Immigration & Green Card Law Firm, Lawyers, Attorneys: San Franscisco Bay Area to San Jose: Obtaining Quality Immigration Representation

Monday, June 18, 2007

Obtaining Quality Immigration Representation


"The Quality of Chinese Food in San Francisco"


As I was having a lunch at a jam-packed Chinese restaurant near work in the Financial District of San Francisco, a Chinese man sitting beside me ordered a dish that looked unusually delicious. So I asked him what the name of the dish was. Instead of telling me the name, he gave me a long answer that it could be much better, and the quality of Chinese food had been going down hill in California for the last two decades. Although a pleasant person, he seemed very unhappy about the lack of good food and told me his family goes up to Vancouver, Canada for real Chinese food because they pursue quality and a not cheap substitute. After commiserating with him, my colleague, a long-time practitioner and a well-known lawyer, and I lamented on the quality of legal representation. Just like the Chinese food in San Francisco, the overall quality of legal representation, including that of immigration practitioners, has deteriorated. I believe it is so because the mass-produced lawyers do not seem to have as high ethics or standard of care the profession used to exhibit. What is worse, the public seems to settle for a lower quality substitute and, in doing so, unknowingly risks the future.

Should I Represent Myself?

Although it is sometimes possible to represent oneself in simple U.S. immigration matters, even in such cases, I advise professional representation. The field of U.S. immigration law is quite complex and it changes frequently. In fact, it is so specialized; I have to confess that in my career, I see inexperienced lawyers, uncaring lawyers, and unspecialized general counsels make basic and fundamental mistakes that affect someone's life in a grave way.

An immigration case often involves at minimum three government agencies: the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of State, the Department of Labor, and others. Unfortunately, some agents at these agencies believe that their main task is to keep foreigners out of the United States; educating the applicants on immigration process is certainly not part of their responsibilities.

Unless a lawyer, let alone an individual, deals with immigration matters regularly, it is highly doubtful that he or she will be able to complete the process without encountering problems. Immigration law is not always intuitively understandable and even minor errors in processing or in the interpretation of the law may result in serious consequences. It is unfortunate that immigration lawyers are often hired only after people attempted to file petitions themselves or use a wrong substitute but failed for a variety of reasons. Not only legal fees often end up being higher in such cases, but what a waste of valuable life time?

Should I hire an immigration consultant?


Immigration consultants have helped individuals who cannot afford lawyers; some have also gladly carried out the legwork, such as waiting for a visa at the embassy, many of us wish to avoid doing ourselves. However, I see a great danger when immigration consultants attempt to give legal advice or prepare an immigration case without the supervision of an experienced lawyer. Although some immigration consultants have years of experience, it must be noted that no training or experience is required to become immigration consultants and their inexperienced activities are not regulated.

How do I choose a lawyer?

As anybody who had to look for an attorney to represent himself or herself would realize, choosing a right lawyer or doctor with respect to any specialized matter is extremely hard. The attorney-client relationship involves sometimes very personal and complicated matters, and it lasts for a long time. It is one of those life's few intimate relationships that can significantly affect both parties. For this reason, one will have to find a lawyer who has expertise on the matter and whose personality is easy to work with in order to achieve the best result.

A qualified and reputable immigration lawyer, for example, will explain and explore all the available options and assist the client in making the right choices. He/she will also deal with the case more effectively and efficiently, minimizing any potential risk of harassment and delays.

As an economics major in undergrad, I calculate all my life activities in terms of 'opportunity cost'. I do not shy away from hiring valuable help, which allows me time to focus on more productive activities and improve my life style. A qualified immigration lawyer will reduce serious life anxieties and ultimately save the client a lot of time and money by helping him/her to get on with life.

Life is too short to be wasted on bad Chinese food or worrying about a poorly handled immigration case.



The information provided throughout the Website is general in nature and may not apply to any particular set of facts or circumstances. It should not be construed as legal advice and does not constitute an engagement of Heller Immigration Law Group, LLP, or establish an attorney-client relationship.

The information provided throughout the Website is general in nature and may not apply to any particular set of facts or circumstances. It should not be construed as legal advice and does not constitute an engagement of Heller Immigration Law Group, LLP, or establish an attorney-client relationship.

Questions or comments, visit our site at hilglaw.com or email us at comments@hilglaw.com

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