Lawyer Fees!! Please Help!!!!!

[alyssa]

I need advice with deciding if I should retain my lawyer again. I hired my lawyer for $10,000 to file the fiance visa. (currently pending at VSC) My case is really difficult (misrep and EWI) so i called him today to ask if I should begin preparing a 601 waiver, and he said that i would have to retain him for another $5,000...is that reasonable??? and does it make sense to file the motion to reopen and 601 BEFORE my fiance even gets denied??? the thing is i KNOW it will be.....on paper it looks like He was denied H2B workers visa, so now his boss's daughter wants to marry him!!!!(my dad was his boss) I would spend everything i had on him, I just want to make sure im not getting screwed here, especially if the final judgement is going to be a denial!!! any advice would be much appreciated!! THANK YOU!!!

[Rosa]

WOW!!!:eek: I've never heard of an attorney charging that much. So far he's up to $15,000? That's ridiculous!!!

[kitkat1]

I think those fees are OUTRAGEOUS. The I-129F is a simple form. It requires a copy of the USC's birth certificate or passport to prove they are eligible to file the petition, proof that the petitioner and fiance have met in the prior two years, and a biographical form for both the USC and fiance. Nothing more. Not at all worth $10,000 - that's ROBBERY.

You cannot file a motion to reopen a case that has not been denied. It doesn't make any sense. He first has to be denied at his visa interview before a waiver can even be submitted.

[alyssa]

so should I find a new lawyer???? Can i do that though?? I mean his info is in my fiance visa packet??? aaaaah OMG i don't even know what to do anymore!!! He seems to be so professional and I am just really scared right now!!! I'm only 20 and a junior in college....so I made sure to ALWAYS have my mom with me when we went there so he wouldn't take advantage of me...i just know nothing about immigration (i never thought i would need to know)

[kitkat1]

I think you got ripped off BIGTIME. I consulted two lawyer regarding K1 visa filing and waiver filing (two years ago) and the price was between $3000 and $5000 for EVERYTHING. Do you have a contract with the lawyer? You should review the fine print so you understand exactly what you paid him for. I would get your parents involved to help you deal with the lawyer -- you have definitely been taken advantage of, but I suspect there is no way out of it now. I wouldn't choose to continue working with someone like that.

[meesh]

I would NOT retain his services again, after you have already invested 10,000 for him to do something so simple. If you do continue with him, which I don't advise, make sure he is well educated on the Pilot Program in Ciudad Juarez.

Many of us handle our own cases, after doing lots of research to make sure we are taking the correct steps. If you are not comfortable going through the waiver process on your own, I would hire someone other than your current attorney.

I'm sorry you're going through this because it must be very overwhelming and frustrating. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need because we are here to help:) Good luck!

[Laura]

OMG OMG OMG - You paid $10,000 for an I-129F??? Holy #$%^!
I have to agree with Kitkat. That is beyond OUTRAGEOUS :ah::ah::ah: (I can't use enough shocked faces for this).

Wow... I don't even know what to say. I certainly wouldn't continue using this lawyer, but it just seems so ridiculous that you already spent $10,000 grand on a freaking two-page form... Also, he hasn't been charged with Misrep, you just think you will be because you married him after he wasn't able to get an H2B through your dad??? That does not automatically mean you will get a misrep charge.

You could educate yourself and do the I-601 waiver yourself. Can you provide a little more detail? When did your fiance enter the U.S., where is he from, how did he enter? The majority of the people on this forum have EWI spouses/fiances, so don't feel weird about it.

[alyssa]

Laurafern- (kind of long i will try and make it simple)
In 2000 my fiance EWI through Mexico, he was fingerprinted at the border and he gave a fake name (NEVER detained) he worked for my dad for 5 years, in April 2005 we began dating, my dad hired a laywer for the H2b, so my fiance went back to CR in March 2006, and got the H2b visa in APril 2006(where he signed it agreeing that he was never in the U.S), and returned to the U.S. He had to return to CR on December 14,2006 and his visa appt. for H2b again was April 9, 2007. At the interview the consulate asked him many times if he ever came through mexico he said NO each time. Finally the consulate said that he had his fingerprints from 2000. he told my fiance that if they caught the prints in April 06 he would have never received the visa in the first place, and they told him he would have better luck trying again in 90 years!!!!
No he has 10 year ban due to EWI (over a year) and possible perm. ban due to misrep.
So that's our HORRIBLE story.......i need honesty...is there really ANY hope????

[kitkat1]

Alyssa, there's hope because he did not claim to be a US Citizen (which has a lifetime ban). But lying about the entries results in misrep which can be a hard one to overcome. I would suggest a phone consult with attorney Heather Poole or Laurel Scott (Google their contact info). I think you'll get better advice after spending a half hour talking with one of them than you've received so far from your current lawyer.

[Klame1983]

I only paid my attorney $1,000 for the I-130 & I-601 process, so that should tell you something... YOU PAID WAY TOO MUCH! Don't give him more $$$$!!!!!

[corazoncita]

OMG!! $10,000??? *Falling out of chair*

I can't believe he charged you that much... where do you live? If you live anywhere near me, I'm going to spread the word everywhere not to hire this attorney. That price is NUTS!

PS- (off topic) but I met my hubby the same way you did... my step-dad was his boss!

[Laura]

Alyssa - do what Kitkat1 advised. Spend a couple hundred on a consult with Heather Poole and/or Laurel Scott.

This is definitely complex, but your current lawyer has clearly not been at all straightforward, fair, etc.

[emt103c]

$5,000 for a 601 is not a HIGH price, from what I've been quoted, but $10,000 for an I-129F, which is so easy to fill out it's ridiculous, is crazy.

I cannot believe he got away with charging that..you might actually be able to file a complaint with the state bar for something that out of the ordinary.

[kenaly]

That is the craziest thing I have ever heard of!! I am in shock that a lawyer charged that amount for the I-129!!! Have you paid the entire $10,000 yet? If not, I wouldn't pay a penny more to this crook!

[Adriane]

I think I remember your case from a while bac- your SO isn't from Mexico, right, he's from Honduras, Costa Rica or El Salvador, right?

I would consult with Laurel or Heather and at least make sure that what you're trying to do is possible- $5000 for an I-601 is reasonable and more or less standard.

But as I recall you're dealing with some pretty big roadblocks- he EWId in the first place- then lied on the HB visa form- entered again, yes with the visa but under false pretenses as he lied to get the HB- then tried to lie again....

It could be that given these factors, $10,000 *is* reasonable, provided the fees came with significant research to make sure that there was a chance of success.

Consult with Laurel or Heather- in fact, perhaps you ought to consult with *both* to get two more opinions. Yours is definitely the most complicated I've seen for a while....

Good luck!

[sdgcas]

Holy Moly... This is RIDICULOUS!!! 10000$ + 5000$ ,what is wrong with people?This's robbery!

[aguafria]

Alyssa,
Don't lose hope...Do some research and you may find some open doors.

[MistyB]

YOU ARE KIDDING????Yes? $10,000 and another $5000 is fraud. He is screwing you. Get another attorney NOW.

I can recommend Raquel Hecht out of Oregon. Look her up on the net.

[MistyB]

$5,000 for a 601 is not a HIGH price, from what I've been quoted, but $10,000 for an I-129F, which is so easy to fill out it's ridiculous, is crazy.

I cannot believe he got away with charging that..you might actually be able to file a complaint with the state bar for something that out of the ordinary.


I beg to differ with this. I was quoted max $3000 and I went to several different attornies in several states. $5000 is too much.

[kitkat1]

I think these days $5000 is fairly reaonsable for complete waiver prep. But certainly NOT for simply filling out the I-129F forms - that's INSANE.

[aprilstorm]

:whoa: :eek: :ah:..$10,000.......I'm speachless

[alyssa]

so i talked to my lawyer about the 10,000 and I have not used it all yet, he said that is to cover 1-129 and I-485 and any judicial hearings we might have to go through regarding that matter....he made it all seem sensible so I did pay him the next 5,000 and i am currently gathering information for my HSL......the money is ridicuously expensive, but my fiance did make MANY mistakes.....so i need to just ignore the money issue and focus on the future of our lives together!! thanks everyone!!!!

[aguafria]

Good Luck Alyssa. That is very expensive, so please, please do your own research and ask your lawyer questions. It will pay off in the long run. Being misinformed can hurt more than losing the money.

[ojitos_verdes]

i have a question please help: my fiance got retained twice at the border (had pics taken, fingerprints, and signed a papers -- something about a voluntary something) and in order to know if he was deported a lawyer said that we need an FOIA -- he charges $500 for that and to analyze his case, another lawyer charges $1,500v for the same services! is there a difference of the quality? how much does that normally cost? please help!

[aguafria]

ojitos, I don't know the answer to your question, but you may want to start a new thread. You'll probably get the answers you need that way.