David Meade

This post is a little off subject but I thought someone may have some ideas. I am
sure others have dealt with lawyers in the past in similar situations. I am writing
regarding a friend who has filed an I-140. She was persuaded by the petitioner (this
is a petition for a healthcare worker) to use a lawyer to file her petition. She paid
a hefty retainer and was supposed to pay monthly for the remainder of the legal bills
relative to the duration of her petition. There have been problems with scheduling
the training which was to be done for the healthcare job and she has not started
working yet. She received a bill from her lawyer the other day stating that if she
does not continue making payments on a regular basis that she could have her petition
withdrawn. I think this is unethical if not illegal to use this kind of scare tactic
to keep the fees coming in. At this point my friend has not received a copy of her
filed I-140 or her notice of action from the lawyer. Is it legal for her to use this
kind of leverage to take advantage of this person? She has already been paid several
thousand dollars to file a two page form. What can she do to get a copy of her filed
petition and the receipt number? I intend to call the lawyer on her behalf but I am
trying to get some information before I make the call.

David