Lawyers, Lawyers, Lawyers!!!

[Deb_Res 0]

Well... It was going on 9 weeks without any word after our NOA2. My lawyer basically told me to chill out and wait, security checks could take months. I wouldn't let it rest... A new friend of mine from VJ told me I should call the NVC to make sure it's not sitting there. So I called and they said our petition was forwarded to the Ankara Embassy on 3/21/06. I emailed the embassy and explained that I have not heard a thing in 9 weeks and could they please tell me the status of my case. They emailed back in one day and told me they forwarded Packet 3 to my lawyer on 3/24/06!!!!!!! When I heard this I almost exploded ! 2 months were wasted for nothing ! I forwarded the email from the embassy to him and called him. He called me back and apologized. Whether true or not, he said that his secretary, who was fired 3 weeks ago, miss filed my Packet 3. And while he was away on business last week the new secretary found the Packet and he thought they just received it! And to make up for it he said he will do my AOS for free, which would have cost me $2,000. I wasn't going to hire him for the AOS, I was going to do it myself with the help of VJ, but hell I'm going to take him up on his offer and take up his time and money! All I can say is always rely on your gut feeling/instincts. All along I felt something was not right and sure enough I was right.

Now we have Packet 3 !!! Finally !!! My question is this: Our NOA1 was approved on 3/1/06, our NOA2 was approved on 3/16/06, where do we fit in with the IMBRA Law? Are we ok because our NOA1 was approved before 3/5/06? Or do they go by the NOA2 date on 3/16/06?

~Debbie

[Cristy 4]

Wow. I would be more than mad. That is insane. I would fire him and ask for a refund, what a putz.

[Larry and Maria 0]

You should be ok if I understand the NOA1 date correctly.

It's only supposed to be on and after 3/6.

[Aquelunya 0]

oh WOW, you are taking it well!! I would have gone to his office and personally strangled him How irresponsible!!!I would be very worried about trusting him again with any other petition.

[MrsBruce5 0]

From what I have heard, you are fine as you got your NOA1 before the dreaded date.

Does this surprise me? Not at all. It's been my experience that most paralegals do most of the work, and are so burnt, they can't see straight 1/2 the time.

Get for a refund and do your AOS yourself. How can you know they won't screw something up again ? My thinking is, if you want it done well-don't trust anyone else but yourself.

Sorry that you had to go through this, but glad you got it sorted.

Rose

[misskiya 0]

Wait is your lawyer in the US or in Turkey? Why would they forward it to your attorney rather than to the foreign fiance? Is that standard procedure? Because I'd never heard of it before.

[Deb_Res 0]

Wait is your lawyer in the US or in Turkey? Why would they forward it to your attorney rather than to the foreign fiance? Is that standard procedure? Because I'd never heard of it before.

My lawyer is in the US. From what I heard they will either send it to the petitioner or the lawyer in the US, and then send a duplicate copy to the beneficiary. But they never sent it to my fiance in Turkey! This also happened to another couple that I know. It only went to the lawyer!

[misskiya 0]

Wait is your lawyer in the US or in Turkey? Why would they forward it to your attorney rather than to the foreign fiance? Is that standard procedure? Because I'd never heard of it before.

My lawyer is in the US. From what I heard they will either send it to the petitioner or the lawyer in the US, and then send a duplicate copy to the beneficiary. But they never sent it to my fiance in Turkey! This also happened to another couple that I know. It only went to the lawyer!

That's ridiculous. I'd get another lawyer to sue your lawyer! no really...people have no understanding of what we go through until they GO THROUGH IT THEMSELVES! I'm so sorry to hear that it happened to you. Pray it doesn't happen to me cause our lawyer would make your lawyer look like a saint. He kept his secretary lol.

[Deb_Res 0]

Wait is your lawyer in the US or in Turkey? Why would they forward it to your attorney rather than to the foreign fiance? Is that standard procedure? Because I'd never heard of it before.

My lawyer is in the US. From what I heard they will either send it to the petitioner or the lawyer in the US, and then send a duplicate copy to the beneficiary. But they never sent it to my fiance in Turkey! This also happened to another couple that I know. It only went to the lawyer!

That's ridiculous. I'd get another lawyer to sue your lawyer! no really...people have no understanding of what we go through until they GO THROUGH IT THEMSELVES! I'm so sorry to hear that it happened to you. Pray it doesn't happen to me cause our lawyer would make your lawyer look like a saint. He kept his secretary lol.

OMG!!! Do you want the "saint's" phone #? LOL Well, I hope your luck starts changing with your lawyer! No, they have no idea what we go through! 2 months of unnecessary tears, arguments, and stress, for no reason! Good luck!

[mrswooten4ever 0]

Darn! I'd be beating that lawyer over the head with my pk3! But then i've had a similar experience with lawyers loosing cases, misfiling documents etc so I'm not surprised! Just as well you were wide awake and followed up on it!

Good Luck

Adele

[Jaylen Brit 0]

If you're gonna take advantage of his free AOS offer have him PUT IT IN WRITING that this is what he is going to do for you - so he can't weasel out of it later.

NOA1 date sounds pre-IMBRA btw so you should be fine.

Good luck!

[ppboo 0]

Our appointed attorney misfiling our case from last May 2005... hold up our life... we have loosing trust on lawyer... after we found this forum, with the guide and support from the members here, we do it ourselves, everything have been working well until we hit by IMBRA.

[MPGGPM 0]

Well... It was going on 9 weeks without any word after our NOA2. My lawyer basically told me to chill out and wait, security checks could take months. I wouldn't let it rest... A new friend of mine from VJ told me I should call the NVC to make sure it's not sitting there. So I called and they said our petition was forwarded to the Ankara Embassy on 3/21/06. I emailed the embassy and explained that I have not heard a thing in 9 weeks and could they please tell me the status of my case. They emailed back in one day and told me they forwarded Packet 3 to my lawyer on 3/24/06!!!!!!! When I heard this I almost exploded ! 2 months were wasted for nothing ! I forwarded the email from the embassy to him and called him. He called me back and apologized. Whether true or not, he said that his secretary, who was fired 3 weeks ago, miss filed my Packet 3. And while he was away on business last week the new secretary found the Packet and he thought they just received it! And to make up for it he said he will do my AOS for free, which would have cost me $2,000. I wasn't going to hire him for the AOS, I was going to do it myself with the help of VJ, but hell I'm going to take him up on his offer and take up his time and money! All I can say is always rely on your gut feeling/instincts. All along I felt something was not right and sure enough I was right.

Now we have Packet 3 !!! Finally !!! My question is this: Our NOA1 was approved on 3/1/06, our NOA2 was approved on 3/16/06, where do we fit in with the IMBRA Law? Are we ok because our NOA1 was approved before 3/5/06? Or do they go by the NOA2 date on 3/16/06?

~Debbie

Glad I saw this post. I coincidentally, also have an application that will be eventually sent to Ankara as well ..............and through a lawyer too. (a cr-1 application).

I'm usually pretty good at following up on things myself, and can get pretty impatient. But, I'll be sure to check up on things even more now, after reading your post. Lawyers are just like anyone else in that they make mistakes too...................so obviously , as your post re-emphasizes, it's good to check up on things yourself as well.

I'd have to think about having that lawyer do the AOS, even for free........especially after he screwed up. Then again, you also have to respect and give him credit for trying to make amends and offering to do the AOS for free (which you said is $2,000).

I'd be angry........but in the end probably would take his offer to do the AOS because if anything, after screwing up on the last part of your case, he'll probably be extra careful now with your AOS (especially if you stay in touch with him more often as a reminder).

[MPGGPM 0]

I also think you're correct to retain him, and have him do the AOS for you.....angry as you are at him. (and like I said before, I think knowing he screwed up with you before will help to keep him on his toes now, and he will give your case more personal attentention now. )

Because although it's true that there are a lot of people on this forum who have done things themselves and their case went fine..................for every one of them, there are also a ton of people on these forums who did it themselves and have had a lot of problems. It all depends on your case and situation.

I still tend to believe (your previous expreience aside ........that the chances of making mistakes with a lawyer, are still less than making them without using one. And the fact that he is doing it for free (If he had charged a fee...then no way would I have continued using him...)...........is still in the long run, in my opoinion, a better decision than doing things yourself.

Unless he has a reputation for making mistakes....I think the odds of something like that happening again are slim.

good luck

Edited May 26, 2006 by MPGGPM

[Karen_L 1]

Well... It was going on 9 weeks without any word after our NOA2. My lawyer basically told me to chill out and wait, security checks could take months. I wouldn't let it rest... A new friend of mine from VJ told me I should call the NVC to make sure it's not sitting there. So I called and they said our petition was forwarded to the Ankara Embassy on 3/21/06. I emailed the embassy and explained that I have not heard a thing in 9 weeks and could they please tell me the status of my case. They emailed back in one day and told me they forwarded Packet 3 to my lawyer on 3/24/06!!!!!!! When I heard this I almost exploded ! 2 months were wasted for nothing ! I forwarded the email from the embassy to him and called him. He called me back and apologized. Whether true or not, he said that his secretary, who was fired 3 weeks ago, miss filed my Packet 3. And while he was away on business last week the new secretary found the Packet and he thought they just received it! And to make up for it he said he will do my AOS for free, which would have cost me $2,000. I wasn't going to hire him for the AOS, I was going to do it myself with the help of VJ, but hell I'm going to take him up on his offer and take up his time and money! All I can say is always rely on your gut feeling/instincts. All along I felt something was not right and sure enough I was right.

Now we have Packet 3 !!! Finally !!! My question is this: Our NOA1 was approved on 3/1/06, our NOA2 was approved on 3/16/06, where do we fit in with the IMBRA Law? Are we ok because our NOA1 was approved before 3/5/06? Or do they go by the NOA2 date on 3/16/06?

~Debbie

I think that, since you recently spoke with the consulate and they said that they sent you packet 3 and didn't mention anything about the IMBRA, you should be okay. I can't believe that -- shouldn't the lawyer know it doesn't usually take 2 months for petitions to leave the NVC and to get packet 3? Even if the secretary made a mistake or something, he himself should have known better than to not check into your case for 8 weeks.

On the bright side, you're back on track AND you're getting AOS services free as you should (he owes you!)

Good luck!