How many of you used a lawyer to help you

[Turboguy 6]

When I started this I planned to use a lawyer. The more I read the more I realized that it would increase the time and raise the risk of problems. I am doing my second K-1 and would never consider a lawyer unless there were some complications in the process.

I can relate to the stories about temperatures. To escape the siberian winters I meet my fiancee in Egypt in December to spend some time together. The temps were about in the low 70's. I was running around in stort sleeve shirts, my fiancee in summer clothes and many of the natives were wearing winter coats.

[JODO 2]

I did not use a lawyer,but I had been exposed to immigration law in law school, so I felt pretty good that I could do it on my own. So far so good...However, if one has a complicated case that is not straight-forward, I would recommend retaining an AILA attorney.

[natronic 0]

We used a lawyer, but that was before I found this site. Plus I wanted to be sure things were done right the first time so there would be no holdups in the process.

[isleta521 5]

We used a lawyer and was a waste of close to 3k and 4 weeks and almost ruinned everything at our interview due to THEIR inneptness. Sometimes (not always) because they call themselves immigration lawyers doesnt mean they are expert and up to date with immigration law- much less give you top service.

You may find that once you commit to a lawyer they may not be committed to you. In fact you will be perhaps one in about 50 + cases that are on their agenda so dont be surprised if you are not their top priority.

As others have said, if your case does not have complications, you should be fine doing it yourself.

Good luck and welcome to VJ!!

[Lisa and Spence 0]

We did not use a lawyer, I just followed the instructions to the letter and turned the forms in myself. We didn't find this site until a week or two after sending the original packet in... but I didn't get an RFE, so it was all good.

Since my fiance is English, we are the same age and didn't meet through a dating website, I felt that our petition was pretty straight forward and wouldn't be flagged as suspicious.

So far, so good... no RFE's at all and he was approved!

Good luck on your journey!

Lisa

[omeysgirl 0]

Wow, thank you guys so much for your quick responses. Lots of support here. I wish I would have found this site before I sent off the paperwork. According to the K-1 flowchart I should have made copies of everything. And I didnt. I can reproduce most of it but not the money order itself. UGH.

[TimsDaisy 0]

Lots of us found this after mailing things off - don't worry too much, I think even people who came here before filing feel like they'd have changed or added something in retrospect. We all second guess until we have our NOA2s and Visas in hand.

Lawyers can be useful if you have a complicated case. (I will say that we consulted with one, but did not retain one, like Yodrak said, and that was because we had talked with her long before the fiance visa was even applicable to us, because of an overstayed I-94 and a subsequent removal (denied entry at POE), but she advised us that those problems, because of their details, weren't likely to present enough of a problem that we needed to pay her more money for anything).

But if anyone wants a lawyer, it's important, as others have said, to find a qualified FAMILY-BASED immigration attorney to help you along. Just because there's many kinds of visas all called visas, doesn't make their application processes similar at all. Lots of lawyers specialize in work-based visas, because that can bring in a lot of money. But there aren't that many family specialist because those don't often have a lot of legal work to be done with them - so a lawyer might not be so up on things.

As was warned here - there is NO SUBSTITUTE for making sure YOU know what is going on, even if you hire a lawyer. You need to read all the instructions and do your best to be educated on the process and what you need to do. Lawyers are not magic. They don't know the answers by divine gift. And they can be wrong and make big mistakes too.

Anyone who is more comfortable with professional help should get it - but make sure it really is professional help. Call your state bar for names of attorneys in your area, and remember you should be able to meet with them and ask about their qualifications and experience BEFORE you sign any contract or promise to may them any money at all. Some make charge a small consultation fee, but many will - and should - meet with you first to see if they can even help you at all before taking a dime.

It's buyer-beware when retaining an attorney - do your homework and make sure you know what's going on.

[psho 0]

No lawyers here....Nolo series Fiance & Marriage book!!!

Same here -- used the book and checked around here if there were things that I found confusing.

[Aymerlu 3]

I started with an attorney ONLY because a friend of mine was doing an intern at this office and it would be free. He was a Fkuctard and I ended up doing it myself.

[JoeMama 0]

I started with an attorney ONLY because a friend of mine was doing an intern at this office and it would be free. He was a Fkuctard and I ended up doing it myself.

What is a "Fkuctard"? Is it new phrase all the kids are saying today?

[Aymerlu 3]

I started with an attorney ONLY because a friend of mine was doing an intern at this office and it would be free. He was a Fkuctard and I ended up doing it myself.

What is a "Fkuctard"? Is it new phrase all the kids are saying today?

another word I like to make up

[TimsDaisy 0]

I started with an attorney ONLY because a friend of mine was doing an intern at this office and it would be free. He was a Fkuctard and I ended up doing it myself.

What is a "Fkuctard"? Is it new phrase all the kids are saying today?

another word I like to make up

I was wondering if your friend was doing an internship or doing an intern - something decidely more, uh, personal?

[Jasman0717 8]

I knew nothing about visas or the process when I first joined VJ but by following the guides we blew right through the visa petition and AOS. Next stop, lifting conditions and you can damn better believe I will be studying the guides for that

[JoeMama 0]

I started with an attorney ONLY because a friend of mine was doing an intern at this office and it would be free. He was a Fkuctard and I ended up doing it myself.

What is a "Fkuctard"? Is it new phrase all the kids are saying today?

another word I like to make up

I was wondering if your friend was doing an internship or doing an intern - something decidely more, uh, personal?

For some reason, Monica Lewinsky just flashed through my mind! I'll give credit where it's due...that's a good one!

I wonder if a cigar was involved "in" the intern(ship)?

[Yodrak 7]

TimsDaisy,

I was wondering the same thing, but either way he failed to follow prudent hiring procedures as outlined in your other post, hired the attorney for all the wrong reasons, and got what he paid for.

Let's hope others learn from this exchange. Whether it's an attorney or an auto mechanic, one should check out a service provider before hiring them.

Yodrak

I started with an attorney ONLY because a friend of mine was doing an intern at this office and it would be free. He was a Fkuctard and I ended up doing it myself.

I was wondering if your friend was doing an internship or doing an intern - something decidely more, uh, personal?