Haga clic aquí para leer en español.
At my first meeting with you, I will assess your needs, and I will determine the type of work, and the amount of work that will likely be necessary. I then tell you the fee I will charge you, based on the specifics of your case. I do not charge standard rates. Sometimes clients have asked me to quote them a fee before I meet with them; but I do not do this.
Here is why: Every client’s case is different; no two cases are ever alike. One client’s case can require a very different amount of work, than another client’s case. The late
Supreme Court Justice, Lewis Powell, explained it best when he said:
“Physicians and lawyers … do not dispense standardized products; they render professional services of almost infinite variety and nature. …
Advertising of professional services presents a different issue from that … with respect to tangible products. …
In most situations it is impossible—both for the client and the lawyer—to identify with reasonable accuracy in advance the nature and scope of problems that may be encountered even when handling a matter that at the outset seems routine. Neither quantitative nor qualitative measurement of the service actually needed is likely to be feasible in advance.”
If you are unable to afford the services of an immigration lawyer, you might contact a charitable organization that will represent you for free or low cost. Two organizations in Oklahoma, which may be able to help you, are:
The Boesche Legal Clinic at the University of Tulsa College of Law, handles immigration matters for free. The Boesche Legal Clinic employs law students, who handle the legal work under the supervision of an experienced immigration attorney. I worked in the Boesche Legal Clinic when I was a law student, and I know from firsthand experience that the Clinic can provide services that are often far superior to the services that many law firms can provide. The reason that the Clinic provides superior services, is because generally, the Clinic assigns each case to a student (or a team of students) who work on nothing but that particular case. Many law firms, however, handle hundreds of cases at a time, and so are not able to devote as much time to your case, as the Clinic is. Because an experienced immigration attorney supervises the law students, the supervision helps prevent students from making mistakes that would result from a student’s lack of experience. The Boesche Legal Clinic handles only a limited number of cases, so they may or may not be able to handle yours.
The Immigrant Connection at May Avenue Wesleyan Church represents immigration clients at low cost. They provide a limited number of services.
In an earlier post, I discuss the benefits of having someone represent you on an immigration issue, rather than representing yourself. I would encourage you to search hard to find a lawyer, or other professional, to represent you at a price you can afford.