Maya Lugasy
About
Maya Lugasy is a Senior Attorney with Brown Immigration Law and has been with the firm since 2018. She received her Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio, and she is admitted to practice law in the State of Ohio. Maya graduated from the Ohio State University with a double major in Middle Eastern Studies and Hebrew, and a minor in Economics. Maya’s undergraduate studies are what put her on the path to a career in immigration law. Her knowledge and understanding of the Middle East have been a valuable resource in her advocacy for immigrants. During her time as Case Law School, Maya sought out any opportunity to gain hands on experience in immigration, which included interning at Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services, participating in the Immigration Law Clinic under the tutelage of Clinic Professor (and Brown Immigration Law Partner) Aleksandar Cuic, and completing her final semester capstone as a judicial intern at the Cleveland Immigration Court. During her time at the court, Maya worked closely with the Immigration Judges and assisted them with legal research and writing, learned how decisions were written, and had the opportunity to observe hearings and other proceedings in the immigration court.
Since joining Brown, Maya has focused the majority of her practice in removal defense and family-based immigration, and she is currently expanding her practice into federal litigation. Maya is an incredibly passionate advocate and approaches each case with the care and attention it deserves. She is not afraid to explore creative solutions or collaborate with attorneys in related fields that tend to intersect with immigration, such as criminal law. For example, Maya worked with co-counsel from the Kramer Law Clinic at Case Law School and successfully appealed the denial of a client’s post-sentence motion to withdraw a guilty plea because the client’s prior attorney failed to inform him of the immigration consequences of his guilty plea. (State v. Kurdi, 2022-Ohio-4459). This decision is now precedent in the Eleventh Appellate District of Ohio and may potentially help similarly situated immigrants in the future within that jurisdiction.
Maya is also active in local and national bar associations. She has been involved with the Federal Bar Association Immigration Law Section since 2020, when she became a member of the Newer Lawyers Committee, which puts together webinars for attorneys new to immigration law and provides them mentoring from seasoned immigration attorneys in specific areas of immigration law. In 2022, Maya was also appointed to the Governing Board of the FBA Immigration Law Section for a 3-year term. Maya is also the chair of the International Law Section of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (CMBA) and sits on the board of the Northern District of Ohio Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
Licenses
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- Supreme Court of Ohio
Employment History
- Executive Office for Immigration Review - Cleveland Immigration Court; Judicial Intern; January 2018 – April 2018
- Milton A. Kramer Law Clinic - Immigration Clinic; Certified Legal Intern; August 2017 – December 2017
- Catholic Charities - Refugee and Migration Services; Legal Intern; January 2017 – May 2017
- Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court; Judicial Extern for Judge Michael P. Donnelly (currently Ohio Supreme Court Justice Donnelly); May 2016 – August 2016
Education History
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Languages
- English
- Hebrew
Memberships
- Federal Bar Association, Immigration Law Section, Board Member
- Global Cleveland, Board of Directors
- Federal Bar Association, Northern District of Ohio Chapter, Board Member
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, International Law Section, Section Chair
Honors
- FBA Immigration Law Section Younger Lawyer of the Year Award 2021
- Super Lawyers: Ohio Rising Stars 2021, 2023, 2024
Notable Media & Thought Leadership
Publications
- President Biden already facing court challenges to immigration policy changes made during his first week of office
- On Day 1, President Biden Takes Immediate Action on Immigration – 8 significant immigration executive actions taken on January 20, 2021
- What you need to know about the “U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021,” President Biden’s Proposed Immigration Bill
- New Trump Administration Rule Makes Dramatic Changes to Asylum Seekers’ Access to Work Authorization
- Say Goodbye to the I-944 (for now): Federal Judge temporarily blocks Trump Administration’s “Public Charge” Rule and USCIS Listens
CLE Talks
- FBA 2023 Annual Immigration Law Conference – CLE Panel
- 360 Degree Review of Family-Based Immigration Adjustment of Status – Petitions, Interview Prep, and Adjustment of Status
Media Interview
- CMBA Bar Journal Cover Story - 2021: A New Hope, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
- Interview with Cleveland Jewish News, January 29, 2021