u/DistributionBest6710

Hi all,

Location: NY, NYC, USA

Last week, I made this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskLawyers/comments/1vnn9ci/immigration_lawyer_prepared_paperwork_never/

TLDR: Incompetent lawyer that I've since fired, struggling to get refund/full case files within my requested time frame.

& Frankly, I'm at the point where I'm giving up on the refund, as her emails have been somewhat incomprehensible and she's, at the very least, not going to refund the full amount. Believe I can eventually get the case files, though.

Thank you to everyone who gave advice so far. Following the advice, I am looking into the process of filing a bar complaint for several reasons, including the above.

I feel as though I have a legitimate reason to file a complaint, and the emails/comms + lack of comms to back it up, but I worry about any retaliation from her since our case is so sensitive. Specifically, any chance she could report us to authorities with details in our case (AKA, what we hired her in the first place to help us deal with) and can get us flagged since she didn't actually help us deal with anything.

I'm hoping I'm just paranoid, but is any legal reason she wouldn't be able to retaliate like that?

If there isn't any legal reason, is there any way to protect myself?

Hi all,

Location: NY, NYC Field Office

Last week, I made this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/askimmigration/comments/1vnnxxj/immigration_lawyer_prepared_paperwork_never/

TLDR: Incompetent lawyer that I've since fired, struggling to get refund/full case files within my requested time frame. Frankly, I'm at the point where I'm giving up on the refund, as her emails have been somewhat incomprehensible and she's, at the very least, not going to refund the full amount.

Thank you to everyone who gave advice so far. Following the advice, I am looking into the process of filing a bar complaint for several reasons, including the above, and also including:

• lack of communication & frankly abusive and unprofessional communication when it did happen,
• refusal to show files/documents despite requesting copies up until this point,
• refusal to allow us to review documents and then neglecting to correct errors on forms that we WERE able to see

I feel as though I have a legitimate reason to file a complaint, and the emails/comms + lack of comms to back it up, but I worry about any retaliation from her since this is such a sensitive topic. Specifically, any chance she could report us to ICE/CIS/DHS, since I believe she will know who files the report.

Has anyone filed a complaint for their immigration lawyer before? What was the outcome? Do I actually have anything to worry about or am I just paranoid?

Hi all,

Location: NY, NYC Field Office

Last week, I made this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS_FORUM/comments/1vnn7mr/immigration_lawyer_prepared_paperwork_never/

TLDR: Incompetent lawyer that I've since fired, struggling to get refund/full case files within my requested time frame. Frankly, I'm at the point where I'm giving up on the refund, as her emails have been somewhat incomprehensible and she's, at the very least, not going to refund the full amount.

Thank you to everyone who gave advice so far. Following the advice, I am looking into the process of filing a bar complaint for several reasons, including the above, and also including:

• lack of communication & frankly abusive and unprofessional communication when it did happen,
• refusal to show files/documents despite requesting copies up until this point,
• refusal to allow us to review documents and then neglecting to correct errors on forms that we WERE able to see (i.e., since we had hired her for both myself and my husband, she would often mix up details on official documents and submit without our knowing. For instance, my husbands i485 was riddled with errors, including putting MY mother's maiden name for HIS, that she refused to acknowledge despite persistent comms on our end)

I feel as though I have a legitimate reason to file a complaint, and the emails/comms + lack of comms to back it up, but I worry about any retaliation from her since this is such a sensitive topic.

Has anyone filed a complaint for their immigration lawyer before? What was the outcome? Do I actually have anything to worry about or am I just paranoid?

Hi all,

Location: NYC, NY, USA.

In the process of getting a refund from a completely incompetent immig. lawyer for myself and my husband - Lawyer insisted on us overpaying (without specifying why) and I am now requesting a refund for steps not taken. It is like pulling teeth to get evidence of the work she's done so that we can prove the final refund amount we are requesting (and she keeps changing the numbers - she has never once followed the payments listed in our initial agreement letter to her).

We managed to get SOME evidence (and in fact, this is the first time she has ever allowed us to even SEE documents in our file), and in 2 instances, she states that she had "prepared" certain actions - including an Adjustment of Status form and a Motion to Recalendar, but this is the first time we are ever hearing that she even prepared these documents. We have no emails, phone calls, or written confirmation that she did this, and 0 evidence it was ever FILED (no receipt notice, no indication on the USCIS portal, and the AOS form is not signed by EITHER party - us OR the lawyer). Same thing with the Motion to Recalendar - we have no evidence she took this step, but she's given us paperwork to show she had WRITTEN it and signed it herself. Both are dated for LAST YEAR, which is the most ridiculous part! She's been holding this from us for nearly a year and a half!

But, she is holding that as proof of service, and is counting that towards the final bill (and thus not an amount we can get refunded to us).

Do I have any recourse/anything I can say to argue back against this? I'm just frustrated as to why I am being expected to pay for a step we were never notified she was taking, was never shown to us (no signature), and never filed.

I understand we willingly overpaid, but I can not understate her verbal abuse and refusal to do even an intermediate step if we didn't overpay.

Hi all -

This is re: NY field office.

In the process of getting a refund from a completely incompetent immig. lawyer for myself and my husband - Lawyer insisted on us overpaying (without specifying why) and I am now requesting a refund for steps not taken. It is like pulling teeth to get evidence of the work she's done so that we can prove the final refund amount we are requesting (and she keeps changing the numbers - she has never once followed the payments listed in our initial agreement letter to her).

We managed to get SOME evidence (and in fact, this is the first time she has ever allowed us to even SEE documents in our file), and in 2 instances, she states that she had "prepared" certain actions - including an Adjustment of Status form and a Motion to Recalendar, but this is the first time we are ever hearing that she even prepared these documents. We have no emails, phone calls, or written confirmation that she did this, and 0 evidence it was ever FILED (no receipt notice, no indication on the USCIS portal, and the AOS form is not signed by EITHER party - us OR the lawyer). Same thing with the Motion to Recalendar - we have no evidence she took this step, but she's given us paperwork to show she had WRITTEN it and signed it herself. Both are dated for LAST YEAR, which is the most ridiculous part! She's been holding this from us for nearly a year and a half!

But, she is holding that as proof of service, and is counting that towards the final bill (and thus not an amount we can get refunded to us).

Do I have any recourse/anything I can say to argue back against this? I'm just frustrated as to why I am being expected to pay for a step we were never notified she was taking, was never shown to us (no signature), and never filed.

I understand we willingly overpaid, but I can not understate her verbal abuse and refusal to do even an intermediate step if we didn't overpay.