AN ATTORNEY CAN HANDLE YOUR IMMIGRATION CASE FROM FAR AWAY
by Michael J. Gurfinkel, Esq.

Many people think that the only way an attorney can handle their case is if the attorney is located in the same city as the person.   The truth is that an attorney can handle your case from anywhere in the U.S. or the world, without the need for you to even visit the attorney's office for "in person" meetings.

Unlike a doctor, who must see a patient in person to properly diagnose the patient's illness, prescribe treatment, or perform surgery, a good immigration attorney can "diagnose, prescribe, and treat" people concerning their immigration problems without necessarily seeing the person face to face.   This can be called "long-distance lawyering."   Thus, a person's selection of an attorney does not need to be limited to those attorneys with an office near the client. An attorney can be far away, and still be able to handle the client's case.

A good immigration lawyer can discuss a person's immigration situation, and advise the client of the options, risks, and advantages of such options through a telephone or (internet) consultation .   Immigration lawyers can gather documents, communicate with clients and DHS or Consulate officials, and do basically every single step of the immigration process via long-distance telephone, facsimile machines, one-day courier services, priority mails, internet, and regular mail.

I have helped many clients from as far away as New York, North Dakota, Florida, New Jersey, Philippines, and numerous other places, obtain green cards and other visas without the client ever having to come to my office for an in person consultation , and without me or any of my staff having to see the client.   I have done this even in emergency cases.

For example, there was a case of a child whose parents lived hundreds of miles away.   The child was turning 21, and something had to be done immediately to get him a green card and bring him into the United States before he turned 21, or else he would have to wait from 10 to 20 more years before he could rejoin his parents.   The parents had approached several attorneys in the Bay Area, but all of them said the case was impossible to handle, or there was no hope, because there wasn't enough time.   One of the lawyers told him about my law office, and the parents decided to take his advice.

I handled the case, and the youngster arrived in the United States -- a green card holder -- just four days before his 21st birthday.   The father called it "one of the best things I've done for my son," by giving him the opportunity of life in America.

But, the point was that everything was done via long distance -- by phone, by fax, by mail, and by courier service.   This case shows that even in urgent cases, long distance lawyering is possible.   In this age of high-tech communications, everything is within reach: the petitioner's residence; Manila, where the child lived and where the interview and processing was to be done at the U.S. Embassy; and New Hampshire, where the National Visa Center is located.

There is also the case of a Filipino doctor who lived in North Dakota.   I was able to get approval of his application for legal permanent residence without having to go to North Dakota, nor having to have the client to come to Los Angeles.

There are many similar cases, which I handled successfully without in-person meetings.

Many people choose attorneys solely on the basis of location, thinking it's necessary to always see the attorney in person, or have his office close by.   Proximity is not an important factor in determining which lawyer to retain. The important thing is to choose the lawyer with a "track record of success."   The person really does not have to go to a law office to solve one's immigration problem (as one would with a doctor).   One only has to pick up the phone or "log on" to take the first step to legalize one's immigration status.

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