ABClatino Magazine Year 10 Issue 3 | Page 17

Mindy Piatoff 

mpiatoff@me.com 

Lourdes Brown

Indivisible 845,

the Immigration Committee

Por / By Robert Fuchs, Esq.

Tips for hiring an attorney

without getting scammed

en la revista de ABClatino de Marzo, 2025  https://joom.ag/9fMd/p16

 

Mindy Piatoff 

mpiatoff@me.com 

Lourdes Brown

Indivisible 845,

the Immigration Committee

There is a significant need for immigration lawyers and resources are scarce. Unfortunately, that means there is a lot of opportunities for lawyers trying to scam innocent people desperate for help. The best way to find an attorney is a referral from someone who used the attorney. If a referral isn’t possible, you might ask a friend or advocate you trust to help with the process for extra protection.

 

Here I provide some tips about the questions you can anticipate so you know what to expect and certain red flags that should alert you to find another lawyer.

 

Before an immigration lawyer takes a case, they generally have an intake process where they ask for detailed background information. Without

this information, an attorney cannot

assess your case or consider a strategy for next steps. Some attorneys will ask for this information on an initial call for no fee and others might charge a fee for an initial consultation.

You want the attorney to give you an honest assessment of your case and advise you about how to proceed. If you hear from more

than one attorney that your case

is unlikely to succeed, you should

find someone who can assess your best course of action.

 

Beware of any attorney that guarantees an outcome once you pay his fee. It is likely a scam. 

Watch the video for more tips