V.

Hello,
Attorney fees are expensive!!
I found a place that will do the entire process with Travel and Work for
$4500.
However, I'm wondering if I really need an attorney for steps other than the
Labor Certification.
What do you people think? Do you advice for/against using an attorney for
the I-140 Petition for Alien Worker and I-485 Adjustment of Status? What
about the I-765 work permit during I-485 and the I-131 Travel permit during
the I-485?

Thanks,
V.

Ingo Pakleppa

On Wed, 15 Jan 2003 23:16:19 +0000, V. wrote:

    > Hello,
    > Attorney fees are expensive!!
    > I found a place that will do the entire process with Travel and Work for
    > $4500.
    > However, I'm wondering if I really need an attorney for steps other than the
    > Labor Certification.
    > What do you people think? Do you advice for/against using an attorney for
    > the I-140 Petition for Alien Worker and I-485 Adjustment of Status? What
    > about the I-765 work permit during I-485 and the I-131 Travel permit during
    > the I-485?

You are right that the Labor Certification is the most important part to
hire a lawyer for. Unfortunately, it is also the most expensive part - you
may well pay about the same for just the LC as for everything. Also, be
careful what lawyer you hire. $4500 is the lower end of fees, you found a
cheap lawyer. That is not necessarily a bad sign, but do be sure that he
is a good lawyer. There are some that can bungle your case pretty bad (and
some can be quite expensive!)

V.

Yep, I got this attorney referred to me by AILA - American Immigration
Lawyers Association.
They say on their website "All lawyers participating in the service are
licensed to practice law in a state or territory of the United States and
are currently a member in good standing of a State Bar Association. " When
they say "in good standing", can I assume that means they've never messed up
a case and are reliable?
How can I tell if they are good?

"Ingo Pakleppa" wrote in message
news[email protected]...
    > On Wed, 15 Jan 2003 23:16:19 +0000, V. wrote:
    > > Hello,
    > > Attorney fees are expensive!!
    > > I found a place that will do the entire process with Travel and Work for
    > > $4500.
    > > However, I'm wondering if I really need an attorney for steps other than
the
    > > Labor Certification.
    > > What do you people think? Do you advice for/against using an attorney
for
    > > the I-140 Petition for Alien Worker and I-485 Adjustment of Status? What
    > > about the I-765 work permit during I-485 and the I-131 Travel permit
during
    > > the I-485?
    > You are right that the Labor Certification is the most important part to
    > hire a lawyer for. Unfortunately, it is also the most expensive part - you
    > may well pay about the same for just the LC as for everything. Also, be
    > careful what lawyer you hire. $4500 is the lower end of fees, you found a
    > cheap lawyer. That is not necessarily a bad sign, but do be sure that he
    > is a good lawyer. There are some that can bungle your case pretty bad (and
    > some can be quite expensive!)

Ingo Pakleppa

"in good standing" means a bit less than that. It means that they paid
their dues on time, haven't been convicted of a crime. Messing up a case
might rarely cause them to lose "good standing" if the client files a
complaint, the allegation of professional misconduct is substantiated and
serious enough.

The only way to find out if a lawyer is good is by doing your homework.
Relying on a recommendation from a friend who used his service would be
best. Of course, you would also want to interview the lawyer and make sure
he knows his stuff. Ask him how many cases of your type he has handled
before, etc. Basically, it's not much different from a job interview.

On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 10:56:11 +0000, V. wrote:

    >
    > Yep, I got this attorney referred to me by AILA - American Immigration
    > Lawyers Association.
    > They say on their website "All lawyers participating in the service are
    > licensed to practice law in a state or territory of the United States and
    > are currently a member in good standing of a State Bar Association. " When
    > they say "in good standing", can I assume that means they've never messed up
    > a case and are reliable?
    > How can I tell if they are good?
    >
    > "Ingo Pakleppa" wrote in message
    > news[email protected]...
    >> On Wed, 15 Jan 2003 23:16:19 +0000, V. wrote:
    >> > Hello,
    >> > Attorney fees are expensive!!
    >> > I found a place that will do the entire process with Travel and Work for
    >> > $4500.
    >> > However, I'm wondering if I really need an attorney for steps other than
    > the
    >> > Labor Certification.
    >> > What do you people think? Do you advice for/against using an attorney
    > for
    >> > the I-140 Petition for Alien Worker and I-485 Adjustment of Status? What
    >> > about the I-765 work permit during I-485 and the I-131 Travel permit
    > during
    >> > the I-485?
    >> You are right that the Labor Certification is the most important part to
    >> hire a lawyer for. Unfortunately, it is also the most expensive part - you
    >> may well pay about the same for just the LC as for everything. Also, be
    >> careful what lawyer you hire. $4500 is the lower end of fees, you found a
    >> cheap lawyer. That is not necessarily a bad sign, but do be sure that he
    >> is a good lawyer. There are some that can bungle your case pretty bad (and
    >> some can be quite expensive!)

Jasonvisa

$4500 is high. I can help with cheaper rates. It depends on what you want
done if you need an attorney or not.
I am an affordable, experienced immigration attorney. Please e-mail me at
[email protected] or visit www.EnterAmerica.com for a free consultation
and additional information.