Lawyer or No Lawyer

[Russ&Caro 1,548]

2010 - Seattle - paid $300 initial consult fee with attorney who just went over the expected fees ($5,000!) and not much else.

2013 - Chicago - paid $200 initial consult fee with AILA attorney who gave very valuable advice just as our relationship started.

2014 - Albuquerque - free initial consult with AILA attorney. She listened as I explained our immigration situation and she told me that 95% of men in my situation (good income, visits to my fiance's home country), do it themselves and are successful. Recommended that I only see her if I ran into complications.

Two out of three of the attorneys I spoke with gave me good advice and ultimately advised that I do it myself. My wife's visa is issued but it's not in her hands yet.

I'm definitely not anti-attorney. Some of the complicated situations I read about here on Visa Journey amaze me when I hear that the petitioners refuse to employ an attorney. A rule of thumb that I would use is that if you can't afford an attorney, then you probably shouldn't be pursuing a relationship with someone from another country, as there are so many costs associated with it. I'd maybe make an exception for Canada or Mexico.

[MiaPA 12]

We didn't use a lawyer for me. My husband had actually went and consulted with a lawyer and got a price quote and I told him no way, we don't need one.

Even though I was completely lost in the paperwork and confused in every direction, we got it done with no errors. I do wish i would have known about this site back then, it would have made it a lot easier.

[AmAjjD 33]

Unless you have a serious issue with your case (such as a denied visa) there is really no need for one. There's more than enough information here, and plenty of people who have actually experienced your issues to help answer questions. A lawyer personally hasn't gone through the things the people on here have. And I find that trusting this site is a lot more trustworthy.

[hearsay 1]

I hope everyone takes a look at this topic. I feel, especially with forums such as VJ, that a lawyer is highly unnecessary. Yes, there are some circumstance that warrant an attorney, but you can do it. I feel that if I would have hired a lawyer I would have had to correct and monitor their every move making it ten times more stressful.

The process is doable by anyone who completed 6th grade.

[j&ana 363]

Most people on here probably did not use a lawyer since this a DIY site.

however whether to use one or not is up to the person and in some cases it might be better to use one but for simple straight forward cases (that is the majority of cases) a lawyer is not needed.

Edited October 6, 2015 by j&ana

[hearsay 1]

Most people on here probably did not use a lawyer since this a DIY site.

however whether to use one or not is up to the person and in some cases it might be better to use one but for simple straight forward cases (that is the majority of cases) a lawyer is not needed.

Many posts on this site are from those who have hired a lawyer. Read the first page of this forum for instance.

i.e. "We love our lawyer"

I would never label this site as a DIY -

If I had to hire a lawyer I would still use this site just to see if other that have been through the same experience can shed light on the situation, for example.

[j&ana 363]

see the votes results yes = 29 votes no= 176 votes. That tells me most people on here did not use a lawyer. More of the people that reply might of use one but the majority of people on this site did not

and yes this is condsider a DIY site

Edited October 7, 2015 by j&ana

[hearsay 1]

Ok, ok, you win.

[j&ana 363]

Ok, ok, you win.

I was not trying to win anything I simply stated my opinion base on facts. You reply that I was wrong. I reply back with the facts to back my opinion

I am actually for people to use a lawyer if they want to regardless if their case is complicated or not This process is stressful enough and if a person feels a lawyer is better for them then they should use one

Edited October 7, 2015 by j&ana

[Joshua@Tinz 52]

$4900 wasted here, must have seen this sucker coming a mile away,I am constantly making corrections, I dont recommend it unless you know for sure your gonna need a lawyer

Edited October 8, 2015 by Joshua@Tinz

[aminah 6]

I think using a lawyer is a waste of time and money. I've known several people that have used them for K1 and CR1 visas and really they could have done it themselves and gotten better results. I would hire a lawyer only if there was a problem.

[EM_Vandaveer 2,377]

No lawyer, no RFEs. Yes VJ

AOS, ROC & N-400 done.

[MsCompE 50]

We did the paperworks ourselves and it was pretty quick