Do you need to make important life decisions related to immigration? Is the outcome of your immigration case is important for you? If so, it’s good to have a qualified immigration lawyer that you know and trust on your team.

Everybody knows it’s better to go to the doctor for preventive care rather than to wait until a medical emergency happens. Similarly, it’s better to consult a U.S. immigration lawyer early rather than waiting until it’s too late.

Immigration lawyers do more than just fill in immigration forms. We interpret complex laws and procedures, give strategic advice, and marshal evidence and testimony in support of our clients’ cases. 

Here are the top reasons for hiring Chodorow Law Offices:

1. American Immigration Lawyers Association Member

Our firm’s managing attorney, Gary Chodorow is a long-term member of AILA and a founding member of its Asia-Pacific chapter. AILA is a national association of lawyers and attorneys who teach and practice immigration law.

Membership can be a good indication of a lawyer’s level of commitment to the practice and ability to access key research materials and continuing legal education. Our firm’s practice is limited to solely immigration and nationality law.

2. State Bar of California Member

Gary is a member in good standing of the State Bar of California.

Beware of non-attorneys who claim to have immigration expertise. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, non-attorneys (who sometimes call themselves “immigration consultants”) are not authorized to provide legal services or give legal advice.

3. Experience

We have represented thousands of clients worldwide in immigration matters. There is no substitute for a long list of satisfied clients.

Author Malcolm Gladwell cites the “Ten Thousand Hour Rule,” meaning that the way to success in any field depends on gaining 10,000 hours’ experience in the field. Our firm has many times that.

4. Clarity

Some immigration cases are relatively straightforward, but others are not. U.S. immigration laws and procedures can be very complex. Supreme Court Justice Alito has called portions of the law “dizzying,” and Justice Kagan wrote that it’s “so through and through perplexing” that only a “masochist” would try to interpret it. Further, immigration law is changing all the time, making it a challenge for even lawyers in the field to keep up with the changes.

The INA [Immigration and Nationality Act] and its underlying bureaucracy is often compared to the Internal Revenue Code as being one of the two most complicated statutes in the U.S. Code. – U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, DOS Cable 99-State-21138 (Feb. 4, 1999)

[The Immigration and Nationality Act] is not known for being warm or cuddly; words like “intricate” and “Byzantine” come more easily to mind…. Nor is it known for being easy to understand; we have often remarked on its fiendish complexity. – Akram v. Holder (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 2013)

Immigration is a mystery and mastery of obfuscation, and the lawyers who can figure it out are worth their weight in gold. – Karen Kraushaar, U.S. Immigration and Nationality Service Spokesperson, quoted in Washington Post, [Maryland] Family Ensnared in Immigration Maze–After Changes in Law, Couple Faces Deportation (Apr. 24, 2001)

In counseling clients, our firm strives to provide clarity, maximizing what U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld called the “known knowns” (things we know we know), minimizing the “known unknowns” (things we know we do not know), and eliminating the “unknown unknowns” (things we don’t know we don’t know).

5. Strategic Advice

A qualified immigration lawyer knows what questions to ask and what evidence to review in order to analyze whether or not your case may be problematic. Having handled many cases, we are prepared for many of the potential pitfalls in cases that at first seemed “easy.” If the analysis shows that your case is relatively straightforward, you’ll leave the consultation with peace of mind and with advice about how to increase the odds that your application will go through the immigration bureaucracy smoothly and quickly. If the analysis shows that your case is more complex, an immigration lawyer can propose realistic strategies to deal with the complexity.

6. Marshaling Evidence and Testimony

In many types of immigration cases, the applicant bears the burden of proof, meaning the application is only approved if the applicant presents sufficiently evidence to persuade the officer of eligibility. Just as in court there are rules of procedure and evidence in court, the same is true in immigration cases before government agencies. The lawyer helps the client to prepare and gather documentary evidence. The lawyer also helps to prepare clients and witnesses to give testimony to the government at interviews or hearings.

We research and prepare legal briefs in support of our arguments and advocate on behalf of our clients’ positions before government agencies.

We don’t blindly follow the government’s legal interpretations and procedural instructions. Our job may be to challenge the government’s interpretations and instructions when that is in our clients’ interests.

7. Client Service

You need the peace of mind that comes from knowing what is happening in your case. Our firm strives to provide excellent client service. Our firm policy is to return your calls and emails quickly. We will answer all your questions. We care. We provide each client with a secure and private online Client Portal to conveniently submit documents, data, and messages to our firm; check the case status on the case schedule; and review the list of documents received and still needed.

8. We Can Prevent Costly Mistakes and Lengthy Delays

With our experience, we can help you get your case filed faster. We can avoid costly mistakes, such as technical mistakes or omissions in the paperwork. We strive to anticipate the government agency’s concerns and to satisfy them in advance in order to meet the burden of proof and avoid lengthy delays.

9. Reasonable Fees

Just as you would expect to pay doctors for their experience, knowledge, and training in medicine, you should expect to pay lawyers something for their experience, knowledge, and training, and for the time they spend listening to the facts of the situation you might bring to them and for advising you.

You need to know what your total investment will be to secure your future in the U.S. With our standard fees based on the type of application or process and the specific work needed in your case, you will never be surprised about your bill and you can plan your budget accordingly. And, considering the enormous benefits of living, working, or doing business in the U.S., you will find our fees reasonable and a good investment.

10. What Immigration Officials Think about Applicants Represented by Counsel

Some clients have asked our firm whether immigration officials may be suspicious because a visa applicant has hired an attorney. The answer is no. It’s not uncommon. Immigration officials  have thanked our firm for explaining the law and facts of cases clearly, thus assisting the officials in adjudicating the cases.

The employment of a lawyer does not constitute a red flag or signal the existence of a problem in the case….The best immigration attorneys know the law very well…. One very important service that attorneys provide to their clients is making sure that forms are correctly completed and necessary supporting documentation presented at the time of the interview. Posts … will appreciate this service. – U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, DOS Cable 99-State-21138 (Feb. 4, 1999)

In the sometimes complex world of visas, a good attorney can prepare a case properly…. The attorney can help the consular officer by organizing a case in a logical manner; by clarifying issues of concern; … and by providing the applicant with the necessary understanding of the intricacies of the visa process. – State Department Visa Office, reproduced in 67 Interpreter Releases 950, 967, 969-70 (Aug. 27, 1990)

Conclusion

Lower your stress level by hiring a law firm that you can be confident will handle your case in a professional and expedient manner.