Legal Fees

IMPORTANT NOTES about this chart and our pricing:  You tend to get what you pay for in life, it's no different with lawyers. Be careful when comparing lawyers based on fees. You need to weigh what is most important to you - Paying the cheapest lawyer OR having an experienced lawyer who could drastically improve your chances of winning your case.  You are buying our reputation, experience, and the mass amount of whole staff time we put into your case to give you the best chance at approval. We are not cheap and we are not a "mill" that pushes out one case quickly after another. We accept a limited number of cases each year to preserve quality and our high approval rates. Since our cases are typically more complex and complicated, they require more time and investment.  

Our fee policies:

1. Our firm has various payment plans (explained below) to make an experienced & yes, more expensive, lawyer possible for your case. We also accept credit cards

2. We do not negotiate on fees. The attorney knows the kind of hours and work it takes to pull off a successful case. If saving money (as opposed to a successful outcome) is your main concern, we are not the right firm for you.

3. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in a case where fees are not listed here.

Chart of Typical Legal Fee Range by Case-Type	Fees	Incentive, Saver & Payment Plans Available?
Unlawful Presence Waivers*      (3 and 10 year bars)	$8100 - 9000	Yes
Misrepresentation Waivers*	$8100 - 9000	Yes
Criminal Waivers	$8100-9000	Yes
Removal Defense	$5000-7500	Incentive plan only
Family-sponsor Green card or Marriage Green Cards	$2700 - 3000	Yes
Fiancé Visas	$2000	No
Conditional Green card waivers	$6000 - 6500	Yes
Conditional Green Card-Joint Filing	$2700 - 3000	Yes
I-212 (if retained for UP waiver)	$1500	Yes
U visa cases	$2500-3500	Yes
Abused-Spouse Green Cards	$5000 - 6500	Yes
Citizenship	$1500 - 1750	Yes

* For more information about why our fees for unlawful presence waivers & misrepresentation waivers are higher than most other attorneys, click here. 

Common Legal Fees Questions & Answers:

Q: Do you offer a Payment Plan or a Discount Plan? Yes, in most cases. Once Heather agrees to represent you, you may have the option of three plans:

·         The Incentive plan provides a 10% reduction in fees off of the total legal fees quoted to you if you choose to pay legal fees in full upon the start of the case (we avoid billing costs) and within 1 week after the initial consultation. Attorney's willingness to accept the case is guaranteed for 1 week.

      The saver plan provides a 5% reduction in fees off of the total legal fees quoted to you if you hire Attorney Heather within 2 weeks of the initial consultation, assuming Heather still has capacity to take your case. 

·        The payment plan allows you to make at least a 50% down payment with the remainder of the legal fees due in monthly payments, with no interest,for the original amount of legal fees quoted, assuming Heather still has capacity to take your case. The amount of Legal fees quoted are only guaranteed for 2 weeks following the initial consultation.

These plans are available on almost all cases.

Q:         How Can I Pay the Legal Fees? We accept checks, cash, money order, or credit cards and any combination of these for payment of legal fees.

Q:         Can I use a credit card for legal fees?  Yes. Clients have options of paying their legal fees via Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover.

Q:         My parents or friends want to help me pay the legal fees. Is this allowed?  Yes. With the clients' permission, we may also accept payment from third parties (i.e., relatives or friends of the client) but third parties do not have access to confidential client or case information without the client's consent. Your confidentiality is very important to us.

Q:         Do Legal Fees Include CIS or Department of State fees?  No, this is a separate cost to the client.  Depending on the type of case, these fees may be spread over time. Ask the Attorney for more information if you are unsure when fees are due.  

·        You do not have to pay the CIS or DOS fees when you hire the attorney (the attorney will let you know when the other immigration fees are due; usually, this is something that the client controls since we can’t file the case without the CIS fees but a lot can be done on the case prior to needing the fees).

Q:         Can I use a credit card to pay for CIS filing fees?  No, in most cases.  Clients can use a credit card when filing a case online such as a replacement green card or employment authorization document but most cases must be paid with a check or money order. We do accept credit cards for Attorney's fees (Legal Fees), so if you want to earn those frequent flier miles. . .

Q:  When are Legal Fees Due?  No legal fees are due until the engagement agreement is issued by Heather and she has agreed to represent you.

• All of our services, no matter how small in amount, come with a written engagement agreement signed by you and Heather, the Attorney. This is so you know exactly what services we are providing for you and you have a record. 
• There is an expiration date on each engagement agreement issued which means that Heather is under no obligation to take your case or reserve her availability to work on your case if you do not return the signed engagement agreement and retainer payment by that date. This is simply due to the reality that there are many people who come to us for help and we only take a limited number of cases each year so we can provide the highest quality and devote as much time as is necessary to win each case without cutting corners. Heather knows that each client's case outcome could dramatically affect their future and that sloppy work could cut into her strong reputation with CIS, affecting the outcome of other clients' cases. So, each of us at the firm take each case very seriously. We are NOT a mill - (a "mill" is typically a very large immigration firm that has little client contact or involvement but puts most of the work on paralegals, not an attorney). We do this work because it is our passion, not to make tons of money off of often desperate people. 

Q: Why do you charge “Flat fees”?

All our Attorney legal services are provided on a flat-fee basis. What that means for you is that there will be no financial surprises later down the line. What Heather quotes you for the fee for her service will not increase once she is retained. There are no hourly fees. 

Q: How much will my case cost?

Fees vary depending on the difficulty of a particular case. See the above list of fee ranges for an idea of our fees.

Legal fees do not include CIS filing fees (in certain circumstances, we may be able to get CIS filing fees waived for the client - i.e., the client may not have to pay CIS filing fees).

Q: Are legal fees refundable? 

Follow up Consultations are not refundable, given this time has already been reserved with litte notice to the Attorney and she has already reviewed your case and reserved time in her calendar, making rearrangement of her schedule impossible to accomodate a new client. However, a consultation may be rescheduled one time before an additional charge is incurred.

For more information, contact us.

* No attorney can guarantee a favorable outcome. It is unethical and illegal under state bar rules to guarantee approval. However, choosing an experienced attorney who has a track record and knowledge of the process, the evidence needed, and the law will always improve your chances of success.