The Law Office of Henry Lung, P.C.

Introduction: I am a proud graduate of St. John’s University School of Law (1999). I am currently on the Alumni Board of Directors at the law school I used to attend. Prior to attending law school, I attended New York University and I was a double major in Political Science and Spanish language studies. I graduated from NYU in 1994. In addition to practicing law, I am also enrolled at Bethel Seminary of the East and someday (meaning before I get sent to an old-folks’ home), I hope to obtain a Master’s Degree in Divinity Studies. I am proud to be a Baptist and I advertise in the Shepard’s Guide, which is a ‘Yellow Pages’ for Christians of all denominations. I am a life-long resident of Long Island. I graduated from the Herricks School District in 1990. I look forward to hearing from you and discussing your case! Please call for a free phone consultation, or visit our site! henrylung[.]com The Law Office of Henry Lung, PC Thank you for visiting my page on ThumbTack! Besides the info on this page, you can learn more about me on my Facebook page ('Law Office of Henry Lung, PC) where I feature 2 videos of clients speaking about how I handled their cases; I was not present when their videos were recorded and I did not tell them what to say. I cannot upload those videos directly to this page. When the man in glasses (the shorter video) asked me what he should say, I just told him to speak from the heart about how I handled his case. I also write articles on HenryLungPC.blogspot[.]com on topics from traffic tickets to marijuana use to the contested divorce process to the different types of Orders of Protection. I use these various avenues to write about the legal system b/c it's faster and cheaper than paying someone to make additions to my website every 30 days. I DO take cases outside of Long Island and have handled trials, including criminal trials and trials in contested divorce cases, as far away as Putnam County (in the Supreme Court located in Carmel, NY before Judge Victor Grossman). I am a hard-worker and basically work day and night, including many weekends. I often meet with clients in the late afternoon or early evening, a sacrifice that I make in order to accomodate clients' schedules. Many lawyers insist that existing clients and new clients take a day off from work or leave their jobs in order to meet with that lawyer. Many lawyers also are unwilling to divulge any real, meaty information about a new client's case unless that lawyer meets with the potential client in person. That is absolutely NOT my approach because I feel that all lawyers should be helpful and serve the community. I am willing to provide certain guidance and information over the phone WITHOUT an in-person meeting. In addition, I am willling to assist PRO SE parties in all types of cases on a reduced fee, if that person and I can come to an agreement. I also want to direct you, the reader and potential future client, to 2 items that I feel help distinguish me from many other lawyers: A) the comments in the various 'thank you' letters that I have received. I will scan as many of these letters onto this profile on Lawyers[.]com as I can. B) the section entitled 'My Philosophies and Observations Regarding the Practice of Law,' which I hope that you get to look at First. Then if you are shopping around with other lawyers, I would encourage you to take my thoughts and run them by other lawyers. Feel free to use my name but I feel that it is better if you engage other lawyers by saying, 'so, how do you feel about………' and then add the particular philosophy/observation that I have made in my experiences as a lawyer. ************************** I have been practicing law on my own since Sept. 2000 and I have developed a style that hopefully you will find refreshing, honest, 'right to the point' and attentive to your needs and flexible to your schedule. I pride myself on aggressively representing my clients and advancing their interests instead of sitting around and waiting for my adversary to take the first step. You might ask how exactly does a person distinguish one lawyer from the next? Aren't they all essentially the same? The correct and only answer is No, No, No. Saying that all lawyers are the same is no different from saying that all cars are the same, all restaurants are the same, all of your previous boyfriends/girlfriends were the same, etc. It is easily the biggest mistake that a person who needs effective legal representation can make. Furthermore, a client's failure to choose the most effective lawyer for his/her case can cost that client thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) of dollars and cause that person to undergo a tremendous amount of stress, heartache and unhappiness. In some situations, I have seen that choosing the wrong lawyer can essentially place a clients' life into ruin (financial and otherwise) for years and years to come. But I have also seen that an excellent lawyer, meaning a lawyer who not only works very hard (and charges a fair price, of course) but who also listens to the client, maps out a winning strategy with his client's input, and always maintains an easy flow of communication with the client can actually make his client's life better in many ways. I am referring to all types of cases, but in particular all divorce cases (especially contested divorce cases), Family Court cases, criminal defense cases (especially when I have the pleasure of defending an innocent person), Immigration cases, commercial litigation a/k/a debt collection matters, Immigration, Adoption, Landlord-Tenant and Unemployment matters. In the past few years, I have litigated several difficult contested divorce and Family Court cases against some well-known lawyers and law firms. I was able to win these cases convincingly and those matters made me realize that I have become a very effective litigation lawyer. I am a modest person and I do not do stupid things to draw unnecessary attention to myself. But I do feel that I am on the verge of becoming a well-known lawyer on Long Island and hopefully, in the boroughs of New York City and Westchester also. Regarding the 'thank you' letters from my former clients, a person who does not know me might find them to be vain or conceited, but I attached them for the following reason: there are so many lawyers who make false promises to their clients and distort the truth that I feel compelled to show everything that will reflect my values, my integrity and my way of handling my cases. I do often feel that I am the most honest lawyer that I know. I do not engage in sneakiness, subterfuge, or 'sneak attacks' in order to win my cases. If I do not feel that I can win your case, I will let you know right away, instead of telling you 'bad news' halfway into the case or at the very end. I realize that anyone can 'toot his/her own horn' ad nauseum. No type of human being on this planet is better at self-promotion than a lawyer. Therefore, I am humbly asking you to remember the following: if I did not obtain successful results in case after case for my clients, I would be of little worth and value as a lawyer. You do not need your lawyer to be a 'nice guy' or a stylish dresser or someone who is known by all the judges or someone whose office looks like it belongs in a museum (paid for with incredibly high retainer deposits, no doubt). What you and every client needs is an effective lawyer that listens to the client, works with the client, and gets the job done. Some lawyers show off by screaming and pounding their fists, others talk as if they are paid by each spoken word, others will buy thousand dollar suits, etc. The truth is that lawyers do not have a positive reputation in our society and I can see why this awful reputation is so pervasive. I believe that you will find me to be friendly, modest, an excellent listener, but also unlike many lawyers, very compassionate and caring. I am not here to waste your time and I do not talk in circles, clichés, and I do not tell 'war stories.' I am here to resolve the legal issues in your life with as much speed as possible and at the lowest cost possible to you. CAVEAT: I believe in telling each and every client the complete and total truth about his/her case at the very beginning of the case, meaning right at the initial consultation. In my opinion this is the paramount responsibility of every lawyer. To do otherwise is to play games with the client's hopes, not to mention the client's time and money. I also do not bill my clients for speaking with them on the phone. This is an utterly ridiculous practice that practically all lawyers (those who charge by the hour) engage in. I have heard of clients who call their lawyer and stare at their watch at the same time. This is totally absurd and insane. At the rate of $400 per hour, an 11 minute phone call costs $72.00. Why don't you chew on that the next time you need to buy groceries for your family or need gasoline for the car. I can be reached at henrylung[.]com. In the future, I will start to blog so that I do not have to constantly make adjustments and updates to my website. Please check my page on Facebook (Law Office of Henry Lung, PC) or go to my Home Page on Lawyers[.]com to look for these blogs. In case of a true emergency (an arrest, a court appearance in the next 72 hours, you were just served with papers, etc.), please go to the Section named 'For Emergencies Only.' Regarding my first consultation with a potential client, my policy is sometimes I charge a fee and sometimes I do not. Please call me and I will explain. henrylung[.]com If you are a pro se litigant (meaning you represent yourself), I am in the process of creating a Section on my website entitled 'Help For Pro Se Litigants.' I am glad to assist anyone who is brave enough to navigate our legal system on his/her own. Thank you once again for visiting my page on ThumbTack! Please excuse me if you find my use of bold lettering to be an eyesore. I am just trying to point out the important terms that some potential clients look for right away. Here is a description of the areas of law that I handle: ******************************** I am a litigation attorney, plain and simple. Before I graduated law school, I decided that the way to represent the general public to the best of my ability was to dive into litigation, which also includes criminal defense. In fact, when it comes to criminal defense, it is my pleasure to represent a client who is innocent. Yes it is true that the police and District Attorney's office are right far more than 50% of the time, but they are not perfect. No person who is innocent should ever be advised/tricked/goaded into pleading guilty, not even to 'disorderly conduct' (which in New York is a violation and not a misdemeanor). Nevertheless, the term for an acquittal, after trial, in the field of criminal defense is not 'innocent' but rather 'not guilty.' I see the litigation in our Court system as 'modern day warfare,' meaning that instead of fighting your adversary with a gun, knife, dynamite, etc., I am essentially fighting for my clients with the filing of Motions, Memoranda of law, testimony taken from depositions and hearings, and applications made 'on the record' in Court. Ultimately, the end of the war is the trial itself. I specialize in the nasty, vicious divorce cases that are called 'contested divorces.' I also work heavily in Family Court matters and criminal defense cases (including traffic tickets/moving violations and the restoration of suspended driver's licenses). But I am well-versed in civil litigation in general and have obtained excellent results for my clients in other types of civil litigation cases, from debt collection to foreclosure defense to legal malpractice, etc. The term 'civil litigation' includes many different types of lawsuits and it essentially refers to all civil lawsuits. I am an effective lawyer because I fully commit myself to the pressures, challenges and responsibilities that each case presents. I am referring to keeping track of appearances in Court, filing Motions on time, responding to Motions filed by opposing counsel, staying on top of paperwork, not to mention preparing my client for a deposition (or a hearing) and eventually, the trial. A successful lawyer must perform all of the above tasks well in order to ensure that each and every client's case has the best chance of being victorious. In addition to representing English — speaking clients, I am fluent in Spanish and it has been my pleasure to represent Hispanic clients. I also speak Chinese (Mandarin only) and I welcome phone calls/inquiries from Chinese-speaking clients. Soy un abogado bilingue y por lo tanto puedo comunicar directamente con mis clientes en vez de utilizar un interprete. As a 'sole practitioner,' I work directly with my clients and I handle 100% of my own cases, unlike many other lawyers and law firms. It is a shame that sometimes a client will hire a lawyer (or law firm), only to find out that the lawyer whom they met with at the beginning (and paid the attorney fee to) is not the lawyer who ultimately works on the case. Many times I have come across people in Court who are waiting for a lawyer whom they have not spoken to prior to the court appearance. Sometimes I even see people in Court who have never met their lawyer before. In general, my consultations are free, with a few exceptions. Please call my office, or in the event of a True Emergency, call me on my cell phone. My contact information is at henrylung[.]com (ThumbTack doesn't like including contact information without paid-for credits!) ********************** I work in the following areas of law, in the order of specialty below 1) All divorces (contested and uncontested) and 'Family Court practice'; (The only thing that the Family Court cannot do is grant a Judgment of Divorce. Otherwise, all other issues that are litigated in a divorce case can also be decided in Family Court. In fact, Family Court is often cheaper and faster than NY Supreme Court, where divorce cases are litigated.) 2) Criminal defense: This field of law encompasses felonies, misdemeanors, even traffic tickets and the restoration of driver's licenses. Remember that criminal defense involves more than just negotiating a plea bargain deal. I am proud to have represented clients who were innocent and therefore refused to plead guilty. I have helped those clients prove their innocence, both at trial and before the grand jury. 3) Commercial litigation a/k/a debt collection: I represent creditors (called plaintiffs) in collecting their unpaid debts and I engage in judgment enforcement which includes (but is not limited to), the freezing of bank accounts, wage garnishment, vehicle seizures, etc.) I also represent debtors (called defendants) in the unfreezing of bank accounts and negotiating settlements with creditors. 4) Immigration law: This field of law includes applications for permanent residency ('green card') and US citizenship. I also represent clients who qualify for TPS renewal and I have experience with In Removal ('deportation') cases. 5) Landlord — Tenant cases: This field of law includes 'non-payment' & 'holdover cases,' both in the Courts of Long Island and in the boroughs of New York City. 6) Legal Malpractice: I began to take these cases after I noticed the large number of divorce cases that had been severely botched-up by the client's former lawyer. But legal malpractice claims also arise from other fact patterns that have nothing to with divorce and/or Family Court. 7) Unemployment/Dept. of Labor Cases: I have won over 100 of these cases in my career, which I believe is more than any other lawyer (or 'authorized agent') on the list of attorneys and authorized agents that the Dept. of Labor has published for claimants who are seeking representation for their unemployment hearing. My Philosophies and Observations Regarding The Practice of Law In my 13+ years of working on my own as a civil litigation and criminal defense lawyer, I have developed my own unique style, which is much different from the vast majority of the lawyers that I have observed and dealt with in my career. Much of my own style is a reaction to the often sloppy and selfish manner that I have seen other lawyers engage in when practicing law. I see that many lawyers do not listen to their clients, they do not work directly with their clients, they often (or at least sometimes) send another lawyer to Court to represent the clients, and they do not take their clients' input and viewpoints into consideration while they are working on the case. This last point is a good place to start my discussion on my philosophies that I utilize every day in my practice of law. I am publishing these thoughts in Jan. 2014. If you are shopping around for a law firm to represent you, I invite you to take these thoughts and challenge any prospective lawyer with what I have written here. Feel free to adopt my philosophies as if they were your own and listen to what the next lawyer says when you ask him/her about the following thoughts: A) My Primary Role Is To Advise My Client But My Client Makes The Final Decision On All Matters Here is a catch-phrase that I invented that summarizes how I view my relationship with my client. I sit in the passenger seat and suggest where to drive, but the client ultimately decides where to drive the car. This might sound like common sense, but it is anything but. In Court I have often seen lawyers barking orders at their clients and dragging them around as if the lawyer is a runaway dog that is dragging the owner (the client) all over the place. Unfortunately, this is the true state of affairs for many attorney-client relationships. This is not the same as saying that 'the client is always right.' In fact, many times the client is completely wrong about his/her approach to the case. If this happens, an outstanding lawyer is required to point the client in the right direction. As I said on my Home Page, a lawyer must tell the client the truth, the complete truth and nothing less than the complete truth from the very beginning of the case. I believe that this is a lawyer's most important duty to the client. But I rarely hear any other lawyer say these words. The Client must always be in control of his/her case. In order to be in control, the lawyer must always provide accurate advice at all stages of the case to the client. If the lawyer feels that his relationship with the client has been damaged, it is the lawyer's responsibility to address these issues and restore the relationship. It is not the client's responsibility to restore his/her relationship with the lawyer. If you the client are forced to restore the relationship with your own lawyer, it should be obvious that something is very wrong. During the 'heat of battle' of these difficult litigated cases (contested divorce cases, Family Court cases, commercial litigation, criminal defense, etc.), I have seen that it is easy for the client to become confused about what is going on and lose track of what his/her lawyer is planning to do. But a very perceptive lawyer will sense this confusion and make sure that he and his client are on the same page. B) I Am In Court To Represent You (And Only You), Not To Make Friends With The Opposing Lawyer or The Judge Unlike my previous 'philosophy' that I explained, the truth of this particular item should be apparent. It is true that some lawyers are so friendly and chummy with each other that they are in reality compromising their primary responsibility, which is to be 100% loyal to their own clients. That is why you will rarely see me even make 'side conversation' with my adversary when I am in Court. I might chat with another lawyer who is in Court on that day but not involved in my case. But I will not do this with the adversary in any my cases at any point of the case. If you are represented by a lawyer that engages in this, I can see why you would doubt your lawyer's loyalty to you and his/her commitment to achieve the best results for your case. It shouldn't surprise anyone that some lawyers just 'sell out' their own clients. C) My Goal Is To Advance Your Case As Quickly As Possible In a case where all the parties are represented by counsel, in theory it should be easy to move the case forward. But I have found out that in reality, it is sometimes very hard to advance the case quickly for a whole number of reasons, one of those being the fact that the opposing lawyer is difficult to work with. I have many memories of lawyers that I have opposed who have been obnoxious, arrogant a/k/a 'show offs' or who have simply not been experienced in that particular area of law that our case is in. You might think that the judge for the case or the Bar Association or the Grievance Committee might be the obvious entity to resolve this complaint, but trust me that they are all overloaded as well. Unfortunately, this is the state of affairs with the practice of law in this part of the country. Thankfully, I have seen that in these situations, I can push the case forward by myself, meaning on my own. I do not need the other lawyer's cooperation in order to move the case forward. This is quite common in contested divorce and Family Court cases wherein the opposing lawyer often engages in a 'war of words' or even worse, a flurry of paperwork. When one of my cases is adjourned, I normally try to obtain the shortest adjournment possible. For my divorce cases, one of the many things I do to advance my client's case forward (thereby saving my client much money and aggravation) is to litigate the issues of custody and visitation, child support (and sometimes the issues of paternity and 'maintenance' a/k/a alimony) in Family Court. For more information, please read the section entitled 'Divorces and Family Court Practice.' D) I Do Not Engage In Stupid Things In Order to 'Pad' My Invoice This is also self-explanatory. I believe that I can earn more (in the future) and create more goodwill by advancing a case so that my client is finished with the case as quickly as possible. I do not think that many lawyers take into account how much these lawsuits (and criminal cases) serve to upset the clients' family lives, job performance, general wellbeing, etc. I am aware that by advancing a case as quickly as I can, I am possibly giving up the chance to make more money on that particular case. But I believe that artificially dragging out any case and charging my client more money is simply no different from just mugging that client. Nobody has ever accused me of overcharging for any case that I have ever had. E) I Do Not Engage In the Antics/Silly Behavior That I Have Seen Other Lawyers Engage In Since there are so many lawyers in New York, the truth is that the skill, experience and manner in which lawyers conduct themselves does run the gamut from the very outstanding (very few) to the utterly awful (also very few). The truth is that the vast majority of lawyers are average, either a little above average or a little below. I strive to be an outstanding lawyer and now I have reached the point in my career where I am consistently achieving outstanding results, case after case. Some lawyers yell and slam their fists on tables — I do not engage in this nonsense. Some lawyers try to outtalk their adversary — this is not how I conduct myself. Some lawyers file the most utterly ridiculous Motions and appeals that they know they have little or no chance of winning. I also do not waste my clients' time and money with these deceptive practices. Divorce and Family Court Cases A) I DO NOT Ascribe To The Belief That 'If The Wife Is Unhappy And If the Husband Is Unhappy With The Settlement, Then The Settlement Is A Good Deal' The above statement is a thought that I have always disagreed with. However, it is commonly said by judges and other lawyers, especially older lawyers, in the areas of divorce and Family Court practice. This statement always makes my stomach turn. I have met so many people who have paid their law firms tens of thousands of dollars, just to find out at the very end that they are forced to walk away with the 'shorter end of the stick.' If your lawyer can do nothing better than enter into an awful compromise (or in many situations, the lawyer just throws the client under the bus), do your best to recognize it, confront your lawyer with your feelings and if your lawyer cannot offer you a better outcome, then I suggest that you find someone else to represent you. This idea that 'well, I have been with my lawyer and he/she already knows the case' is really a losing proposition any way you look at it. Is that any different from saying, 'well, I really hate eating this awful food/living in this awful house/working at this awful job, but hey I've been here so long so I might as well continue being miserable'? Come on, trust your instincts and try to think through all the utter nonsense that you have already been through. In the end, your 'sixth sense' and your gut feeling are what you were born with to protect you from all that exists in the world that can and will hurt you. I understand that the very essence of most divorce cases is to divide; this did not go over my head. Marital assets are normally divided with the presumption being 50% for 1 spouse and 50% for the other spouse. But an aggressive, saavy lawyer might be able to convince the judge to vary from this presumption, depending on whether there has been a waste/intentional dissipation of marital assets. Yes this has to be proven but first, you need to have the right lawyer to present this proof to the judge. In any event, I am sure that the 'innocent' spouse will appreciate what this breed of lawyer is doing: vigorously representing the client's interests. There are very good settlements, there are average settlements, then below average settlements, then the utterly awful settlements, which unfortunately are quite common. But yet the judges who must ratify ('sign off') these settlements rarely, rarely will reject or 'kick out' a settlement because the judge feels that it is unfair, isn't that right? When is the last time that you have heard a judge ask a client in a divorce or Family Court case the following question: 'so did your lawyer twist your arm or threaten to charge you more for attorney fees if you did not accept this settlement'? Think about it, the court system can't have judges asking questions like this, riiiiight? My job is to win each and every issue completely for my client. In many cases, I have done it. I have seen that anytime the issues of custody and visitation are the linchpins of the case, I need to 'get after it' right away for my client. If my client is truly the better parent, I will do my best to place that issue in Family Court (and not in Supreme Court, where everything bogs down). By using my resources to move along my clients' cases as quickly as I possibly can and by explaining each and every step of the case to my client far in advance of when we actually get to that stage in the case, I am doing to my best to capture what I feel is the best possible outcome for my client in his/her particular case. This is not just taking my adversary by surprise. This is simply outworking my opponent and it is all for the best interests of your case. My job is also to identify what issue(s) is/are the linchpin of the case. For example, in many divorce cases my client is going 'all in' for residential a/k/a physical custody of the child(ren) and this becomes the primary battle in the case. In other cases, the primary battle is to uncover 'off the books' income that the other spouse has earned during the marriage or to uncover the fact that the other spouse has been unfaithful. An outstanding attorney must identify the linchpin issue(s) as quickly as possible and then move in an aggressive manner to address these issues. In some divorce and Family Court cases, I have had to accept the fact that my client has to accept a less-than-outstanding final settlement. I have found myself in this situation most frequently when I take over a divorce case or Family Court case that has been going on for at least 1 year. In these situations, I cannot ask the judge for a 'do-over' of the discovery process, which includes the exchange of financial information and the taking of depositions. I cannot even change the court that we are in, which 99% of the time is the Supreme Court (and not the Family Court). Please read the section called 'Divorces and Family Court Practice' for my thoughts on using the Family Court, which is consistently faster and cheaper than being stuck in Supreme Court. B) Each And Every Client Only Has A Limited Stamina, Endurance and Patience For A Divorce Case Or Family Court Case This is an incredibly important observation because of all the areas of law that you can think of, the field of 'domestic relations law' (divorces and Family Court practice) is the most brutal of them all. This is because of all the emotions involved and no other area of law involves the 'fighting to the death' over custody of a child/children. If you feel like disputing my viewpoint, the only area of law that even comes close is criminal law. But most criminal defense lawyers (like myself) will tell you that criminal law is surprising devoid of all emotion and this is because in at least 90% of all those cases, the defendant is guilty because he/she has exhibited some culpable conduct. In criminal law, the rape, sodomy (called 'criminal sexual act'), homicide, kidnaping and other types of felonies that inherently involve emotion are not common. The overwhelming most typical cases are DWIs, petty larceny, minor assaults, disorderly conduct, violation of probation, etc. Whenever I have taken over an ongoing divorce case that has lasted at least 1 year (where the client has been represented by at least 1 former lawyer), I have seen that my client is jaded, vindictive (and of course has less money) than a divorce client or Family Court client that hired me from the beginning of his/her case. So without repeating what I have already written about, it is even more of a priority that I advance that client's case along as fast as I can. IN the end, there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for any lawyer to dilly-dallying along with a client's money, patience, and basically, the client's future. My point is, I take this job very seriously and I am committed to get your case done and with the best results as quickly as I can. Of course you will find many other lawyers that will say the same thing. But if all lawyers were truly committed to doing this, there would be very little dissatisfaction with lawyers and the legal profession as a whole. But you and I know that this is Not true. Once again, I humbly ask you to read the comments that my clients have left for me on Lawyers[.]com (type in my name) and the thank you letters that I have scanned into my website. I am not wasting your time by bragging and boasting about my previous cases. I just want you to make the best and most informed choice about which lawyer you choose to represent you. If that person is me, wonderful. If that person is someone else, then so be it and I hope that this lawyer does an outstanding job for you and at a reasonable price.