin Dehghani & Senator Richard Blumenthal

US with our Atty. Kevin Dehghani & Senator Richard Blumenthal, July 15, 2013.

He was not just our lawyer acting upon legal precedent;  there was none. He was stetting forth in motion, aspects we know that he never anticipated. He represented us and stood up for us. He took legal action towards USCIS for us, and then fought for us when they failed to follow the laws. He provided guidance and support to us, and there there were many times, we wish we could have helped him. We had not retained his counsel under normal circumstances, and he supported us personally after years of lies and deceit by another attorney, always with an understanding of what we had been though and showing concern for our personal well-being throughout the entire process.  He was then suddenly caught up in the “Post DOMA Dist. 2 ruling/ Pre- June” waiting game of actions and filings. Post SCOTUS June ruling on DOMA, we waited almost two months with no movement by USCIS. When informed in August that they would not be taking action on our case for “a few months”, he immediately addressed USCIS as our personal advocate and our attorney at the same time and pursued any and all legal venues that were possible.

WTNH Interview

WTNH TV Interview. He was always there for us, by our side, in every aspect of our entire fight for fairness and equality.

He also did something no one else has or can say: he is the first attorney that is not affiliated with an advocacy group, to obtain a green-card for a same-sex couple. We became the first couple in CT to receive a green-card for the spouse.  However, he gave us something much bigger, something we can never express gratitude for, something we have waited over three years to be legally allowed to do…just live together!

Thank You Kevin. YOU made this house…our home!

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Below is an online review we posted of Kevin’s work:
It is impossible to summarize the incredible experience we had with Attorney Kevin Dehghani.  His professionalism, determination, fortitude and dedication to his clients, we encountered almost daily, for a full year. We originally sought his counsel in 2012 after being misled by an Immigration attorney in NYC for over 2 years. Atty. Dehghani faced his first challenge with us in obtaining documents from the previous lawyer. Then, what should have been a straight-forward Immigration case, based on Federal Court ruling (Dist. 2, Oct. 2012) of DOMA as Un-Constitutional, turned into one Atty. Dehghani, nor anyone, could have anticipated. The benefits entitled to any foreign sponsored spouse, were legally available prior to the Supreme Court Ruling in June. We are a male couple; American and British and were married November 11, 2011 in Newtown, Connecticut (July 2012 our marriage license was recognized by the UK Govt.).  Despite U.S. Federal laws in place when we applied, our spousal petition was summarily denied by USCIS, twice. Atty. Dehghani faced unprecedented legal obstacles, with new laws in an area that few attorneys had ever encountered. He did not hesitate to move quickly and challenge USCIS on what laws they had not followed. He has an unbelievable knowledge of the law and a determination to see all are adhered to for all his clients. In June 2012, when the Supreme Court upheld the earlier ruling, our immigration application was still improperly handled by USCIS. Atty. Dehghani was always, professional, persistent, and showed a determination to be sure the new laws were going to be followed, and USCIS, who had not followed them before, were not going to be allowed to wait on addressing our case. Atty. Dehghani dealt with a full year of unprecedented legal set-backs and challenges, all due to unjust and incompetent oversight of federal law by the USCIS , the Dept. of Justice, and Homeland Security. Atty. Dehghani went above and beyond, battling an immigration system that is broken, a new legal precedent that had not be dealt with by other attorneys, and throughout it all, remained on top of every aspect that we could never properly sum up in a “review”. His compassion for the rights of individuals was evident the first day we met him. His work ethic was proven when he obtained the first same-sex sponsored green-card for a Connecticut couple. If you have any doubts about whether to obtain his counsel, we guarantee, you should have none!

Contact him yourself via his website Dehghani & Associates, or do not hesitate to contact us in any regard, to testify personally for you, what we have said is… “true, and nothing but the truth!”

In case it wasn’t clear already…Thank You Kevin!

1 thought on “Thank You Kevin!

  1. Ann Wanderlingh

    Dear Gary & Sam, your comments are a nice ending to a long and stressful few years of struggling for true equality. You were both so lucky to have found Atty Dehghani — especially after your ordeal with the fraudulent attorney. It’s so true that when one door closes another better one opens! I wish to also thank Atty. Dehghani for making it possible for both of you to finally be able to start planning your future life together — like all newly-wed couples. I’m also able to sleep better at night knowing that your “nightmare” is over.

    A positive note is that it is obvious to everyone that the hardships and difficulties you experienced have made your love for one another stronger!

    You two deserve all the love and happiness in the world.

    Love you,
    Mom

    Reply

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