Contact

Contact Information

What to expect from a consultation:

An initial consultation with an attorney is NOT just a “meet and greet;” it is the single most important part of your case. This is when the attorney makes a majority of factual discoveries, conducts legal analysis, and reaches key decisions about benefit eligibility, potential paths of action, and case strategy.

• The Prospective Client will ask, and the attorney will answer, questions about the law, regulations, and how the government is currently interpreting its laws & regulations, including normal timelines for any relevant immigration processes, and what kinds of documentation the government accepts to meet the regulations.
• The attorney will ask detailed questions, and may ask to look at documents to learn about the facts of the PC’s situation, to screen for eligibility and determine what benefits may be available.
• The attorney will determine what visa categories or courses of action may be appropriate and available to the PC, and will explain the various options, including application procedures and types of supporting evidence needed.
• The PC will decide whether he or she would like to work with the attorney on the recommended course of action.
• The attorney will decide whether he or she is willing to take on the PC’s case.
• The attorney may make recommendations to the PC for or against specific choices, such as what visa, procedural path, or form of relief may be suited to the PC’s circumstances and goals, or may have the best chance of success.
• The attorney may recommend relevant types of documentation to collect or acquire.
• If attorney and the PC both agree upon the nature of the legal matter to be undertaken, and the attorney agrees to take on the case, the attorney will provide a legal fee quote for that matter.

Immigration benefits are granted in the sole discretion of the US government. No attorney can guarantee that a benefit will be granted. The facts an attorney learns in initial consultation, and strategy choices based on those facts, will form the underpinnings of all future actions taken by that law firm in your case, and form the basis for the legal fee quoted. Any facts not disclosed to the attorney upon initial consultation may change the case analysis and strategy decisions, and may alter the possible courses of action, eligibility for benefits, chances of success, and applicable legal fee.

It is also crucial to understand what is not contemplated in the scope of an initial consultation. The purpose of a consultation is to give both the attorney and the PC enough information to decide whether there is a viable case, whether the PC has or can obtain the documents necessary for such a case, and whether they wish to work together toward a specific common goal. This does NOT include explaining how to fill out the forms, listing all documents to be submitted in support of a particular matter, or drafting supporting arguments to be presented in a letter or affidavit.

The attorney offering an initial consultation has not been retained, has not yet agreed to represent you, and should not review your self-prepared drafts that you plan to file on your own: this would not be covered by the attorney’s malpractice insurance, and may violate DHS rules about attorney advice on applications and petitions submitted to the agency for a benefit.