Franklin W. Nelson

I hired Mr. Nelson right after he told me I could file for an adjustment of status during the same month I was notified of being selected for further processing for a diversity visa, also commonly known as green card lottery. I signed a retainer that described the filing of adjustment of status and p...aid half of the retainer. Shortly after, I realized something was wrong. The only email communication I got from Mr. Nelson was "we can file right away" which happened after what was advertised as a free phone consultation. After that email only the paralegal Tonette started communicating with me and she simply emailed the forms I already downloaded online on my own and asked me to translate in English my birth certificate and provided me with the contact info of a very pricey notarized translation agency. I started talking with a pro bono attorney and ended up consulting with more attorneys and everyone at that point told me to run as fast as I could. Not only my birth certificate was already in English (proof that my documents were not even carefully reviewed) but also the regulations of adjusting status in the US through the diversity visa clearly state that adjustment cannot be filed before the fiscal year starts which cant be October 1st. So I could not file in May as Mr. Nelson falsely promised. Mr. Nelson said that my Visa lottery number was a very low number and therefore I could file in May instead of October but that is simply a lie. Any immigration attorney who knows the laws and regulations can confirm that. The other attorney I consulted with told me clearly that Nelson would have jeopardized my chances to get my adjustment approved if he sent my application in May. Another issue that came up was the fact that no adjustment of status could have ever been filed unless my student Visa was kept alive and in active status, obviously. If there is no status, no adjustment of status can be processed. When I brought up the topic to Mr.Nelson he said that keeping my F1 Visa valid and in status was not part of the agreement and was not in fact included in the agreement and in the amount of money included in the retainer. After complaining a lot, he emailed back saying that he constructed my email as an indication to stop working on my case, except he never started working on it, at all. Nothing was done other than the paralegal sending me the forms to fill out on my own and telling to translate my birth certificate which was already in English, and even if it wasn't translate in English all it needed was a simple free declaration from a friend speaking the language, no certified nor notary service was necessary to translate a birth certificate for adjustment of status. I was left with absolutely nothing in the worst situation possible and Mr. Nelson did nothing described in the agreement I signed. I asked for money back in every possible thinkable way. I even filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the complaint is now public record available on the BBB website and the case is #411053 under the BBB of the Counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Monterey. Mr. Nelson replied that he worked a lot on my case and he deserved half of the retainer, which is a fat lie. He also said that normally he would refund me but due to my behavior he won't but I didn't misbehave with him nor anyone else at his office. He then apologized and admitted I didn't get anything of the things I was supposed to get but still refused to refund me. I filed for free mediation with the Department of Consumer Affairs of Los Angeles but he refused to participate which says a lot about his character. He never presented me with my specific rights to arbitrate the fee and lastly he clearly emailed me that he will never refund unless a court orders him too. I must sue him to get my money back.

I used Nelson & Associates for my difficult case and a series of challenging situations with immigration. Atty. Nelson is very knowledgeable and finally got my case resolved and now I got my GC. His paralegal Tonette was very helpful until the end. She was always on top of my case and always made pro...mpt follow ups with USCIS. She is very particular with details which made dealing with immigration requests easier to answer because there were no surprises. Choosing Nelson and Associates is one of the best decisions I made here in America. Highly recommended!

With so many lawyers out there, it's hard to choose who to trust with your immigration needs. I have been a client of Atty. Nelson since 2002 and I must say, I was very satisfied with the service I have received from them. They are very knowledgeable, helpful and patient. I have referred some frien...ds and will definitely continue to do so!