On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, the Supreme Court of Washington disbarred attorney Olga V. Efimova from the practice of law in the state.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Olga V. Efimova,” with case no. 202186-7.
According to the stipulation filed with the Disciplinary Board of the Washington State Bar Association, Efimova represented a Russian asylum seeker named Ivan Fomichev and his family in 2021. It was alleged that during her representation of the Fomichevs, Efimova engaged in multiple acts of dishonest conduct, including falsely claiming to have filed important immigration applications and forms with both the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the immigration court on various dates.
The stipulation states that Efimova told Fomichev and the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which investigates ethical complaints against lawyers, that she filed Fomichev’s Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal (I-589) with USCIS in December 2021. However, this was allegedly false as immigration removal proceedings had commenced against the Fomichev family in January 2022, giving the immigration court exclusive jurisdiction over the I-589 application.
Efimova is also accused of fabricating email communications and filing receipts to make it appear that forms were submitted on times they were not. This includes falsifying I-797C forms that are issued by USCIS to confirm receipt of immigration applications. The numbers on the fake I-797C forms submitted by Efimova actually belonged to other clients.
In addition to the Fomichev matter, the stipulation cites several other instances where Efimova allegedly created fraudulent I-797C forms for other clients using receipt numbers from authentic forms issued to different individuals. In total, the stipulation describes over a dozen falsified I-797C forms that Efimova provided to clients and immigration authorities.
During her deposition with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Efimova is accused of giving false testimony regarding matters related to the alleged misconduct. The stipulation states that if the case went to a public hearing, there is a substantial likelihood that disciplinary counsel could prove the alleged facts by clear evidence.
Rather than proceed to a public hearing, Efimova agreed to stipulate to disbarment to resolve the disciplinary proceeding. On May 7, 2024, the court approved the stipulation, disbarring Efimova from practicing law in the state of Washington.
The Disposition state:
“Olga V. Efimova is disbarred from the practice of law. Pursuant to ELC 13.2, the effective date of disbarment is seven days from the date of this order. Olga V. Efimova shall pay restitution, attorney fees, and costs as provided in the stipulation.”
According to avvo.com, Ms. Efimova was an immigration attorney in Bellevue, Washington. She attended the Seattle University School of Law, graduating in 2017. She acquired her law license in Washington in the same year.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
