Thanks for the info Jim. I had read up on the 8/10/05 'limit reached' news and can understand why some lawyers could have been caught off guard. However, in my GF's case, her lawyer had been
negligent and unresponsive (didn't return calls for a week and then left on vacation for several weeks a month before her OPT visa was up). The firm then sat on her file for a week when all they had to do was mail it... It just seems to me that these are grounds for a grievance. She was betrayed by the person whose
fiduciary duty was to serve her best interests.
In addition to filing a complaint about the lawyer with the relevant Appellate division Grievance Committee, bring a claim against that lawyer for legal malpractice. There are law firms that agree to commence a legal action for malpractice on a contingency fee arragement, where in you don't have to pay the fee or full fee (only nominal fee needs to be paid) but fee must be paid once the law firm wins the case. Research on whether there are any law firms in your city that accept cases on contingency fee arrangement.
Sue the attorney. Don't leave him.