7 Tips for Hiring an Immigration Lawyer
Today, you can find a lot of lawyers in the market. Therefore, looking for the right one may not be easy for you. In this article, we have shared a few tips that may help you go through the process and go with the best professional. Read on to find out more.
1. Trustworthiness
First off, it’s essential to keep in mind that trust is the number one factor that you should consider if you want to develop a strong relationship with your lawyer. Make sure you feel comfortable discussing all the details with the lawyer. If you feel that the professional is untrustworthy, you should look elsewhere.
2. Experience
Secondly, find out how long the professional has been working in this field. Although you can hire young immigration lawyers, the best way is to prefer an experienced one. Since there are complications in the field of law, hiring an experienced lawyer is the best way to solve the problem. Ideally, you should go with a professional with at least 5 years of experience.
3. Devotion
You should find out if the lawyer is devoted to their field. Although you can hire the services of any lawyer to represent you in a court of law, know that immigration law is quite complex and changes over and over again. So, if a professional is out of practice, they may not be devoted enough. And they may not be able to help you get the most out of your money.
4. AILA Membership
Ideally, the professional must be part of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). This association supervises all the member lawyers. The members of the association know the best practices and most recent changes in the field.
If your lawyer is a member of AILA, know that they are much better than other lawyers. So, hiring them is a stroke of genius.
5. Discipline
You should find out if the lawyer is disciplined enough. To find out, you should get in touch with the State Bar. After you contacted the authority, you should come to know if the lawyer is disciplined or not. If they are not, you should keep looking.
6. Affiliation with a Community organization
It’s better that you work with a lawyer who is part of a community organization that assists immigrant communities. The law doesn’t require a lawyer to be a member of such an organization, but hiring these professionals shows the level of their trustworthiness.
7. Cost
The majority of lawyers charge either an hourly or fixed fee. Apart from these, you should find out about other costs as well. They may include filing fees or additional hidden charges. It’s not a good idea to go with a lawyer that charges the lowest price. Good professionals charge a bit more than their competitors, but they are worth the extra charges.
Long story short, if you are going to hire an immigration lawyer for the first time, we suggest that you consider the tips given in this article.