Las Vegas Lawyer or a New York Attorney? Can you afford either?

“I paid my Attorney in Manhattan (NY) $7,000.00 for getting my immigration papers processed and he screwed up big time. I kept walking in and out of his office for about three months, not paying attention to the wrath of my bad tempered employer or to the deductions he made in my wages for not showing up in the office on every alternate day. Getting my legal status in place was a priority for me that time; nothing else seemed to be as important. Every time I entered my Attorney’s office, I used to wait for my turn for hours together; (apparently he had hundreds of clients visiting him every day) and finally when I used to be ushered in, he would give me exactly 5 minutes to talk and I had to use all the senses at my command to effectively utilize those precious 5 minutes for having my queries answered. The worst thing was that he even lacked the courtesy of asking me to sit down. He used to make it look as if I was getting the work done for free and he was obliging me with the services he rendered. After a couple of months of filing the papers I got shot (point blank) with a ‘Denial letter’ from the immigration department. That day it had seemed like Heavens had fallen. I was in a total mess and that Attorney had the nerve to ask me for more money in order to get the appeal filed, knowing very well that I wasn’t earning more than $300.00 a week. Worst of all, when I asked him what my chances were, he made it clear in his harsh and insensitive tone that his services did not have any sort of guarantees attached. My whole world had seemingly collapsed and all he could do to help was, to give me a choice, to hire any other Attorney if I so desired. I still remember him smiling brazenly at me, totally unaffected, when I walked out of his office with tears in my eyes.” 

This is what happened with one of my acquaintances, a couple of years ago. Poor fellow did not have the courage to file a complaint against the Attorney as he did not want to jeopardize his case further. He was new to United States and did not know his rights and the worst thing was that he had got that huge amount of $7000.00 wire transferred from his home country, as he did not have a regular job that time. Needless to say, that in States, a person cannot even think of surviving without a Social Security number which is issued only after the legal status is granted. Having that kind of money down the drain in ‘one go’ and that too without any results, I can only imagine his predicament in that nerve-racking moment of his life. The question is…would that Attorney have ever thought, even for a single moment, about that poor man, after he quietly walked out of his office, that fateful day?

We have thousands of people complaining about the professional misconduct of the Attorneys who seem to show absolutely no concern over the problems of their clients. For them every client is just a case and nothing more than that. They charge exorbitant amounts as legal fees but do not deliver proportionately. As a result of their intimidating fee structure, a large percentage (of people) are left with no choice except to forego their rights or else approach the courts (if the situation so demands) with zero knowledge of the existing legal system; either way it proves fatal for such helpless people. They either get bullied by the Judge or face the music in the court dumbfounded, with butterflies in their stomach as they stand no chance against the legal jargon used by the opposing Attorneys.

I found that ‘Prepaid Legal Services’ (PPL) was a perfect alternative in situations where it is difficult to afford an Attorney.  These services turn out more beneficial in helping with day to day legal issues for which we, normally, do not hire an Attorney. They would charge you anywhere between $15 and $25 per month towards membership fees, depending on the State you are living in. In lieu of the membership fees, they extend many benefits ranging from, issuing legal notices and letters on your behalf free of cost, giving free legal consultation and complimentary document review up to 20-25 pages. In addition, if they feel you need an Attorney for any court case, they assign your case to a law firm (in their panel) which will take up your case at a 25-30% discounted legal fee. Sounds fair! These firms, however, are mostly loaded with cases and you really need to be patient for them to call you back. Also, they prioritize cases depending on the urgency involved.

Yet another way to have a lawyer defend your case, in the event of acute financial hardship, is to seek the assistance of ‘Legal Aid’. These organizations work on the principle of ‘justice for all’. They see to it that no one goes without legal support and guidance only for the reason of shortage of finances. They, however, have to be convinced with your ‘financial crisis’ plea, before they take up your case. Due to lack of adequate funds, these organizations do not widely advertise their services, as a result of which, a large percentage of people remain absolutely clueless as to their existence and the way of approaching them. These societies exist in every State and all what one needs to do is to search for their addresses or phone numbers in the local directory. They have really helped many distressed people who had almost lost all hopes of getting a fair chance. Some links for legal aid help are mentioned below. The video uploaded says the rest.