Jen3

My husband and I need to find an immigration lawyer to advise us on his CR-1 immigrant visa case. Neither of us have ever used a lawyer for anything and it's a little daunting. Could anyone give me a good place to start,wiki, website,when looking for one or the does and don'ts when getting a lawyer or what to beware of. I am in the US and he is in the UK.

Noorah101

www.ailalawyer.com for a start.

If you have a specific problem, see if you can find an attorney who has experience in that specific area. Make sure, first of all, that the lawer has done family-based immigration work (as opposed to work-based).

Do your own research before talking to a lawyer. The more you know about the issues you're looking for guidance on, the more you'll recognize whether a lawyer knows enough to help you or not.

If a lawyer guarantees you a successful outcome, don't use that one. Find one who is realistic.

If you choose to hire a lawyer, make sure you understand the contract you are signing, make sure it's spelled out exactly what the lawyer will do for you for that amount of payment.

That's all I can think of for now.

Rene

S Folinsky

Observation: Mathew Udall of Sacramento, California does nothing but marriage based cases. He is a member of British Expats but no longer participates. He can be reached at (916) 451-4992.

No advice intended nor given.

Jen3

thanks for the advice! will start looking.

Elvira

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=643115

Rete

One thing to do is once you have found a name that you are interested in contacting do a search of them at the bar association for their state. Check to see what complaints have been filed against them. This will help you in making your decision on whether or not to see this particular attorney. Think of it as checking out a credit rating before renting an apartment to a tenant.

Sue

Observation, the person concerned is no longer a member of British Expats.

Thanks

lostlove

In addition to whats just said, stay miles away from rogue attorneys and dirty dealing paralegals. Especially the ones who allegedly tout "100 percent success" with an "Honest Bob" visiting card.

Stay away from those who blatantly abuse the legal system and are black marked at the local office. Find an honest and straightforward fellow who will fight tooth and nail for you.

S Folinsky

No problem. I guess I conflated the concept of "account closed" being necessary to not being "member." Kind of like American Express -- you cease being a member but until you pay it off, you will still have an account.

moneypenny20

Observation, if the person concerned is no longer a member of BE or even if he still is, is it ok for another member to post that person's phone number on a public forum?

S Folinsky

Excellent question. Note that I did review the Site Rules -- especially rules 9 & 19. I saw nothing prohibiting it. And there may be many reasons, most benign, on why a person is no longer a member.

The phone number in question here is one that is publicly held out as a business telephone. IMHO, posting of personal numbers would be an invasion of privacy.

I am not an administrator or moderator. This post is just an expression of my opinion.

Rete

Observation: Since this is a business referral, although they are buddies in RL as well, it will be allowed to stand. Why a person is no longer a member of the forums is irrelevant unless they were removed due to professional irregularities which in good conscious would make us advise the OP privately of such an instance. Such was not the case here.

To the OP, please note that referral is a good way to find representation but still warrants that you check references before retaining. When Mr. Udall had a website, he was also doing work visas as well as marriage-based visas. I can no longer find any reference to an active website for the referred attorney and only found that he is currently engaged as an actor in a local theater group.

Observation intended and extended

Rete
SM

S Folinsky

Jen: I happen to like Matt a lot and got to know him well when he lived in Pasadena. However, it is unreasonable to expect a person to be uniformly liked.

On the web site, it used to be on AOL and they dropped web-hosting at the end of 2008 -- see this link.

And as otherwise noted, he continues to engage in his hobby of acting.

I just looked at the AILA website and he is listed as a member.

If you want to call him, you can. If you don't want to call him, then don't.

Kaffy Mintcake

Observation - the continuous use of 'observation' in subsequent replies comes across a bit snarky.

Apologies to the OP - best of luck finding someone who can help you.

Jen3

Thanks for the advice. We are still trying to acquire all of the information we need first, such as police reports and that is taking awhile. So...I guess I have time to find someone huh! I am currently in Seattle and my husband is in England at the moment, I am assuming that we would be able to do consultations over the phone or skype with some lawyers since we may not be able to meet them in person.