John H Dodds

John Dodds

RESPONSE We don’t know why this client claims our rates are high. Our office has always had very competitive rates (if you don’t believe this check with us directly). Additionally we don’t charge for first consultations and once a person becomes a client we rarely charge for any subsequent consultations. Our clients freely call us and email us with questions for which we never charge. We are known and respected in the Latino community for our high standards of customer service and prompt response times (we try to respond to emails within 24 hours). So when this client says he/she chose us because we were much more expensive, we have to wonder whether the statement is even true. But more importantly we feel very compelled to comment on the basis the client used to choose an attorney. Anyone who is looking for an attorney should never use how much the attorney charges as the basis for their decision. Choosing an attorney using that kind of standard shows very poor judgment. Most our clients come to us via a recommendation. We do not advertise. 90% of our clients come to us because a previous client recommended us to them. And we advise anyone who is looking for an attorney to base their decision on a previous client’s recommendation and not on how much the attorney charges. The client harshly criticizes our office because (a) their immigration forms were allegedly “blank” and (b) because we did not accompany them to their adjustment of status interview. The client even says that there was a five month delay in the expedition of their residence cards based on our not being there at the interview. These statements are simply false and they deserve to be addressed. When a set of forms is sent to the USCIS the first thing the agent in charge will do is to review them. Any attorney who has been in this business for as long as we have will tell you, if the forms were not properly filled out the service will immediately REJECT THEM. This is standard procedure. The agent sends the forms back without collecting the fees and asks the attorney to re-populate and re-submit them. Only properly filled out forms merit the issuance of a corresponding filing receipt. The service will NEVER issue a filing receipt much less an interview notice if the original forms had not even been properly filled out. To accuse an attorney for not properly filling out the forms at the time when an adjustment of status interview has already been scheduled is factually impossible. Clearly the client had a hostile USCIS agent during their interview, which is not uncommon. Unfortunately the client then decided to blame us for the delays the agent was causing. What this client fails to convey is that she eventually got her Residence Card. The delays she experienced are common in the adjustment of status process. Secondly the client complained about the fact that we did not accompany them to their interview. The reason for this is simple: we are not needed in an adjustment of status interview; in fact, the few occasions when we have attended these interviews, we have not even been allowed to talk. It’s a little bit like when a person is called into a witness stand. The person might be in court with his/her attorney, but at the moment of being crossed examined the person needs to answer the questions on his/her own and without the help of the attorney. So, yes, we do not attend adjustment of status interviews. Primarily because we don’t believe it is a fair way to make our money. And we would never have said we would charge $3000 to go there. We might have said that’s what we would have to charge if we were to go there in terms of transportation, preparation and waiting times. But that is a hypothetical statement. We would simply not attend an interview of this nature even if we were to be offered that amount. We just don’t believe charging a client to attend an interview where we will need to be silent is a good use of our time or of our clients funds.