How to Find a Good Immigration Attorney
Immigration is a complicated area of law that can quickly become overwhelming without an experienced lawyer. An attorney will be able to guide you through the process of applying for a work visa, green card, and other immigration-related issues.
In this article, you will discover how to find a good immigration attorney.
How to Find a Good Immigration Attorney
Immigration is one of the most complex areas of law in the United States, especially now. Political influences and rapidly-changing regulations are making it difficult, if not impossible, for the average person to interpret and understand the law, much less fight for their rights in court.
Whether you’re already here and fighting to stay, or you’re simply planning to immigrate to the United States in the future, it’s important to have legal representation on your side. A good immigration lawyer can be the difference between success and failure.
It is often difficult to find the right attorney for your needs if you don’t know where to look, so we thought we could help.
Here’s how to find a good immigration attorney.
Related: What Does An Immigration Lawyer Do?
What Makes an Immigration Lawyer “Good?”
Good immigration lawyers are dedicated to helping their clients interpret and use the law to protect their rights. They study and specialize in immigration and the issues surrounding it, including the rights of non-citizens and how the immigration system works. They know what you need to do for the best chance of being approved to stay in the country – and what you should avoid in order to prevent deportation, too.
A good immigration lawyer serves the needs of the client first and their own pocketbook second. They are educated at an official university, licensed by the California State Bar Association (CSBA), and have at least some experience dealing with immigration cases (US lawyers must serve practical hours before passing the bar). There are several common issues an attorney specializing in immigration law can help you with, including asylum, family immigration, and business visas.
But experience and education are just the beginning. Character traits like ethics, dedication, and a commitment to being accessible to clients also matter, as do reputation and references. Then, there’s the question of the lawyer’s judgment, their ability to think on their feet and find solutions, and their talent for arguing their position, even in the face of extreme pressure in a court of law. Unfortunately, these are the traits that may be the most difficult to verify.
Verifying Experience and Education
Verifying experience and education for an immigration lawyer is often the easiest step; all you have to do is ask the lawyer to disclose their information. For education, you can contact the university directly to confirm that they did, in fact, attend school and graduate with a degree. For experience, the best way to verify is to ask for references. Often, lawyers will list all of this information either on their website or
within their office (look for their graduation certificate).
Call the California State Bar
There is an easier way to verify an immigration lawyer’s experience, education, and license, all at the same time. The CSBA maintains a complete listing of lawyers licensed to practice law within the state; this includes all local immigration lawyers.
You can contact the CSBA directly to confirm that an immigration lawyer is in fact licensed to practice law. The CSBA can also inform you whether the lawyer’s license is up to date if they have any complaints registered against them, and when they first became licensed to practice law. This may help you to judge experience and whether or not someone has failed in their duty to represent for past clients.
What to Avoid
No two lawyers are exactly the same – this fact is especially true within the realm of immigration law. When you may only have a few short days or weeks to defend yourself from deportation, or when you are fighting a denial, having the lawyer who will fight hardest for you without taking advantage of you is a must.
Beware of lawyers who seem to have a very high volume of cases under their belt, yet have few wins. Similarly, lawyers with a very high number of complaints should be avoided, too; there’s a reason so many people have been displeased with their service.
Lawyers who seem to be conveniently available at all hours of the day and night in critical areas, like border checkpoints, USCIS offices, and airports, should also prompt caution, too. They may be scam artists trying to prey on the desperation of people being held without notice or just too inexperienced.
It should be noted that this isn’t the same thing as opting to work with a lawyer retained by a non-profit or legal organization (such as California’s Legal Aid Association). An immigration lawyer who works for these charity organizations can be just as “good;” they offer their time at cost or pro bono to help the disenfranchised.
You should also be cautious of lawyers who make unethical suggestions about how to handle your case. This includes asking for money to bribe officials, asking for extra payments “under the table” (or otherwise off the record), and offering to sell you falsified documents to help you emigrate into the United States.
While these kinds of suggestions might seem like a “quick fix,” especially if you’re desperate, they are never wise or ethical. If you are caught following illegal advice from a lawyer (or buying fake documents, you could face deportation or jail time.
The Benefits of Using Lawyer Referral Services
With so many potential pitfalls, finding a good immigration lawyer can start to feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. You want to be sure you have the right person, but how can you guarantee they really are what they say they are? Instead of trusting instinct alone, consider using a lawyer referral service instead.
A lawyer referral service maintains a database of confirmed, pre-approved, and carefully scrutinized licensed lawyers. An attorney referral service can help connect you with a variety of immigration lawyers, including those specializing in business immigration, deferred action, and employment visas. So, whether you’re planning on moving to the United States for a job or you’re looking for a green card lawyer to help you apply for citizenship, a lawyer referral service is the best place to start.
The CSBA licenses all lawyer referral services in the state. When you work with a service, you can trust that they really do have your best interests at heart. CSBA regulations require that they operate ethically to benefit the people they serve, not just the lawyers they partner with.
How Lawyer Referral Services Work
Most lawyer referral services are available online and by telephone; some may be available in-person, too. To use them, you simply enter your information into a form or speak with a representative from the service. This info typically includes your name, your contact information, whether your situation is an emergency, what you need legal representation for, and potentially, your budget (if this is a concern). Then, they create a “profile” for you and cross-match it to their database of lawyers to find you the very best potential match(es).
There is also one other benefit of using this type of service: steep discounts. Because most services have partnerships with the lawyers they work with, they can often pass on discounts on consultation or even hourly rates to you, the individual. This can help you save a few dollars at a time when you may need every cent to fight your case.
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