$1,000 for a lawyer reasonable?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice. Straight to the point here, do you think $1,000 for a lawyer doing my application is reasonable?

Here is the story; my family is willing to help with some money to pay a lawyer to actually fill out the application and take care of all the paperwork and send it, we would just provide the documents. My family believes these kind of things should be taken care by professionals (lawyers), but I think different from everything I've read here and the knowledge gained lately about the application. The reason I am asking this question is because I heard there are people charging way too much for their services. I am willing to fill it out myself with help from others and getting all the advice I can get. My family does not have much money but yet they said they are willing to sacrifice, I would just hate to see us paid $1,000 to someone who may be putting an unreasonable price on us.

Thank you for your help in advance.

It is reasonable for a lawyer to charge you that amount. A lawyer's time is very well paid. You should printout the forms and fill them on your own. That's whats not reasonable. The forms are VERY simple and if you don't have a complicated case (no fake ssn used, criminal offences, etc..) then you don't really need the lawyer. I recommend wherever you're living, try to go to one of those help centers for dreamers. I'm pretty sure they can help you fill out the form.

If you have a straight forward case with no criminal record and can follow simple instructions, then do it yourself. The lawyer is overcharging and most of the time they have regular people do the job. My question is. Would you trust a regular person to fill your forms?

There's already been several posts here of people not taking well to how the lawyers are handling their cases. I think most expected personalized, expedite service for the $800-$1000+ they were paying. From these people's accounts, your case simply becomes one more in the pile.

That said, no one will pay more attention to your own case other yourself. If you're the pro-active type who can easily figure out things, or look up the answers to things he doesn't know, you can do fine on your own.

At best, do the paperwork all yourself, then pay a lawyer for a consultation, and have him/her review your application and packet.

I've heard of people paying about $400-500...$1000 might be too much.

A lot of great advice has been posted here. If you have a clean record, do it yourself first. It's not hard.

It really comes down to how much confidence you have in yourself. If you believe yourself to be capable enough of filling important forms out and putting this packet together, do so yourself. This forum is a gold mine of information.

However, if you are prone to making little mistakes or don't completely understand the process, it might be better to go to a lawyer. It will take longer, but you will feel safer. But if you're paying $1000, at least pick one you trust and you feel like knows what they are doing. I read some of the posts on here and it makes me sad that these people are shelling out all this money and still don't know if their lawyer is doing everything how it's supposed to be done. I do think that sometimes lawyers over-complicate things, and as mentioned before, they've made this process simple enough to be done without a lawyer.

Thank you for your input! I will consult with my family now.

Now, allow me to share my situation:

It's a little complicated, maybe... well have a say!

DOB: Jan. 14

I came to U.S. ( crossed the border) when I was 15 yrs old in January 3rd 2004, eleven days before I turned 16 years old. However in Jan. 18 I got picked up by the police in Laredo, TX (they asked for ID and I couldn't provide any, I didn't even know English at that time). After contacting my family I was released to one of my legal family members after I signed a paper that required me to go to court and possibly face deportation. I don't really enjoy dwelling on this topic, but point is I never went to my court date, once I was reunited with my family they decided to move away and forget. Therefore, I am now in removal proceedings as a result for having missed the court date.

Now, I also don't have much evidence or papers to prove I was here before 16. What I have is a transcript from my high school Spring 2004. I went to high school immediately after I got here, I started early February. But my transcript says I pretty much was enrolled in school for the Spring '04. I looked up my school calendar and it seems like Spring high school semesters start before Jan. 14th, which would prove I was in the U.S. before the age of 16. That is pretty much the only thing I got to meet that requirement. I heard about affidavits, I could try to contact the people I stayed with in Laredo when I got here in January 3rd so maybe one of them can testify that I can meet the 16 limit age.

We all have stories, very few people have heard mine in person but I trust that whoever reads mine can help, any advice will be appreciated. I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I am always going to be proud to be a DREAMER.

If you have borderline case, a lawyer is not going to make it any better.

In a case like that, personally, I would hold on until some cases have been approved or rejected. In a few months, not only we, as DREAMers, will be more aware of the whole process, but lawyers will too. We'll know what kind of evidence got a case approved right away, and what kind of evidence kept triggering Requests for Evidence.

Bottom line: if your evidence is weak, it's going to be weak whether you pay a lawyer $200 or $2000. Don't let them milk you for money. However, your money will be better spent once everyone is more knowledgeable about the DACA process down the line.

Anyway, it is my belief that a case like yours won't be rejected. From what USCIS has said, they won't reject any cases flat out unless the evidence you submit clearly shows you don't meet one of the requirements (i.e. you're over 31, your passport shows you came in after age 16, your record comes back with a felony, etc). Everyone else, like your case, would generate a Request for Evidence if USCIS deems your evidence to be weak.

Your choice whether to take that risk now, or wait.

That's just my opinion (i.e. not a lawyer), however.

Good Advise.
Like the above poster said it would be wise to wait a little bit and see what the process entails. I don't know your current situation, but if you can wait a little bit and maybe with more information you can make a more educated decision it can help your case.
We can't change the past and what you've gone through, but with time maybe you can figure some other things out maybe fill your form take it to a couple of these legal clinics coming up and be better prepare for what ever decision you come up with.

My .02 cents.