The Client Experience
I provide assistance for couples where one is a U.S. citizen and the other is a foreign national. The foreign national can be either in the United States or abroad and is seeking to be able to live and work legally and indefinitely in the United States.
I start the process by interviewing the couple during an initial consultation. My consult fee is $300. It is important for me to sit down and speak with you so that I can get all the information that I need to make a proper assessment. It also takes time for me to explain the process. During our meeting, I will assess the facts and circumstances of your case, provide you with a case strategy, and with an overview of the entire process. If you do not have a good case, I will honestly explain that to you as well. If the foreign national is abroad, I usually patch him or her in via Skype or Google Hangout.
During your consultation, I can provide you with a quote for legal fees. I generally charge a flat fee for my services, with a retainer taken up front and the rest being paid in one or two installments over the life of the case. My legal fees do not include the government filing fees. I also take a small incidentals fee up front to cover standard reimbursable fees such as FedEx and photocopies for your case filing. You will know all of your fees up front.
Once I am hired, I will work with you on your case. With my law office, you get me. I will be the one overseeing your paperwork, contacting you for follow up and appearing with you at any interviews (in the United States). Although you will have your homework, I try to keep things as simple as possible and will aim to work with your needs and schedule.
It is important to have an immigration attorney assist you. Immigration law is complex and there is more to it than form filling. It has been said that it is second in complexity only to the U.S. tax code. The consequences of a denial of a case can also be severe. I have had many couples and families come in to hire me to fix or attempt to fix their case after something went wrong when they applied on their own. Besides preventing mistakes with filing, there is a tremendous value in hiring an attorney for the peace of mind and guidance that you will receive.