Mr.
Fikremariam has been a the client advocate in African Services' legal
services program since 1999. In this role, he prepares political asylum
cases and immigration applications, represents clients at SSI hearings,
and organizes workshops for HIV-positive clients to provide them with
updated legal information. Since 2001, he has been representing clients
before USCIS adjustment interviews and in immigration court as a Board
of Immigration Appeals-accredited representative. Prior to joining
African Services, Getachew worked as an independent paralegal on
immigration cases. Originally from Ethiopia, he had a long legal career
in Addis Ababa, where he served as a civil court judge for seven years
and legal counsel for five years. Getachew holds an LLB (Law) from
Addis Ababa University and has completed legal training at Cornell
University in immigration law and trial advocacy. He speaks Amharic,
French, English and some German.
