Himedes Vladimir Chicas | Partner

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About Himedes

Immigration attorney and partner, Himedes V. Chicas is the lead attorney and head of the immigration department at the Law Offices of Jezic & Moyse, LLC. Himedes has been named as one of the “Best Immigration Lawyers” in the Washington, DC area by Washingtonian Magazine from 2017 to 2022. Himedes is the immediate-past chair of the Immigration Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association, and the Vice Chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, D.C. Chapter Liaison Committee to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Office. Mr. Chicas has received nearly 100 percent of glowing reviews from clients.

Himedes focuses his immigration law practice on the intersection of criminal and immigration law, namely the immigration consequences of criminal convictions on noncitizens. Himedes advises clients and their criminal defense attorneys on these matters, including crafting immigrant-friendly plea deals, providing pre-trial immigration advisory opinions, and serving as an expert witness in postconviction matters before criminal courts. Most recently, Himedes became an advisor to the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland on immigration-related matters impacting their client’s criminal cases.

Himedes also directly represents clients facing removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review—requesting release on bond, challenging removal, and/or applying for various forms of relief from removal before the immigration courts. He also represents clients in administrative appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals, as well as petitions for review before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Himedes recently co-counseled a significant victory at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, that resulted in a precedential opinion from the Court regarding the proper application of the categorical approach to a state criminal conviction. This case is Larios-Reyes v. Lynch, 843 F.3d 146 (4th Cir. 2016), cert. denied sub nom. Sessions v. Larios-Reyes, 17-58, 2017 WL 2972640 (U.S. Oct. 16, 2017).

Himedes has lectured and presented in numerous conferences, symposia, and training sessions to practitioners on immigration law—including private criminal defense attorneys, public defenders, state prosecutors, and state court judges.

Himedes also volunteers his time and provides pro bono representation and advice to indigent clients through the Capital Area Immigrants Rights Coalition, the Tahirih Justice Center, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law Immigration Clinic, and the World Relief Organization.

Himedes is a graduate of the University of Scranton. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law, where he represented indigent clients as student attorney in the law school’s Immigration Clinic. He also served as the Executive Articles Editor for the Maryland Journal of International Law, an Asper Fellow for the Honorable Althea M. Handy, Circuit Court for Baltimore City, and a Legislative Law Clerk for Senator Ben Cardin in the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

Himedes is a member of the state bar of Maryland and is admitted to practice law in the U.S. District Court for Maryland and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Admission

Verified Maryland

2010

Verified U.S. Court of Appeals Fourth District

Education

University of Scranton

Recognitions & Achievements

Associations
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”), Member ()
    2010-Present
  • AILA, Washington D.C. Chapter, Baltimore—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service Liaison Committee, Vice Chair ()
    2012-2014
  • AILA, Washington D.C. Chapter, Baltimore—U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Liaison Committee, Co-Chair ()
    2015-Present
  • Bar Association of Baltimore City, Member ()
    2011-2013
  • Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, Member ()
    2015-Present
  • Maryland Hispanic Bar Association, Member ()
    2015-Present
  • Maryland State Bar Association (“MSBA”), Member ()
    2010-Present
  • MSBA Immigration Law Section Council, Chair ()
    2016-Present
  • Maryland Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, Member ()
    2010-Present
  • Montgomery County Bar Association, Member ()
    2014-Present
  • Regional Criminal-Immigration Collaborative, Participant ()
    2014-Present
  • University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law, Immigration Clinic-World Relief, Baltimore Immigration Court Consultation Project, Volunteer Attorney ()
    2011-Present
Honors / Awards
  • Named one of Maryland’s top immigration lawyers by Super Lawyers, Rising Star
    2016-2017
  • Named one of Washington’s top immigration lawyers by Washingtonian Magazine, D.C. Best Lawyers: Immigration, to
    2017 / 2022

Jezic & Moyse, LLC Highlights

Criminal

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Languages: English