CURIOUS

[boardashell_2000 0]

Up to this point I have found Visa Journey is all that I need...Orginally I was asking a family friend who is an immigration lawyer questions..but since he was in a different state and also helping me for free it wasn't easy to get in touch with him..My fiance found this website and up to this date the people on here have answered every question...Visa Journey is mos def the way to go!!!!!!!!!!

Hi,

Well, i just want to know about hiring LAWYERS for the visa process. How helpful it is. Anyone here who have particularly

hired the Holmes & Lolly Immigration Attorneys. How efficient they are and the firm's feedbacks in general about their quality of service. I would like to believe that they are really almost nothing but their job is to look over your papers and tell you to correct some blanks you mistakenly filled out. Not at all help to speed up the process. Could they also guide us or give us some tips for the interview. Also, i notice they are nice when you are inquiring about the process and letting you know the advantage of hiring of a firm or a lawyer to help you up. But it seems after awhile they would become less attentive to you (thats after you have hired them). Even when you have urgent matters to address.

I have read posts here complaining about their lawyers, different reasons, simply not helping at all sometimes a cause of delay for some like i read on post of orinai. We, who have hired lawyers would definitely expect some difference about this process, thats why they are there to help us just like whats on their ads. But i noticed that ever since we become member of this site and becoming one of the many who are on the same journey, I NEVER SAW OR READ any post saying they are THANKFUL that they hired lawyers(Or i must have missed them?). Or commending a law firm for the great help they did or for a good quality service they have rendered. And same thing no one ever recommended hiring lawyers because they think its a waste of money, just not making any difference if you do it yourself. All are negatives, why is that?

What do you think? Give me some thoughts please.

Marivic

[bora bora 1]

It seems I've read alot of posts of couples complaining about their lawyer - the lawyer sent the paperwork to a wrong address, lost it, made a mistake, etc.

However, I know that some couples hire one because they do NOT have straightforward cases and need legal advice.

Personally, I think it is unnecessary. We didn't use one and I'm glad of that.

[Turboguy 6]

I got an RFE even WITH a lawyer - worthless, worthless worthless. I wouldn't recommend one unless a case is very complicated. I hired a lawyer before I knew of this site, however. I never would have had I come here first.

That sounds pretty typical. I would almost take a bet if there were statistics that there would be more RFE's with lawyers than without.

Back to the original quesion, How useful are lawyers? About as useful as a wart on your nose unless you have complications.

[meauxna 15]

There's no need to hire a lawyer. Anyone who takes the time to read everything thoroughly should be able to fill out all the forms. USCIS does a good job of explaining what's needed. Take the time to read the forms, double and triple check and then triple check again and you'll be fine.

Definitions of phrases used on VJ

AOS approved but waiting for name checks = AOS still pending

touched = No change in my status, but I still check every hour

it's not fair = I am just now realizing that life is not fair

You are an idiot = I don't like you

we basically agree = I'm tired of arguing and have conceded

you don't need a lawyer = I didn't use a lawyer and I'm willing to risk your future with my advice

go for it = I'm willing to risk your future with my advice

any phrase beginning with "You should..." = I'm willing to risk your future with my advice

-john_and_marlene circa 2006

[jo&john 1]

We didn't hire a lawyer. It was (and still is) a joint effort of my USC fiance (now husband) and me. Following instructions on the USCIS forms and joining VJ helped a lot. There is so much to learn from the forums here. The Guides, visa FAQs, sample forms are of great help and of course the experiences of VJ members.

Edited January 29, 2007 by jo&john

[bostonparis 0]

The process can seem very daunting when first starting out. That's why I hired an attorney. I honestly had no idea how straightforward a process it is. Yes, long and frustrating, but easy enough if you're organized and have some grey matter. I was scared I would do things wrong, so I hired one. Sure, they filled out the forms and wrote a pretty little cover letter... but got an RFE for a divorce decree. Had *I* been the one putting this together, I would have been on VJ asking, and found out that it can't just be the judgement nisi. Why the lawyers didn't say or know that, who knows? But, I found VJ before it was WAY too late!

[TimsDaisy 0]

If you need some reassurance, try to find a lawyer and have a consultation. A good lawyer (read: not someone desparate to pay the office rent) should evaluate your case first, before charging you a cent. At the very least, if a lawyer or service wants to charge you - you need a document clearly spelling out the terms and what is provided for whatever money you hand over.

For my fiance and I, we first contacted an attorney months before we were engaged and it was regarding his being refused entry and the fallout from that. There was a consultation fee - after we had fully explained the situation - that was not overly-expensive for us, but might strain others' budgets. He had about an hour's worth of time, plus the ability to call and follow up with questions in the same area rather indefinitely. Once we became engaged, I called and said, look, here's the sitch, and basically asked how much was left on the clock, as it were, since this was a new process.

She said for us to come in (just ended up being my fiance since I had to return to the US) and she would see if there was anything she could be of help with.

I give her much credit for spending another hour with my fiance on short notice and basically advising him that we did not need to retain her for anything now, but to come back if we felt lost in the future. That's the mark of a good attorney - one who is honest enough to say "I could take a thousand pounds sterling from you, because you won't really know you don't need to pay it, but I won't, because that'd be wrong."

The best advice she gave to my fiance to relay to me was: tell her not to be a lawyer.

I am a lawyer (NOT an immigration attorney and NOT your attorney or anyone else's here at VJ) and we lawyers have a tendency to over-read EVERYTHING to death. That actually does you a disservice in this process and piles on the stress. The forms are (sometimes to a fault) written like newspapers: to a very novice lay person with below-average reading skills. Sometimes this makes them skip steps (for instance, would it kill them to include a paragraph on what is "primary" and what is "secondary" evidence in the I-129F instructions instead of saving those nuggets for the RFE? No, it wouldn't. And it might save everyone time and money - but I digress).

The point is this: unless you have a set of circumstances so different that you can't find an analogous couple here or on another similar site, then go have a consultation. If you have average circumstance, dedicate a weekend to reading as much of this site as you can, post questions, and go for it on your own.

Lastly- if you do hire a lawyer, in any US jurisdiction, and you feel like that lawyer is either giving you the run-around, not being responsive (to phone or emails, etc), making mistakes (wrong addresses, etc) or trying to take your money to do something in which he/she has no experience - call the state bar for the state in which your lawyer works. All jurisdictions have oversight and strict disciplinary measures to use against bad lawyers. For Cali - you would go to www.calbar.ca.gov or call 1-800-843-9053 to lodge a complaint. You can also call your state bar for a referrel for a qualified expert in your area.

[esojrd 0]

There's no need to hire a lawyer. Anyone who takes the time to read everything thoroughly should be able to fill out all the forms. USCIS does a good job of explaining what's needed. Take the time to read the forms, double and triple check and then triple check again and you'll be fine.

Definitions of phrases used on VJ

AOS approved but waiting for name checks = AOS still pending

touched = No change in my status, but I still check every hour

it's not fair = I am just now realizing that life is not fair

You are an idiot = I don't like you

we basically agree = I'm tired of arguing and have conceded

you don't need a lawyer = I didn't use a lawyer and I'm willing to risk your future with my advice

go for it = I'm willing to risk your future with my advice

any phrase beginning with "You should..." = I'm willing to risk your future with my advice

-john_and_marlene circa 2006

You have to take what people write with a grain of salt and use common sense. I stated in my post that "anyone who takes the time to read everything thoroughly should be able to fill out all the forms." If you don't take the time to read it then that's your fault and no one's elses. That goes for everything. If you where to buy an electronic equipment but didn't feel like reading the documentation it comes with then chances are you won't know how to use it to it's fullest. Common sense.

I read all the forms carefully and checked everything numerous times. These forms are not that difficult if you take time to actually go through them. If I tell you that you don't need a lawyer to fill out the forms IF YOU READ THEM AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS THOROUGHLY how is it my fault if you mess up?

[trlittle 0]

Did not use a lawyer and did not find VJ until after I filed. I made a few mistakes (like form 325 instead of 325a) but fixed them after double checking and a couple of weeks of mailing back and forth. Also I did not include a cover letter, just the app and a list of attachments. Then again I think my case is very straightforward and would recommend that people use a lawyer for more complicated cases or if they are uncomfortable with filling out government forms. Even though I did not recieve an RFE even if I did the delay probably would not have been long enough for a cause of concern. That being said I am very happy I found VJ and I believe it will help make the rest of the process much easier for me.

Edited January 30, 2007 by trlittle