From War Zones to Wall Street: An Immigration Lawyer’s Journey and Mission

What does it take to build a world-spanning immigration law practice from a single desk in Queens—and keep heart at the center while policies and lives hang in the balance? We sit down with attorney and founder Merium Malik to trace the journey from childhood in a war zone to leading a team that serves clients across six continents and every U.S. state. The conversation moves from gritty origin stories—door knocking in New York, cold calls, and learning marketing by doing—to the disciplined systems that power business immigration for Fortune 500 companies and the compassion required for deportation defense when enforcement spikes.

Merium opens up about how growing up Pakistani and spending time in Iran during the Iran–Iraq war hardwired a sense of justice that law could channel into action. That grounding shows in how her firm navigates volatility: when administrations shift and rules tighten, they pivot without losing sight of people. You’ll hear how they balance H‑1B strategy, O‑1 talent cases, EB‑1 filings, and employer compliance alongside family petitions, interviews, and removal defense—making immigration strategy accessible for both corporate mobility teams and individuals seeking stability. We also get practical: how ethical marketing works for lawyers, why content and newsletters build trust, and what clients should line up—timelines, documents, expectations—before the first consultation.

Away from the office, Marion shares the habits that sustain high-stakes work: yoga, spiritual reading, Florida parks and springs, and finding quiet between court dates and ICE visits. Through it all runs a clear promise: extreme competence paired with a family-first mindset. If you’re an HR leader planning global hiring, an entrepreneur eyeing U.S. growth, or a family wrestling with status questions, this conversation offers a playbook for moving forward with clarity and care.

If this story resonates, follow along for daily immigration updates on LinkedIn and Instagram, grab the free weekly newsletter at maliklawimmigration.com, and share this episode with someone who needs a steady guide. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what immigration question you want answered next.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, GarfieldBowen.

SPEAKER_01 (00:20):
Welcome to Good Neighbor Podcast Live.
Are you looking for animmigration attorney?
Well, one may be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Marion Mellick with Mellick LawFirm.
Marion, how are you doing today?
Great.

SPEAKER_02 (00:36):
How are you, Garfield?
Nice to talk to you.

SPEAKER_01 (00:39):
I am well.
Excited to learn all about youand your practice.
Tell us about your company.

SPEAKER_02 (00:44):
Amazing.
Yeah, so the company is I'm thefounder and uh a managing
partner.
Um, I'm an attorney by trade.
I started it um in 2000, uh, in2014.
Um, it's and I started in NewYork City, um, started in

(01:06):
Queens, uh, expanded to uh WallStreet, downtown Manhattan, and
then expanded to Tampa, Florida.
Um, we have clients in 30countries, six continents, all
50 states.
Uh, our main focus is businessemployment immigration, but then
we do anything and everything,uh, all types of immigration.
So um anywhere from somebodyfrom representing uh Fortune 500

(01:30):
companies to doing deportationdefense.
So anything and everything as itrelates to immigration, you can
think of as what we do.
Um, we have staff from all overthe world, um, over 20 years of
experience.
And um, yeah, we're a well-oiledmachine.
So it's been it's been amazingso far.

SPEAKER_01 (01:52):
What got you into the area of law?
Do you just like like to read?

SPEAKER_02 (01:58):
Uh well, you in order for you to um be
interested in any kind of law,you have to like to read.
Uh, because you're reading uhlike in law school, we're
reading about like 500 pages anight and having to like not
just read, having to likeregurgitate that the next day in
class where we go through theentire uh case process.

(02:21):
Uh so yeah, I think I I got intolaw because I just had like a
very strong sense of socialjustice growing up in uh
Pakistan and Pakistani andgrowing up in Pakistan and
having seen a lot of uminjustices and having seen a lot
of like inequalities um in termsof gender, socioeconomic

(02:43):
background, and just people, youknow, just just to keep to to
simplify it, just people beinguh not treated fairly.
Um and I grew up in um myparents were very they were
doctors, they were veryambitious, and so they wanted
to, as well as being veryhumanitarian, they uh they did

(03:04):
like a version of DoctorsWithout Borders in Iran.
At that time, um there was anIran-Iraq war going on, and they
decided to just pick up my momwas pregnant with my sister and
leave and um and then just uhpractice medicine there.
And so we would we were like ina war zone, so we had to get
food, food was rationed out, um,everything was like in tent

(03:28):
little tents.
There was no grocery store forus to go to.
So just growing up like that,and that was like my norm
because we'd be like playing inthe snow and not knowing that
we're in war.
Um, it just was like just a partof me.
It's something I had to um, Icouldn't just like live in this
world without having to be uminvolved in in the justice

(03:51):
system.

SPEAKER_01 (03:53):
We know marketing is the heart of every uh business.
How would you describe yourtarget audience and how do you
currently attract them?

SPEAKER_02 (04:03):
Yeah, marketing is like a uh a degree on its own
and not even a degree, it's likeencompassing of of every of
every business, right?
So there's no business ifthere's no if there's no
marketing.
Um there's then it's just you uhat a desk just sitting if
they're not getting customers.
Um my degree was in marketing,which uh helped me do nothing.

(04:28):
Uh uh basically, everything hadto be um I've always been very
entrepreneurial.
So I started out like in collegehaving my own business, helping
my parents with business.
Immigrants, especially likeSouth Asian, like um Pakistani
Indian immigrants were very likeentrepreneurial.
So I always like had this hustlementality.

(04:49):
And when I started my firm, Istarted like door to door.
Like I would go into businesses.
Remember back in the day, doorto door.
Um, I would actually knock onlike people's doors, knock if
they asked if they wanted to uman immigration attorney.
And you know, imagine New YorkCity, someone knocking on your
door, people would tell merelease their dogs or tell me to
get out.

(05:09):
And I would go to like I wouldgo back again.
They would like call the cops,they would like curse at me,
they would throw things, and Ijust like thinking back, it was
like, how did I I was unfazed bythat?
I was like, oh like, yeah,that's fine.
Um, because I would do the samething.
Someone came to my door, andthen um just and then you know,

(05:29):
just with the we didn't havesocial media like the way we had
it, but it wasn't like peoplewere just using it very uh
recreationally.
Um, so yeah, it was a lot oflike cold calling, it was a lot
of reaching out to companies,individuals, um, not really like
really reaching out toindividuals per se for services,
but just letting them knowbecause lawyers cannot directly,

(05:51):
I don't know if you knew this,we can directly solicit clients.
It has to be like in a general,like I have an immigration law
firm like that.
Um uh so started out doing alittle bit of advertising, um,
doing um in the beginning, itwas like whoever needs
immigration help, I would do,and that started from friends

(06:11):
and family, and and you know, inliving in New York, and just
really I think immigration issomething everybody's like, oh,
my uncle and my brother and mysister, or my aunt, or my
neighbor, somebody's goingthrough some immigration
process.
So that was like fairly easy.
Um, the the tough part has beenlike honing in who our ideal

(06:33):
client is because it's sogeneral, and anytime I try to
pick a niche, like we reallystarted focusing before Trump's
administration, we're focusingon business immigration, which
is anybody who's coming in onemployment visa companies, large
companies, medium-sized, smallcompanies, entrepreneurs of high
net worth.
And then Trump got elected, andso now all clients people

(06:58):
started getting arrested.
So now we're back to doingdeportation defense.
So who is our ideal client?
Anyone who needs immigrationhelp, any entity, any person,
any entrepreneur, any business.
So that really is our uh uh ourour our target client.
And now the advertising has gonemore from face-to-face in person

(07:22):
to video social media and onlineadvertising.

SPEAKER_01 (07:27):
Uh, have you ever thought about doing your very
own podcast?

SPEAKER_02 (07:32):
I have not thought about that because I'm actually
still very much in the umtrenches.
I'm still very much involved inmy law firm.
I'm very involved in growing it.
Um, so my focus is really onthat right now.
And also, you know, um there'sso many moving parts that are

(07:55):
happening.
Um, and I also, you know, when Ihave when I have downtime, like
I need to have that downtime.
So, you know, that's notsomething that I've even thought
about.

SPEAKER_01 (08:08):
Listen, when you're not so busy running your
business, Marion, what doesMarion like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_02 (08:15):
Yeah, um I I was gonna say like lately a lot of
the fun has been going to umimmigration uh interviews and
also uh visiting ICE facilities,but that may not be as fun for
um a normal person, so I canshare some normal uh activities

(08:35):
for you.
Um it's it's fun.
The other part is uh fun for mebecause I do like interacting
with people from uh, you know,to see how different facilities
are around, just seeing howwhat's happening at the
forefront of something that'ssuch a big hot topic.
Uh, but yeah, I love to do yoga.
I do a lot of yoga, peace ofmind, anything spiritual, and

(08:57):
very much into spiritual books.
And I love to hike.
Um, I live in Florida, sothere's not a lot of hiking, but
we do have a lot of beautifulparks.
And um, I love being in nature,outside, water, uh, the springs,
um, riding my bike.
Just love the outdoors.
And so as much as I can, youknow, try to be outside when I'm

(09:20):
away from my laptop.

SPEAKER_01 (09:22):
Yeah, we're just about out of time, but I want
you to narrow it down to onething.
If we were to limit it to onething that everyone should
remember about my leak law firm,what would that be?

SPEAKER_02 (09:32):
Uh, I think that's uh I mean that's really easy.
I think it's it's not justextremely competent uh services
and um and and and uh and goodwork, but also um heart very,
very heart-based.
Like we are all uh comprised ofimmigrants and we we really

(09:54):
honestly treat everybody likelike our family.
And so uh everybody who comes inthe door is like treated like
family.

SPEAKER_01 (10:03):
Okay, it is one word on every everyone's lips right
now, and that's how.
How can we get more informationon uh Malik Law Firm?

SPEAKER_02 (10:12):
Yeah, we are on the the the best way people contact
us is is through our phonenumber.
Uh we have a website,maliklawimmigration.com.
Uh we're on Google, we're alsoon social media.
I'm Miriam Malik.
On my personal social media, Ishare a lot of immigration news,
and every day I share tidbits ofimmigration news on my platforms

(10:36):
on LinkedIn, Instagram, uh,Facebook, and also we have a
newsletter if you want to signup.
If you go onMaliklawimmigration.com on our
website, you can fill out thecontact us form.
We'll add you to our uh we shareimmigration upgrades also weekly
in our newsletter.
So you'll have access to that aswell, free of charge.

SPEAKER_01 (10:56):
Before you go, uh you mentioned your phone number,
but you never gave it.

SPEAKER_02 (11:01):
Oh, the phone number, yes, it's 646-901-7746.

SPEAKER_01 (11:07):
Well, uh, Marion, it's been a pleasure having you
on the show.
I wish you and your business thevery best moving forward.

SPEAKER_02 (11:12):
Thank you.
Thanks a lot.
Take care.

SPEAKER_00 (11:19):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on the
show, go to gnplive.com.
That's gnplive.com or call eightseven seven nine three four
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