We have seen the best of immigration lawyers, and the worst of immigration lawyers. If a doctor is incompetent and hurts someone, the effects on the patient can be devastating. If an immigration lawyer is incompetent, someone – and their family – can be terribly hurt, and the effects can be, in some ways, nearly as devastating, if not even worse. Before we became a couple, before we got married, and before we started a family, one of us had been dragged through the coals, dragged through the mud – and worse – for many years. Arriving to the U.S. under innocent circumstances at a young age, and then attempting to stay legally, our case – we refer to this as ours now, although initially only one of us was affected, along with several family members – was miserably mismanaged by an attorney who did not possess those skills, those experiences, that knowledge, which if he had possessed, could have led in the shorter term to a very different outcome. Years of stress, of family disruption, of fear, ensued. Incarceration of an innocent individual. Deportation. Disruption of the family unit. Children without one of their parents. Years of legal proceedings, legal wrangling, motion after motion filed, hearing after hearing, all to no avail. Small fortunes spent and wasted. Nights of worrying. Years of worrying. And no one was a criminal, no one had hurt anyone. Hard working folks, contributing to society in many ways. Tax paying professionals. Members of the community. Further legitimate attempts failed for a variety of unfortunate reasons much of which was related to inadequate legal advice. Mistake on top of mistake, compounding and worsening. More time, more money, wasted. More major stress. To make a very, very long story (you should see height of the legal files – quote, with issues beyond even a challenging law school study case) very, very short, we were referred to Harlan York and Associates. Mr. York examined our detailed, complex, tortuous, and difficult history, made recommendations, and shared his extensive legal as well as practical real-world experience, and we began the process with him and his colleagues of making the wrongs right. In conjunction with his outstanding, more junior colleague Riki King, they relatively rapidly navigated us through the path to Green Card status. Correct paperwork was filed. Motions succeeded. Years of potential further trouble were circumvented, legally. Numerous phone calls and meetings ensued. Yes, there was some luck involved, but the most successful lawyers, and Harlan York and Associates are in that rank – know how to use such opportunities to their clients’ advantage. We are not world-famous chess champions, professional athletes, or broadcasters (all clients of Harlan York and Associates, with successful outcomes to their cases), but nonetheless we were treated as important people all the time by them. No email or phone call went unanswered. No question not taken seriously. And, to top it off, in contrast to our previous experience, it wasn’t about the money, the billable hours, the profit margin. The charges were incredibly fair, were spread out over time, and were NEVER the focus. Every phone call was not charged. Every 10 minutes of work was not billed. When you need a lung cancer removed, you don’t go to a dermatologist or a family doctor, you go to a chest surgeon, and ideally one who takes out a lot of lung tumors, and who is good at it. You also don’t go to a general or other surgeon who dabbles in lung cancer surgery but whose focus is primarily elsewhere. You don’t go to a surgeon with a poor track record. When you have an immigration problem, you should consult with an experienced, ethical, immigration lawyer, one with a good track record. One who knows far more than what they teach about this focused topic in law school. One who doesn’t dabble in immigration law, while also closing real estate deals, finalizing wills, and negotiating divorces. One who is laser focused and knows how the current system works (and doesn’t work). We could not be happier as to the outcome of our case, and we do not take this at all for granted, we know by personal experience how things can go terribly wrong when lives are placed in the wrong hands – not in the hands of doctors, but in the hands of subpar immigration lawyers. Harlan York and Associates are ethical, experienced, practical, and optimistic yet realistic. Gurus in their area of law. Highly knowledgeable about paperwork, processes, what could happen, what should happen, what might happen. Preparation, preparation, preparation. Outstanding preparation. Strategic planning – thinking about the worst and preparing for it, but attempting to achieve the best outcomes for their clients. Psychiatrists, counselors, immigration doctors, hand holders, and legal experts – all in one.