Attorney worth it?

[CyberSamurai013 69]

I am a former police officer and government employee. I have experience with filing legal forms, representing myself in court, testifying, etc. I know the legal system and basically have had no trouble with not having an attorney before. My question is this, will having an attorney speed up the process at all?

[KayaEel 5]

I have experience similar to yours, including government forms and representing myself. I did everything myself after an initial consultation with an attorney. After doing some research on VJ, I felt like I knew more than the attorney, especially when he had to look up some answers. If you have a difficult case, like the applicant has ever been in the U.S. illegally or has a criminal record, then an attorney is totally necessary. However, if your case is typical, then you can do everything yourself with the help of the VJ guides, FAQ's, and other members. It is NOT easy, but you may actually be able to speed up your process because you will stay on top of it more than an attorney might. IMHO

Good luck!

[Mithmeoi 29]

I agree with KayaEel. The only time you'd need an attorney is if the immigrant has a history of crime or overstayed in the US. I don't think it would speed up your process.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I am a former police officer and government employee. I have experience with filing legal forms, representing myself in court, testifying, etc. I know the legal system and basically have had no trouble with not having an attorney before. My question is this, will having an attorney speed up the process at all?

This isn't a legal process. It's partly bureaucratic, partly the ability to persuade, and partly just being able to meet the minimum requirements. The bureaucratic part is filing the right forms, correctly filled out, with the right supporting documents and at the right time. A lawyer's knowledge can help with this. The ability to persuade comes into play when your fiancee interviews at the foreign consulate. A lawyer's experience can help prepare her for this. Meeting the minimum requirements is something that you either do or don't, but you do need to know what those requirements are. A lawyer would know this.

You can acquire all of the knowledge needed, and benefit from the wealth of experience others have to offer, if you're willing to take some time and do some reading. Many people have been successful using only the information available on this site. If you're willing to do this, then you don't need a lawyer.

A lawyer will not speed up the process at all. They can't fill out any of the forms without the information you provide them, and they can't submit the forms until you give them all of the required supporting evidence. If you already have the information and evidence then you can save time by filling out the forms and submitting them yourself.

[Harsh_77 718]

I think it depends on how complicated your case is and then it also depends on how good is your lawyer. You can hire someone like Sheela Murthy and she is expensive but really good immigration lawyer.

She has her website and you can check it out http://www.murthy.com/ she has tons of info and there is forum on her site too, there are updates from USCIS etc.

[CyberSamurai013 69]

Thank you all for your advice. I am completely confident in my ability to handle this

[jrmejia 31]

For regular case, I would not waste $1500 on a lawyer. Actually for simple case, instead of speeding up the process you can slow it down by hiring a process. Just think about it.

[EllaC 190]

I have experience similar to yours, including government forms and representing myself. I did everything myself after an initial consultation with an attorney. After doing some research on VJ, I felt like I knew more than the attorney, especially when he had to look up some answers. If you have a difficult case, like the applicant has ever been in the U.S. illegally or has a criminal record, then an attorney is totally necessary. However, if your case is typical, then you can do everything yourself with the help of the VJ guides, FAQ's, and other members. It is NOT easy, but you may actually be able to speed up your process because you will stay on top of it more than an attorney might. IMHO

Good luck!

I couldn't agree more!

[joevegas 67]

Yup..we hired a lawyer..just a waste of 2000 bucks,all the information is here..good luck..

[Dodi 69]

It also depends on which consulate/embassy you're using. Ecuador, for example, is a VERY hard consulate to get through. There have been horror stories from a few. The FSU countries don't seem to have as hard a time, as it is very common for women there to get fiance visas, so you'll probably find all of the info you need here.

In many cases, mine included, the wrong attorney can prove to be more of a liability than an asset. And attorney isn't required to take extra classes in law school to be able to claim a specialty in Immigration Law. They simply have to hang out a shingle, or pay a fee and join the AILA. If they don't really know thier stuff (and the K1 is a different animal to most) then they're really not much help. You will be filling out the forms for them and giving them the documentation, and they can't be present at the embassy/consulate interview anyway. The best they could offer is to go to the AOS interview AFTER your bride-to-be is already here.

Whatever you decision, best of luck to you!

[J Y J 0]

I am a former police officer and government employee. I have experience with filing legal forms, representing myself in court, testifying, etc. I know the legal system and basically have had no trouble with not having an attorney before. My question is this, will having an attorney speed up the process at all?

Hi

My fiance and I decide to hire an attorney but I dont feel was helpfull I had more information here (visajourney) that from them, my advice is do not waste your money, do the procedure by yourself is better and easier.

Good luck!!

[Penny Lane 8,159]

I personally think it's a waste of money unless the case is particularly complicated or the beneficiary is going through a rough consulate. Other than that, I can't see how an attorney would help. Follow instructions carefully, do your research, read through these guides and you'll be good to go on your own.

[Prawninator 138]

Thank you all for your advice. I am completely confident in my ability to handle this

And confidence is key! Good luck, and keep us posted!

[philandjulie 0]

My lawyer cost us 2 extra months of waiting due to his negligence. He forgot to send in our DS-230 for 3 weeks and when it finally got sent in he made a stupid mistake that caused an RFE.

If it is an easy case do it yourself. The guides on this website will help.

[TBoneTX 45,289]

Some excellent answers have been posted here. If there are no potential complications to your case (and either a consultation with a GOOD attorney or a lot of receptive reading here can expose any red flags), you need to be able to read accurately, interpret literally, answer honestly, and supply information completely. Because you express confidence that you can handle these last criteria, make a determination about the level of complexity of your fiancee's eligibility. As Davy Crockett was credited with saying, "Be sure you're right, then go ahead," si man.

Edited August 15, 2010 by TBoneTX