How to find a good immigration lawyer has little literature on search engines. An experienced immigration lawyer may make all the difference in your case. Many are dedicated, trustworthy experts who want to assist. After all, they may be making a lot more money in another field of the law. They’re also dealing with a challenging, slow-moving bureaucracy, and they’re more frustrated than ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced several immigration offices to close, causing even more inconveniences.
Why Should I Avoid A Bad Immigration Lawyer?
If you’re looking to file an application for a visa or green card, escape deportation, or apply for another type of immigration benefit, make sure you choose the proper counsel. A dishonest immigration attorney might overcharge you, fail to perform the services promised, and/or harm your case to the point that you may never be able to recover. Here are some pointers on staying away from the scummier sorts of practitioners.
How to Find a Good Immigration Lawyer – Top Tips
- Do not accept legal advice from lawyers who approach you at the USCIS or other immigration offices.
- Confirm that you’re dealing with an honest lawyer.
- Do some research on the attorney.
- Avoid lawyers who provide unethical advice or provide illegal services.
- Be wary of promises that are too good to be true.
- Talk to a few different attorneys to get different perspectives.
Do not accept legal advice from lawyers who approach you at the USCIS or other immigration offices.
Some few “rising, moderate” immigration attorneys roam the halls of immigration offices, looking for work. The legal profession does not consider this to be ethical behavior. Moreover, any qualified immigration lawyer is likely to be too preoccupied with practicing immigration law and advocating for their clients to devote time to finding new clients in this manner. You may want to explore how to get a US green card for your parents.
Confirm that you’re dealing with an honest lawyer.
You should only entrust your immigration issues to a competent lawyer. Regrettably, many non-lawyers, even some well-meaning ones, don’t recognize how complicated this branch of law is assumed to be capable of assisting foreign nationals who need help with the immigration process. They frequently provide little more than a drafting service. In the worst-case scenario, they may take your money and flee, or they could fill out your paperwork incorrectly and dangerously without informing you what they’re doing.
Do some research on the attorney.
In your quest on how to find a good immigration lawyer, you should be able to learn a lot about your lawyer from the internet, including whether they are a member of a state bar association and the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association, or AILA; whether they have received positive reviews on websites like Martindale; and whether the lawyer has written professional articles for the public.
Avoid attorneys who provide unethical advice or provide illegal services.
Any immigration attorney who recommends that you lie on an application or to a USCIS officer, give the attorney extra money to bribe an immigration authority or buy a phony green card from him or her should be avoided.
Similar incidents have occurred in the past. If you are found participating in such a scam, you are likely to face far greater consequences than the attorney.
Be wary of promises that are too good to be true.
Even the greatest lawyers cannot guarantee a client’s success. An immigration court, the Department of Homeland Defense, and/or USCIS are ultimately responsible for the result of your case. Any attorney who claims to have a 100% success rate and guarantees you a sure result should be scrutinized more thoroughly.
Talk to a few different attorneys to get different perspectives.
Whereas most competent immigration lawyers will be pretty busy, you should be able to speak with them and their office employees to gain a feel of their dedication to customers and their general attitude and impression of trustworthiness.
You may want to explore how to enter the US. Speaking with many lawyers can provide you with a baseline for comparison before deciding on the attorney who will represent you. It will allow you to get a sense of their personality and work ethic to figure out who would be a good fit for you.
