[email protected] Jr. of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner is receiving nationwide recognition once again.
While attorney [email protected] is often recognized for his dedication to the Houston community and the legal profession, this time he is being singled out for his work on the widely published immigration article “But Your Honor, He’s an Illegal! Can the Undocumented Worker’s Alien Status Be Introduced at Trial?”
Co-authored with Texas Southern University Professor of Law, Lupe Salinas, and Texas attorney, Eloisa Morales Arteaga, the article discusses how state courts have been hesitant to admit evidence of a witness’s undocumented status. The article explains that courts across the nation are recognizing “the prejudice that is engendered within the terms ‘illegal alien,’ ‘illegal immigrant’ and ‘undocumented worker,’ and have tried to strike a balance between this prejudice and its possible relevance.”
Texas is one state that has taken a position on a witness’ status. Texas case law has established that “any relevance that the alien status of an injured worker may have in a particular case is likely outweighed by its prejudicial effect.”
The article has already appeared in several publications, including the August 2010 edition of the Houston Lawyer, the March/April 2011 edition of Litigation Commentary & Review, the April 2011 edition of the Texas Bar Journal and the April 2011 edition of the American Association for Justice’s Trial magazine. The article is also scheduled to be published in an upcoming edition of the University of Texas Hispanic Journal for Law and Policy.
A partner at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, [email protected] has been named a Super Lawyer six times since 2004.