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Derek A. DeCosmo, Esquire

Of Counsel

Derek A. DeCosmo, Esquire

Derek DeCosmo is the managing partner in his own law firm, and also serves as of counsel to the firm of Rosenberg | Perry & Associates. Derek A. DeCosmo has worked in both the private and public sectors on behalf of New Jersey’s immigrants. Derek handles all immigration and criminal matters with a focus on complex deportation and criminal defense.

Derek has represented clients in the Federal United States District Courts, and Circuit Courts of Appeal United States, the Superior Courts of New Jersey, the Appellate Division of New Jersey, the Citizenship & Immigration Service, the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Administrative Appeals Office. During his time in government, first as an aide and later as Deputy Chief of Staff to Congressman Robert E. Andrews, Derek worked to ensure the rights of immigrants in the benefits and application process.

In 2008 Derek established DeCosmo Law, a full-service Immigration Law Firm specializing in Criminal-Immigration matters. After years of practicing general Immigration Law and working on immigration issues from a public policy standpoint, Derek decided to focus his practice on the defense of immigrants in both removal and criminal court proceedings. When he started DeCosmo Law, he was one of the few attorneys in the seven most southern counties of New Jersey in this area. In 2013, Derek joined the prestigious criminal defense law firm, Zucker Steinberg & Wixted. For five years, Derek led the firm’s Immigration Law Group and represented both U.S. citizens and noncitizens in criminal and municipal court matters.

Derek’s advocacy on behalf of New Jersey’s immigrant communities led to his selection as 2014-2015 Chairman for the New Jersey Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which has over 10,000 members nationwide.

In 2016 Rutgers School of Law asked Derek to develop and teach a course on “crimmigration” law, which studies the historical and contemporary relationship between criminal and immigration law. The course explores how individuals perceived to have violated a criminal offense are treated in the immigration system, how individuals thought not to be citizens of the United States are uniquely affected by criminal prosecutions. Derek has served as a Part-Time Lecturer at Rutgers School of Law from 2016 to the present.

In 2018 Derek founded DeCosmo & Rolón and serves as managing partner. Decosmo & Rolón is a boutique immigration law and criminal defense firm. The firm specializes in handling the most complex deportation and criminal matters.

When not in a courtroom or teaching other lawyers and law students, Derek is passionate about donating his time to charitable causes and giving back to the community. He hosts lectures at various churches and organizations to inform the community of their legal rights. As a native of Burlington County, Derek knew from the start that serving the communities of South Jersey would be central to his practice. Derek and his wife along with their two children reside in Gloucester County, New Jersey.

Education

  • University of Rutgers School of Law-Camden, 2005, J.D.
  • Albright College, 2001, Communications Major

Admissions

  • New Jersey Bar
  • Pennsylvania Bar
  • United States District Court of New Jersey
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Professional Associations

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) – New Jersey Chapter, Chairman
  • NJ Chapter of AILA, Chairman
  • PA Chapter of AILA
  • Camden County Bar Association, Immigration Committee Chair 2017-2018

Honors and Awards

  • Selected to New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2015 – 2018
  • Selected to New Jersey Monthly’s Top Attorneys, 2015-2018
  • Selected to South Jersey Magazine’s Top Attorneys, 2018
  • AV-Preeminent Rated by Martindale Hubbell, 2015-2018
  • Top Attorney Rated by AVVO, 2015-2018

Teaching

  • Presented CLE course to the Camden County Bar Association titled “Everything a criminal defense attorney needs to know when representing a noncitizen client.”, 2018-Present
  • Presented CLE course to the NJ Chapter of the Federal Bar Association titled “Immigration Executive Orders and Deferred Action.”, 2015 – Present
  • Presented CLE course during the Camden County Bar Association’s Black Letter Blast on Criminal Law titled “Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity.”, 2015 – Present
  • Presented CLE for the Camden County Bar titled “Avoiding Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Claims, a New Jersey Defense Attorney’s Guide to Representing Non-Citizen Clients.”, 2014 – Present
  • Presented CLE for the Mercer County Bar Association on “Immigration Issues in Family Law.”, 2012 – Present
  • Presented to the Rutgers School of Law on “Impact of SB 1070, Arizona’s Anti-Immigration Law”, 2011 – Present