what are lawyers for ?

S

starbucks

Registered Users (C)
Fellow waiters,
I have talked to a few people who suggested that the immigration lawyer who handles our case should be more aggressive - get in touch with internal contacts in Nebrasksa and push our cases through. It appears that some lawyers could do that (who have contacts or whatever influence). Some people have suggested that I change my lawyer even though it is 26 months since my RD for I-485.

What is the general experience of people in this forum so far ?
My personal experience has been my lawyer has handled the clerical work but has not represented or petitioned for my case.
Even when I have requested for an inquiry to be made after 26 months, I got a response from the lawyer which is - Nebraska is
processing Sep. 30 cases, and even an inquiry may not be entertained by them. Makes me wonder is the lawyer representing me or INS as his client ?

I commend the effort of Rajiv and all of us on the lawsuit, however can a lawyer do anything to petition aggressively the specific client cases he/she is dealing with ?

starbucks
RD 12/14/01
 
what are lawyers for?
Mostly to fill out forms! That's what mine did.
As far as contacting NSC. the typical lawyer will take action if you insist and if your I485 RD is past due. o/w they'll tell you to wait. Rajiv is an exception with this forum and the lawsuit. too many of them unfortunately fit the stereotype in my experience.

as for influence, I don't know if it even makes a difference.

rgds,
sadiq
 
depends on who you get ..... if you are paying for the lawyer, you can certainly lay out expectations at the start. If you are using a company sponsored attorney or legal assistant, you cannot/should not have any expectations. I would not go as far to say that they are all worthless. It's just the way it works.

If I had the option, I would have chosen to select and pay for my own counsel. You can set expectations more clearly. When your company sponsors you and takes care of it, it is almost made out to be a "favor" for you.
 
that's true it depends on who you get. the key asy ou point out is making it clear what problems the laywer will help out with:

1. RFE response preparations
2. EAD forms
3. inquiries for excessive wait times (based on NSC processing dates)

these seem to be a good percentage of the types of issues/assistance posters require in addition to the routine applications. if you and your lawyer agree that they will be covered (get it in writing!), then maybe things will turn out ok. and again, it depends on the quaity of your counsel. I wish I had the sense to ask for references for my initial lawyer and then check them out.

sadiq
 
It's so true the cliche, "you get what you paid for". I retained an attorney for a small sum with half of the total given up front. Later, in the horrendous I-485 stage, I kept pesting him to look into why my case had take much longer than the maximum time. He did so with a letter to NSC, but then charged me for the service! What nerve!

Rafiq:)
 
Rafiq

I talked to my attorney about it, and she told me that as long as the case is pending, there is little the attorneys can do and asking their liason, won't add much information anyway. Per my attorney, as laconic as it is, the on-line message describes what is the situation, add some timing delays that are found accross the board.
Sadiq is right, they are to fill out forms as they know the lingo, know their way around, and can provide useful info based on their experience with other cases and/or their knowledge of the USCIS policies.
but all of that won't do much...as I am waiting.....I'm still waiting.....and waiting......

:(
 
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