Helen and her assistant Andrew were great. I got More than expected…read more
Due to a (unique) legal situation I had, My wife was facing a denial of her I-485 application. as a result I contacted at least 15 Lawyers in 4 states, some who had experience with my type of case some who did not. I had multiple consultations including one Law group in L.A. (claimed to have experience) that insisted we meet in person, only to tell me immediately, that they did not think my case would be successful, because they were unsuccessful on a similar case for a client that withheld infomation (Duh).
We met with Helen who was incredibly flexible with meeting times, Helen, admitted she had never handled our type of case, but she was positive and willing to do what was necessary. She was also recommended by another Lawyer out of Washington that was familiar with our type of case.
So In reading the other reviews I would like to Comment.
Price:
There are always 2 payment structures: Negotiated contract, and Hourly. If you go with hourly, expect to get billed for every call or email, that is expected. We negotiated $7,500 and my estimate is it could have been well over $20,000 if we had gone hourly. This cost was similar to other Lawyers I had contacted. I had one young, new, lawyer eager to take my case, for $1500, I know from all the other Lawyers I spoke to that he had no idea what was involved.
Availability:
Helen was available all sorts of times, We met on Memorial day, weekends, and even the Friday after Thanksgiving and the following Sunday (interview was on Monday). I had her cell phone and was able to call, text, or email at any time. And, yes, Andrew returned a lot of calls and emails, that is what an assistant does.
Scare Tactics:
Helen prepared us for the worst possible outcome, (Why focus on all the sunshine and roses, if I expected that, I would not be hiring a lawyer). No surprise, as all my Internet research already had me doubting our success. At the same time Helen never said that a positive outcome was impossible (unlike others I had spoken to). Right up to the last interview we were told, they could reject us for any reason, or ask for more documentation, or approve. Let's face it, we are dealing with the American government....It's all a crap-shoot, I doubt God himself could figure out what the government might do.
Documentation:
Sorry for the trees. Yes, there were hundreds of pages of documentation, Helen left no stone unturned, including some I would have preferred never been seen again. In the end I think she submitted over 500 pages of documentation in our case. Consider her the Matlock of immigration she will find the truth.
To Sum it all up: The application process is not rocket science, If you have NO issues, and a half a brain. Do it yourself. If you need a Lawyer because of issues, or you just feel better having help.
I RECOMMEND HELEN SKLAR.
We are a success story in a situation that very few lawyers have experienced.