Every so often, someone will tell me: “I have a friend or relative who ‘handled’ an immigration matter without an attorney.”
Here are three answers that I always give, followed by a little real world experience to give some insight as to why this idea is not best.
- If you are in Immigration Court, which means that deportation is a possible outcome, never try your own case. Go see a lawyer. Ask how many hours that immigration attorney has spent in immigration Court, how many trials, and so forth. Make a careful decision. Expect details. Ask about similar cases that the firm has already litigated.
- If you have a problem that you are trying to fix with Immigration yourself, think about what you are doing. Are you trying to save money? Find another part of your budget to modify. Are you interested in wasting countless hours fighting with a bureaucracy? Go to the best immigration lawyer you can find. See how quickly that immigration attorney can explain a strategy to straighten out your problem. If that lawyer cannot give you a solid plan, keep looking until you find one.
- (A variation on the above scenario) Are you working with a lawyer who handles other types of cases besides Immigration? Figure out whether that attorney really has the time to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of immigration law. I have said it once, I have said it 1000 times: I would not get my knee surgery done by the same doctor who did my laser eye procedure.
Bottom line: Think about the risks of working without top immigration attorneys.
Do not find yourself in the same predicament as so many people, who have told me over close to two decades:
“I wish I had your firm found sooner.”
The above blog post is not a guarantee of results, time for completion, or promise of success for your case.
Please contact us at 973.642.1111 for consultation.
