This article is a follow-up to a prior post on why you should hire an attorney to handle your case. After you have made the decision to entrust your case to a qualified attorney, here are some tips to enhance the attorney-client experience and to ensure your case goes smoothly.
Hire the Right Attorney - Hiring the right attorney is critical to the success of your case. There are many qualified attorneys that can do a great job to handle your case, but you should take care to select the right attorney for you. There are several things that you might want to consider when hiring an attorney such as their experience, prior client reviews, and their temperament. You want an attorney that is not only capable of handling your case but will also provide a great client experience from consultation to approval. Every attorney is different and has their own way of handling cases. For instance, some attorneys prefer office consultations while other offer telephone and video consultations. Some attorneys are paper-based, while others are comfortable communicating and transacting business electronically. Therefore, you should find an attorney that suits your preferences and communication style. Otherwise, you might be frustrated and dissatisfied throughout the process.
Follow the Attorney’s Process and Directions – After you find an attorney that you feel comfortable working with you should be ready to follow their process and directions. Remember that you are paying your attorney for their guidance and expertise. Often times the attorney-client relationship can become strained or is undermined when clients do not follow the attorney’s direction. This can lead to unnecessary delay and extra expense to correct errors or compensate the attorney for the extra time involved. If you are able to follow the attorney’s process and directions, then it will increase the likelihood of a good experience.
Be responsive and cooperative – This tip ties into the last tip. Usually, when you hire an attorney they will assess your case, explain how they can help you, how much it will cost, and then explain the next steps. After your case begins, there are series of steps you must follow in order to successfully begin and file your case. Following your attorney’s directions and responding to them with the necessary information and document will make the entire process seamless. Even if you are unable to provide the requested information or have financial difficulty it is important that you communicate that to the attorney. Your cooperation and good faith effort to respond to the attorney’s emails and calls will help to build a strong and enjoyable attorney-client relationship.
Be Honest and Ask Questions - This tip is critical. Clarity is key because your attorney’s advice and guidance are only as good as the information you provide to them. Therefore, in order to receive the best possible solution for your case you should be honest and provide the relevant details for your case. This will allow the attorney to adequately prepare for potential pitfalls. It is also important that you understand the details of your case and what is required of you. Please do not feel ashamed to ask questions because you are paying the attorney to answer your questions and guide you through the process. One reason that I prefer email as my main method of communication is that I want to make sure the client can refer to the email to review our discussion. This also helps to clear up any possible misunderstandings in the process.
Be Patient and Kind – After the case is filed it is important to remain patient. Due to the nature of the immigration process, your case could take longer than originally anticipated. Often times there is not much that the attorney can do in the process especially in light of unavoidable backlogs. Therefore, a healthy dose of patience will go a long to maintain your mental wellbeing! It is common to take out your frustrations on your attorney but this will not be fruitful. Remember that they are human like you and have been hired to represent your best interests. A little kindness and patience will allow them to do their job with joy and maintain a pleasant experience for all parties.
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