we need a lawyer

[Guest Fionas_Fiance]

I have an appt to see Peter Chu today at 4pm and initial consulation fee is only $50!

 

My strategy at the moment is to consult with 5 or 6 lawyers who will give me their initial opinion for a reasonable fee and take it from there.

 

Thanks very much to those who have given us attorney recommendations. So far I've contacted 4 attorneys and I will probably talk to 2 more on the phone and email 4 more today. In a couple of days we will know much more about where we stand and what, if anything, we can do about our problem.

 

I wish people would stop asking for the specifics of our problem. I can't tell you.

[yyp]

Thanks! I happen to live in San Diego!

 

Today I am feeling very discouraged. One lawyer said our problem is very serious and his fee would be $4500 to represent us.  

 

Thanks to everyone who has given me recommendations, I may need to plow through all of them...

 

Glad to see you have an appointment with Mr. Chu's office, they are well prepared in the field of immigration visas.

 

Like I said they work mainly with Chinese immigration and may be very helpful to you. And the big plus is I can attest to their honesty and skills.

 

Good Luck.

 

Nice to see another SD'er here.

 

P.S. I do not work fo rtheir office...we are a client

[yyp]

Was Mr. Chu helpful with your issues today?

 

Good luck

[Guest Fionas_Fiance]

Was Mr. Chu helpful with your issues today?  

 

Yes, he was! In fact he was the most encouraging of those I have talked to. He gave us some specific things to do and he advised on some things Not To Do that were perhaps more important. He was also, as you have said, very nice. :-)

 

I left feeling much more hopefull. I talked to Fiona about it for an hour afterwards and I think we will both sleep much better tonight. I know I will. The whole weekend, after I found out about the problem, I felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach. Tonight I feel like a balloon that has had too much air in it, but which has suddenly had some of the air let out, and the pressure relieved. Plus I'm very sleepy!

 

I still want to be careful, and I'm going to continue gathering other lawyers' opinions. So far they are all over the map in terms of how best to proceed, how serious various issues are, etc. But Mr Chu and another lawyer I've exchanged emails with were consistent on one critical point that seems to work in our favor. If the next set of lawyers I talk to agree on that same point, I'm going to start feeling a lot more confident that our problem is not a show-stopper.

 

At the same time, I'm trying to avoid the trap of giving more weight to the opinion that I hope is true, simply because I wish that to be the correct opinion. For all I know the $4500 guy is right-on. But I'm not going to let someone scare me into giving him $4500. If I was going to give him that much, he'd better have a really good explanation as to why it is necessary. And it better make a lot more sense than the lawyers who say they can help for much, much less! I'm trying to remain as objective as I can and understand the government's point-of-view (and process) as well as I can.

 

I wish I could say more about the specifics of our problem but I still need to keep my mouth shut. Sorry!

 

Thanks SO MUCH again to everyone who has recommended a lawyer, both publicly and via PM.

 

- FF

[keelec]

Truthfully, like Kim, I have on occasion recommended that people talk to a lawyer in especially complicated cases, or in the event of a difficult separation.

 

However, I have also become a bit jaded with the legal system in the USA. And, I am very disturbed with the current elections with thousands of lawyers coming out of the woodwork as saviors to the system… It is amazing how we have managed to have "free" elections in this country for over two centuries.

 

As I understand it, most initial consultation fees should be FREE as long as you are not requiring the lawyer to get too specific.

 

Remember, lawyers typically can not FIX something…. They can only aid with the process. Stay away from people who promise that they will have it all fixed in exchange for the keys to a new Porsche.

 

Anyway, I do truly wish you the best of luck with your case, and hope you can soon put these problems behind you.

 

----- Clifford -----

[yyp]

I am pleased to hear that Mr. Chu was able to give you some incouraging advice.

 

There are many out there who's greatest desire is to dip their hands into your pockets.

 

When I first interviewed attorneys most told me right away that we could have a visa in six months. All we needed to do was part with lots of hard earned cash.

 

When I first spoke with Mr. Chu's office they advised that they cannot predict how long the process would take. This is what I look for in any professional services, honesty.

 

What his office did was advice me with straight foreward information and displayed a clear understanding of the legal process.

 

When our application begin to drag out way beyond the typical time limit his office continued to assist me with visits to his office and many long phone conversations. Surprised me when they did not require additional payments for the additional assistance.

 

I have come to know several on his staff from the front desk to the attroneys. Their care, concern and interest in our case as always been visible.

 

When I first went to their office one of the ladies pre-screening me at the front desk asked me our ages. When I told her our ages she smiled and said that is good. I asked her what she meant and she told me if the ages were too far apart they would not accept the case. I liked them right away at that point as I could see they take a real interest in the clients and are not just chasing our pocket books.

 

I can tell you they do take a real personal interest in you and your fiance and that is nice. My fiance has called them and written several times with questions or thoughts and they have always responded right away.

 

If your fiance's English is not great they have another plus for you, they can speak to her in Chinese!

 

Now I feel like I have become a walking advertisment for his office....but I am sure if you need the assistance of an attorney you went to correct office to work through your visa issues.

 

Best of luck!

[egolessvegan]

I had a very pleasant experience with Cherry Blossoms. They supplied all the information needed for going through the K-1 process.After getting all the necessary documents and data, I sent to them. They filled out all the paperwork and sent back completed,needing only signatures. No stress, no hassles, no aggravation. Their fees were much cheaper than immigration lawyers. Plus they have been doing this for 17 years. My visa process has gone smoothly to date. Check out at cherryblossoms.com

Good luck.

Ken