Knowing a good lawyer, accountant, and doctor is a true blessing. We don't really need them when our lives are at peace, but these are the people who can probably help us the most when problems occur.
In that sense, finding attorney Eric Singer on yelp was one of the best things that happened to me recently. Singer Immigration law firm is located in the heart of Bethesda, right next to Union Jack's British pub. It is not too far from the Bethesda metro stop, and there are plenty of street parking spots (metered coin) available.
Initially, a friend referred a different immigration lawyer to us, who is one of the most 5 star reviewed immigration lawyers on yelp. Trusting our friend's judgment, great yelp reviews and avvo reviews, we were going to hire her. However, I started to get frustrated as I realized how difficult it was to reach her. Her policy was to respond within 24 hours, which meant, If I emailed her a simple questions (ex. Can I call you sometime to discuss about our appointment), then she would write me back in next 24 hours saying I could call her the following day. Unless she called me, which she did within 24 hours, our simple correspondences would take anywhere between 24~48 hours, and I decided that I couldn't work with her.
Great yelp reviews are always important and helpful in making our choices in anything these days. However, when you are looking for a professional service provider, such as a lawyer, you need to do your due diligence and research a little more.
Here are some factors to consider when finding a great lawyer:
1. How is his/her reputation? (Check yelp, avvo, martindale)
2. How experienced is he/she? (Check firm's website bio, linkedin)
Note: It is always better to hire someone who specializes in the area of law you are interested in. (ex. Immigration law, Patent law, Real estate law, etc)
3. Is he/she responsive? (For me, this is just as important as #1, and #2, and trust me, you absolutely NEED a lawyer who responds quickly)
4. Does he/she respect and care about the client (YOU)? Is he/she professional?
Yes, as long as the lawyer gets the job done, you would think that it does not matter whether your lawyer cares about you, but you will in fact realize that it does matter.
(Back to #3, if he doesn't respond well every time you contact, it means he just doesn't care about your case very much so you need to find a better lawyer). And if your lawyer treats you like a dumb person, would you like to work with him?
5. Can you work with this person? You have to be able to trust your lawyer and communicate together.
These seem like really simple qualifications in searching for a decent to a great lawyer, but Attorney Singer was the only person who satisfied all the above factors for me.
Here are the reasons below:
1. Great reviews on yelp and avvo are always a plus (10/10 reviews from 10 former clients)
http://www.avvo.com/attorneys/20814-md-eric-singer-630763.html
2. Very experienced - licensed for over 18 years, numerous publications, and yes he is an immigration lawyer
3. Is he responsive? YES YES YES. After I left him a voice mail, he called me back in less than 30 minutes. He always responded to my emails in 15~30 minutes.
4. What impressed me most about attorney Singer was that many of his client reviews on avvo mentioned how much he cared about his clients, treating them like friends and family. I, too, felt that he genuinely cared about my case, and he was the only attorney who asked about brief details about my case over the phone instead of mentioning about fees first. He was always kind and respectful every time we talked, and he immediately felt like an old friend.
5. Was he qualified? Could I work with him and trust him?
Obviously, he is a very experienced lawyer, but his 1 hour consultation was one of the most valuable times I paid for. Attorney Singer was time efficient, yet detail oriented, and gave me really helpful practical advice. He is reliable, answered all my questions and concerns, and I could absolutely trust him.
Bottom line is that the DMV area is flooded with good lawyers, but it is always hard to find a great lawyer anywhere you go.
Based on my personal researches and experiences, I can recommend attorney Singer to anyone who needs an immigration lawyer with confidence. read more