HOW TO CHOOSE AN IMMIGRATION LAWYER
Choosing an immigration lawyer can be
daunting. Immigration is a complicated process: You need someone who is
proactive, knowledgeable and sympathetic to your situation. The process
requires time, diligence and tireless attention to detail. It is also a
collaboration that involves constant cooperation and communication between you
and your attorney. So before you hire an immigration attorney, learn what
separates a good immigration lawyer for a great one – do your research before
your first consultation.
Specializes exclusively in immigration law
and has broad immigration law experience. Immigration law is very complex and
is extraordinarily detail-intensive. A lawyer who claims to have immigration
law experience will not necessarily have the same expertise as one who
practices immigration law exclusively. Often, attorneys who practice
immigration as well as other fields such as corporate or family law, do not
have a great understanding of immigration law as a whole. More often than not,
they have some understanding of simple petitions and may handle standard cases,
but they tend not to have broad immigration law experience or expertise for
more complicated cases.
Practices in a multi-lawyer firm. When you
hire an attorney, you are not hiring just one person to handle your case, you
are hiring a team of legal professionals. The advantage of hiring an attorney
from a multi-lawyer practice is that your attorney will have an immediate pool
of additional resources. No one can be an expert in everything – having a team
of talented and experienced lawyers working closely together will inspire and
allow your attorney to tackle a myriad of different issues.
Is well-known and well-respected in the
community. Immigration law is a very specialized field and reputation is
everything. Before hiring an immigration lawyer, do your research to find out
if your lawyer is a respected member of the professional community. Check your
lawyer’s credentials to ascertain whether he or she is authorized to practice
law (i.e. has passed the Bar and remains in good standing), and research his or
her track record. Your local state bar website will disclose if your attorney
has any complaints or violations that have been filed against them. The American
Immigration Lawyer Association (AILA), is another good resource. This is the
official professional organization for immigration lawyers and can provide you
with recommendations on immigration lawyers in your area. However, membership
in AILA does not guarantee a lawyer’s experience or success record.
What to Expect from Your Attorney:
When you attend your first consultation,
pay attention to your attorney’s demeanor with you and with the rest of the
staff. Your attorney should be familiar with the law and able to answer your
questions and concerns directly. The consultation should start soon after you
complete any necessary paperwork. Ideally, the firm should feel inviting and
professional. Company culture and relations among staff members are crucial factors
in establishing a positive atmosphere. It has been proven time and again that
the best law firms have professionals who can work together as a team. In our
experience, a friendly work environment and true emphasis on teamwork add
tremendous value for our clients.
HOW TO SELECT AN IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY
Immigration law is one of the most complex areas of law. Selecting the right immigration attorney can make the difference between obtaining a green card or being forced to leave the United States. Immigration Attorney Carl Shusterman, a former INS Attorney (1976-82) whose law firm has assisted thousands of persons across the US in obtaining temporary visas, permanent residence and US citizenship for over 30 years, explains what you should look for in choosing an immigration attorney to represent you
Before you visit the attorney’s website, google him to see what others have written about him or her, especially former clients and fellow immigration attorneys. Check other search engines and rating services. Has he written blogs posts regarding the specific problem that you have? Make sure that he does not have a disciplinary record with the State Bar.
Go to a Law Firm which is Professional and
Knowledgeable
“Very professional law firm. We had a
difficult issue and Mr. Shusterman’s office got right onto the case and
resolved the issue with USCIS. Because of their efforts, me and my family were
able to get our Legal Permanent Residency card. My suggestion to those trying to
obtain employment based card. Don’t look for money saving attorney. They will
cost you lot more in long run. Go to a law firm which is professional and
knowledgeable. It pays in the long term.”
Choosing the Right Immigration Attorney for
You
How much experience practicing immigration
law does the attorney have? Is he a Certified Specialist in Immigration Law?
Has he ever worked as an attorney for the Immigration Service?
Tips For Finding The Best Immigration
Lawyer For You
One of the most important choices
immigrants make is hiring the best immigration lawyer to represent them before
the USCIS or in Immigration Court. The same is true for employers. We all share
the urge to get the best deal we can get, but often saving money and obtaining
the best representation are polar opposites
HIRE A CERTIFIED SPECIALIST
Immigrants frequently choose attorneys just
because they speak their language or are from the same country as they are.
Some immigration attorneys have built huge followings by blanketing ethnic
newspapers with ads touting their successes. Other attorneys, including Yours
Truly, are known largely through their websites
However, speaking a particular language,
running big ads, or having a popular website is no guarantee of quality.
Expertise and experience are far more important than “self-advertised or paid”
prominence.
HOW IMPORTANT IS LOCATION?
Immigration law is federal. Therefore, an
immigration lawyer in Texas or California can represent corporate and
individual clients in all 50 states. For example, during the past few weeks,
attorneys in our law firm flew to New York City, Reno, Dallas, and Philadelphia
to represent clients. In a typical case, however, the petitions and
applications are simply mailed to the USCIS, and no interview is required.
FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THE LAWYER ONLINE
There are a host of websites that you can
use to learn more about the lawyer you are interested in hiring to represent
you
ARE YOU SEEKING TO HIRE THE BEST
IMMIGRATION LAWYERS? HERE RE A FEW GUIDELINES TO HELP YOUR SEARCH
What Should You Look For When You Are
Seeking To Hire An Immigration Lawyer or Immigration Attorney To Handle Your
Immigration Law Case?
There seem to be so many people out there
that prepare immigration visas and work permits and visa applications. But how
do you know that they are good? Since this is a very personal process don’t you
want to be sure that you hire the very best immigration attorney? How do you
know if you are hiring the very best immigration lawyer(s) to assist you, your
family or your employer with a process that is so incredibly complex and
personal?
There are many people that purport to do
immigration work on the internet. Some advertise very cheap prices. Should you
shop a process like this based upon price? When you have a particular ailment
do you seek the cheapest doctor you can find or do you look for the very best
doctor that you can find who is capable of providing you (and your family) with
the very best information, the very best service and the very best ability to
respond to your medical concerns? Picking an immigration lawyer a to assist you
should be no different
Going back to the issue of specialty in the
immigration law field, you will want to check out the various specialties that
are handled by a particular immigration lawyer or law firm. Instead of picking
the largest law firm that handles a volume of cases, it may be in your best
interest to find an immigration and nationality law firm that focuses on
specific immigration law area. Immigration law is a very complex area and it
seems to be constantly changing as immigration law is a “political football”
that tends to change constantly depending upon such things as the state of the
economy, perceptions on Wall Street, the need for STEM workers in the U.S., the
desire for the U.S. to open its doors to Foreign National – Alien –
Entrepreneurs, and/or the desire or need for temporary skilled or unskilled
foreign national labor. As the area of immigration and nationality law
continues to change, law firms have continued to become specialized with regard
to the types of immigration law practice that they undertake.
For example, some immigration law firms
concentrate their practice(s) in the area of family-based immigration law.
These law firms or practitioners sometimes handle waivers and provisional
waivers of inadmissibility, CSPA, Humanitarian Reinstatements and some do not.
Other immigration law firms and immigration practitioners concentrate their
practices in the area of business immigration law. These firms focus on
assisting the employer and their Human Resources staff to understand the
nuances of temporary nonimmigrant transfers such as H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-3 visa
petitions, etc. These immigration and nationality law firms also assist with
permanent transfers of foreign national to the U.S. using pre-certified green
card classifications such as the National Interest Waiver (NIW), the
Outstanding Researcher, Multinational Executive or Nurses in the Schedule A,
Group I classification. These immigration law firms or immigration law
practitioners may assist with permanent transfers of foreign nationals to the
U.S. using the PERM Labor Certification process
However, now that the business immigration
law arena has become much more complex, some business immigration law firms
have expanded their levels of service so that they can assist employers with
H-1B Site Visits, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Labor Condition Application
(LCA) investigations and I-9 Form Employment Eligibility Verification Audit
investigations
Tips for Choosing an Immigration Lawyer
There’s a fair bit of paperwork to get done
during the immigration process, and you may feel overwhelmed when you first sit
down to prepare your immigration forms. You might begin to wonder if you need
to hire an immigration lawyer to manage the process. However, if your case is
fairly straightforward, you should be able to manage things on your own.
There are good reasons, though, to hire an
immigration lawyer to handle your case. If you run into a snag partway through
the process, you might need legal assistance to work through the issue. If your
immigration situation is complicated, or if you simply don’t have the time or
confidence to prepare the forms yourself, you might benefit from the help of an
immigration lawyer.
Get references. Ask family, friends or
colleagues if they know any immigration lawyers. Even if they haven’t been
through immigration themselves, they may be able to connect you with someone
they know who has retained the services of an immigration lawyer. People are
quick to recommend a good lawyer and even quicker to name a poor one, which can
be a great help when you’re beginning your search.
Search AILA. Search for a lawyer on the
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) website. AILA is a national
association of lawyers and attorneys who teach and practice immigration law, so
you can be reasonably certain you’re dealing with someone who understands
immigration law and policies. If you’re starting your research from scratch,
you can search for a lawyer in your area. If you’ve been given the names of a
few lawyers, you can look them up to see if they are members. While membership
in AILA is not a requirement to practice immigration law, membership can be a
good indication of a lawyer’s level of commitment to the practice.
Interview your short list. Interview
potential lawyers to find one who matches your needs. Ask them if they have any
experience with your type of case. Immigration law is a huge specialty, so
you’ll want a lawyer who is familiar with your type of case. If the lawyers
provide client references, use the contacts to get a better understanding of
the lawyers’ work styles