Why do we need lawyers ?

[marlon2006]

Is there any law stating that an attorney is required when applying for GC ?
I thought the same about H1B and I found out that one doesn't need an attorney.

I have done all EAD renewal myself for example.

 

[puerthoughts]

Marlon,

We do not need any lawyers if the case is fairly straight-forward but if you think that it is bit complecated then you should have one. Also it may be okay to do the EAD/AP by yourself since it is simpler process but for the whole GC thing it involves lots of complex things. Especially looking at current situation one should have one.

In my opinion it is more like going for a doctor. If you have a minor headache then you should just take Tylenol and sleep but if your whole neighborhood is having minor headaches then it is better to involve the doctors.

Hope this helps the people who are thinking of taking Tylenol here !!

 

[avi101]

as far as I know, lawyers are not needed for GC. Company can do it themselves (the part that needs companys input). Its probably just a comfort feeling besides delegation of responsibilites to so called "experts" in that area.

This lawyer thing is a another big rip-off besides mandatory insurance. Its probably just consult them on a as needed basis e.g. when you have tricky RFE's and you can make use of their knowledge base to strategize.

 

[gcstrat]

Professional Expertise

marlon2006

Two words: PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE.

I know things I know well and I know things I need help with.

Lawyers, Car mechanics, doctors, IT programmers, Sports coaches, etc. are categories of people I will usually need help with. Not that I cannot open a "book" and learn about the stuff but I feel very comfortable to get help from people who are doing the work day-in day-out.

Also, there are enough "worries" in life. If you can "outsource" it to the "best" people at an "acceptable" price, why bother? Let the professionals do the job.

Re: LAWYERS. Law is not only what is written in the book but also what has been interpreted and construed to be true via CASE LAW i.e. judicial opinions. I do think without being a "full-time" lawyer (or equivalent doing that work "full-time"), it will be VERY difficult to keep a track of all the cases and CASE LAW regarding the provisions.

Regards
GCStrat

 

[kamrans]

Lawyers definition

With my 5 years of experience with this totally messed up system I come up with a good definition of lawyers:
Lawyers are one who can break the law legally.
They are here to take full advantage of our situation. In any case they get from 2000 to 8000 dollars or even more and if your case ended up in fiasco then there is nothing you cannot do.
But even then I would prefer to do everything with the lawyer as I know that they know a lot better then all of us.

 

[ufo2002]

No lawyers required, but....

Hi Marlon,

Yeah, none of the non-immigration or immigration categories specifically mentioned requiring an attorney but from my perspective after comparing the US immigration website (USCIS.gov) versus other countries website I would have to say I probably need an attorney just to read the damn website!
I don't know if others would agree with me but the explanations given for every immigration category is not easily understandable by the average person. Plus since there is no way to migrate on self-sponsorship, as you require a family sponsor or company, it would seem easier to just hire someone who is familiar with US law.

If you were to visit the Australian or Canadian immigration websites, both are friendly to navigate, with links to document checklists, etc. but then again both countries do allow self-sponsored Permanent Resident applications.