NOW, here are the reasons why we chose JP(and in all honesty, why YOU should as well).
a) I believe that JP is the most economical firm on the market in the North-East Ohio Area (NEO).In full disclosure, I have not conducted an extensive study of prevailing rates as it pertains to immigration lawyer...s in and around Cleveland area. However, about 3 to 4 sample data points from Cleveland area, and about 2 data points from the Houston, Texas area - led us to believe JP would be well within our budget. It is pertinent to note that as of writing this review (Feb 2014), JP does NOT charge by the hour (in the context of our immigration case). He charged us a flat fee, accepted American Express as a form of payment .
b) So, he fit well within our budget. What about the quality of legal advice, you might ask ? Fear not. For starters, JP and his staff (Arty and Glenn) are very knowledgeable about the general immigration process, laws/rules and MOST importantly, are masters of minutiae, the details, the fine print. By that, I mean - they understand every crook and crevice of the immigration handbook. In my opinion, you definitely need such a team to navigate the labyrinth, that is US Immigration. To cite a few examples: JP and his team, worked with us extensively when my wife and I filled out the various forms needed to submit my GC application (Forms I-131, I-485, 765 etc). We had several questions - ALL of which were promptly answered by JP (or his staff) via e-mails and phone calls. We called JP several times and he always got back to us regarding the right answers to be filled in. Most importantly, he did not charge ANYTHING extra for the phone conversations/e-mail correspondences. He was kind, polite, courteous, friendly, to the point and most importantly confident in his answers.
c) Communication - Arty (who is on JP's staff), kept a constant and direct stream of communication via e-mails, wherein she intimated us of the acceptance of our application, the various receipt notices, the fingerprinting appointments, the interview notices etc. My wife and I were consistently and constantly in the loop regarding the status of our case. It is a well known fact that the USCIS timelines for processing are not exactly very linear. Some stages can go by rather quickly, followed by a sudden lull of inactivity. Luckily in our case, everything moved through at a very steady pace. To give you an idea of the timelines, we contact JP in September (mid-month), had our documents ready for intake by September 30th, 2013. During this time of document prep, we were constantly in touch with JP. Once the documents were submitted, JP and his team kept us abreast of that proceedings.
d) Attorney Coaching/Guidance - Since my GC case in effect depended on proving the validity of our marriage to the USCIS officer, we had a session with JP's peer (Glen) - who helped us understand the most common questions asked by Immigration officer during the interviews. We took our sample questions - jotted down our answers and compared notes. Subsequently, Glen also reviewed with us the biographical information that we had submitted during the initial document submission stage. We came away with some key learning points - During the interview stay calm and composed, and stay true to yourself and the relationship. Glen also coached my wife for some potential citizenship questions - since she had to take the citizenship test as well.
e) Attorney Presence at the Interviews - Glen (Attorney) came to my wife's Citizenship interview and to our joint Green Card interview.He sat in the room with the immigration officer and even helped clarify some aspects of the case to the officer. It is always a relief and source of support to have an attorney with you (i.e physically present and sitting less than 2 feet ).
In summary, you get very good service, excellent legal representation and an overall pleasant experience from JP/Glenn and Arty.Thanks to JP and his team.