Shopping for US immigration lawyers: What to ask in consultation?
<p>I am in the process of finding an attorney to help with my Green Card application. I consider myself very knowledgeable about this subject, but I am not an expert nor do I have any personal experience. My case is pretty straightforward and I expect that the application will be successful, but I want to hire a professional to avoid the stress of doing everything myself, as well as ensure that I don't cause any unnecessary issues for myself through an error on my part.</p>

<p>I have never had significant business with an attorney before. There are many attorneys in my area, and all of them seem to want a consultation to discuss any details (including price). However, I'm finding this process a bit confusing and difficult. Even though my application is mostly finished, they don't want to look at it in detail until I actually hire them (usually the consultation is free or much cheaper than their services). They often assure that my case will be simple, but that doesn't help me choose which one to actually hire. After some thinking, I've come up with my own list of what an attorney can compete on. Ranked from most important to least, it is:</p>

<ul>
<li>Accuracy: Make sure the application doesn't get unnecessarily denied or delayed due to how it's filled</li>
<li>Speed: Prepare and submit everything quickly.</li>
<li>Friendliness and not being distracted by other cases while dealing with mine.</li>
<li>Experience: Ideally with other people from my country, but also family green cards in general.</li>
<li>Price and value (most want to charge a flat fee for this).</li>
</ul>

<p>Generally, in a consultation a lawyer reviews the client's case and tells them what can be done about it. However, I already have a good idea of this from personal research as well as previous consultation. My goal in the consultation is really to figure out how competitive the lawyer is in the five areas I've listed above.</p>

<p>So, what should I ask during the consultation to help me determine which lawyer is most suitable for me? I would have liked to simply pull out the above list, and say "I am shopping around and I will hire the person who best meets these criteria, give me your pitch on how well you can meet them", but that would probably be a rude thing to do.</p>

<p>Only hire specialists in immigration with at least several years of experience (ask him or her about this).</p>

<p>Hire an attorney and not just a notary.</p>

<p>Hire someone who has someone in the office who speaks your native language.</p>

<p>Hire someone for whom you can afford to pay the entire fee.</p>

<p>Look at Yelp and other online reviews.</p>

<p>Check the Attorney Registration website in your state to make sure that the lawyer is still in good standing in your state.</p>

<p>Get referrals and anti-referrals from people you know who have used immigration lawyers. </p>

<p>See if he or she seems to know what he's talking about and what you're talking about in your initial meeting and ask for a time and fee estimate.</p>

<p>Remember that your goal is to hire someone who can get the job done. Don't stress about whether this is the best person for the job.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"I am shopping around and I will hire the person who best meets these
  criteria, give me your pitch on how well you can meet them", but that
  would probably be a rude thing to do.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Forget about being rude or not. No lawyer will admit incompetence or lack of diligence. Those who have screwed up any cases are not going to tell you truthfully <em>how</em> that happened.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>not being distracted by other cases while dealing with mine.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>You can't prevent that from happening. Lawyers handle various cases simultaneously, and to them your case is just another one in their queue. Moreover, attorneys typically file documents on the deadline, which is too risky because unforeseen events might cause the lawyer to miss a deadline.</p>

<p>You might want to ask for verifiable, redacted logs or records of cases they've handled which are reasonably similar to yours. I have asked (and been provided with) that in the context of fund management, although I have my doubts that a lawyer would be open to a scrutiny of his or her performance. Despite the existence of the <em>attorney-client</em> privilege, a lawyer could still produce redacted logs without preempting your ability to verify with the DOL &amp; USCIS records the timing and outcomes of that lawyer's representations.</p>

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