This could apply to me as well (I hope)
My lawyer "recommended" to not renew our Visa because we she was 100% sure we would get our stuff approved once she mailed it. Guess what, she mailed it out late and our case was closed for lack of "proof"/documentation. Appeals were filed and USCIS refused to reopen our case, so even though I could have gotten my papers thanks to my GREAT lawyer now I am in a permanent limbo =\

Like Alex says, anyone could say "you should have renewed your Visa any ways to be sure" but guess what Im not the expert here, moreover, Im not the one who has thousands upon thousands of dollars to cover fees for an entire family. My family just went for the advice that was given to them.

My uncle on the other hand had the same EXACT case, and once we found ourselves in limbo we warned him and he managed to put it together and renenw his visa (again identical case) and guess what: he got his papers because he went against lawyer advice and learned from our mistake.

Let me know if this does help you Alex, Im doing some research on this as well. Best of luck to you.