Is this for real???? Our imm lawyer bill!!!####???

[seasun]

I just got our bill yesterday, I had allready pay him $4,000. and the balance due is $6,000. HOW COULD THIS BE??????????? every phone call, every question he charged me, I have no idea how we are gonna pay I think this is outrageous!!! Is there anything I could do cause this is a lawyer that did not even know that a C-1 visa can not change status until we went to court, even the judge laugh at him and ask my boyfriend where did we get this guy??? Its there anything we can do???? Does anyone have a phone # where I could call and dispute this bill????? Please, I believe he stold our money, all we got from him was acctually nothing. The bail of 35,000. I was the one that convince the judge with my arguments after my boyfriend ask him to let me represent him that day cause the lawyer kept on telling the judge to let him out on bail to marry me (stupid) he need it to be out on bail to work with his criminal case not to marry me cause the judge knew he could not change his status here in US, the lawyer also told him to plea guilty to the criminal charges so he could get out of jail that this will not hurt him and we could easily do the waiver, and trust me there is more many mistakes, there were even times when we went to court and the judge will ask why are we here? and he will say for example: Bail hearing. and the judge will ask did you request it in writing? he will say: No I made a phone appt. Please of course we had to go back again in two weeks, and this happened many times it was the lawyers mistake he should have known better. For four affidavid of people that I know he charged me by the hour, every little word he typed every minute he charged, its that suppose to be that way? so if you are a slow typist how many hours its gonna take?? I dont think this is right and on the bill he put every thing I am surprise he did not charge me for using his bathroom when I went to his office, the only thing he gave me a ride every time we went to court and I paid for the tolls, I drove to his office and then we went to court, he said he was going there anyways. Thanks to this site I have had many consultations with other attorneys and some had told me I could get my money back or some of it or at least not have to pay that balance, does anyone know. I also found out that this lawyer allready mess up other peoples life by not finding relief when they had relief and when they found out a couple of thousands later it was too late. Has anyone here had an experience like mine. I spoke to Laurel Scott, not about this but about my boyfriends case and she told me how much it will be to do our waiver but she said right now she would not take my case cause with her experience she knows it will be awaste of money for me, see?? thats HONEST:yay2:for a change, we need more people like that, another one in NY city right on Broadway very huge building, I wanna say his name but dont know if I should, very expensive, he gave me a FREE consultation after a couple of calls to him I guess he felt bad for me and said, just come in free of charge and talk, see??KINDNESS:thumbup: but anyways this lawyer that I would realllly love to say his name has only taken advantage cause he said he knew a lot, but you know if there is nothing I could do well what goes around goes around, If anyone has some advice for me please let me know, thanks:waiting: Also my boyfriend got the voluntary departure granted cause the judge said that was all he could do for us and the judge was very nice cause my boyfriends criminal case will take like 6mths more and it was too much for my boyfriend cause we could not post bail so hopefully or criminal lawyer wich is very good is trying to get the case dismiss..Keep our fingers cross...

[Glühbirne]

Yes, it is common for lawyers to charge you by the hour for everything they did on your case, including research, correspondence, phone calls, etc. There are some lawyers that might let you work out a "flat rate" deal before hiring them...... but if you hired him knowing he would charge per hour, then there probably isn't a way you're going to get out of paying him.

In a way, law is a lot like medicine in that you still have to pay for the services rendered, even if the outcome was not the one you wanted.

[seasun]

Yes, it is common for lawyers to charge you by the hour for everything they did on your case, including research, correspondence, phone calls, etc. There are some lawyers that might let you work out a "flat rate" deal before hiring them...... but if you hired him knowing he would charge per hour, then there probably isn't a way you're going to get out of paying him.

In a way, law is a lot like medicine in that you still have to pay for the services rendered, even if the outcome was not the one you wanted.

But he did not do anything to help us he was like making believe and charging, nothing was really done, this is not right. If you go have your hair done or nails they do them even if you dont like it is not a matter of if this is what I wanted or not the matter is if you got the hair cut or not, is not if you did not like it, you know what I mean. I hired him cause he told me he knew about this cases, but he did not know that a C-1 Visa its not convertible he as a lawyer was suppose to know before he mentioned for us the best thing is to marry, when right now that was not gonna help, he should of known that a cruisemen visa was only for 28 days and that his only choice was to go back to his country and then go from there not make us believe that he could change his status and stay in the country that was a big lie cause every lawyer I have talk to know this I found out the hard way and the wrong way ,if he did not know this, his job was to find out before he told me he knew what he was doing and he wanted those $4,000. before we were even half way on the case, and its like I said before he did not do anything for us, he made believe he was doing something, oh I gotta make some phone calls blah,blah, Ive even come to think he knew all of this but he was pulling our hair... Thanks for your time, I am so mad at this guy..:curse:

[nineten]

Yes, a good attorney like Laurel Scott will tell you exactly how it is, not just what you're hoping to hear.
That's a good attorney and I learned about her and the excellent reputation she has and that's exactly why I hired her.




As for your attorney, it sounds like he has reached his level of incompentency as far as practicing immigratiion law.

You need to get on his back and stay on it until he gives you the amount of money that you are wanting refunded.

You may have to get ugly with this attorney. Some are notorious for playing games with people. Just remember that he was hired and worked for YOU and he wasn't compentent. You've paid him for (what)and even the judge asked where you found this guy!!

I would tell him flat out that that I wasn't giving him another red cent, period!

Some lawyers will play you around, if you aren't firm with them and stand your ground. Don't just settle for whatever he will tell you. If you don't like what you hear, create a big stink about it.

You can also file a complaint with the board (of attorney's) in your state. You might even threaten to do that to him. A formal complaint needs to be filed on him and you can find out if there's been others filed.

Here's links although similar.

bad lawyers is for the world and about bad lawyers.
www.bad-lawyers.com

what to do with evil lawyers? Who are the evil lawyers?
www.evil-lawyers.com/

File a complaint anywhere in the U.S.
http://www.lawyers-complaint.com/

[Pooh79]

Seasun you can probably go through a fee arbitration through your state bar association. Look into that.

[pen1137]

contact your state bar, definitely. contact the lawyer, too, and tell him you are doing this.

we did this with our first lawyer. we sent a letter to the state bar and let him know we did so. he was "sorry" so gave us a "discount" off of what we'd paid, but after he soon got disbarred, we were able to get most of the money back from the states client's security fund. and if he's a real lawyer, he must pay into this.

lawyers like this need to be disbarred-your complaint will help make it true.

good luck!

[nineten]

If she notified the attorney that she might file a complaint, do you think the attorney could dissuade her from filing a complaint if he said that he'd give her X amt of money back if she wouldn't file a complaint or sign a form saying she wouldn't under that condition, unethical but plausible? I'd complain whether I received monies back or not because he doesn't need to tamper with other others lives again. There's some real shady attorneys out there.

[jveli]

I am so sorry you are going through this. My husband told me about how this happened to him before with advocates from the Spanish community and lawyers. He is so angry over all the money he has lost over the years because of immmigration.

Simply, do not pay that lawyer another cent. Tell him you are going to report him to the bar association for incompetency and unethical practices. And than gather up/write down every wrong doing he has done in a chronilogical manner that would show a timeline of his mistakes and HOW the affected your case.

I did this before with a divorce lawyer. He left the firm, under what circumstances I am unsure, but the firm sent me a bill for balance due, and I sent them a letter with timeline as to why I was not going to pay/his incompetencies, and they never asked for the money again...sent a letter stating the matter was settled.