Law Office of Bonnie Stern Wasser
—Bringing People Together—
Consultations & Fees
- Fee Policy
- Initial Consultation
- Make an Appointment
- Billing Policy
- Consultation Checklist
- Do it yourself or hire a lawyer?
Fee Policy
We generally do not quote fees over the telephone or via e-mail until we have interviewed you at length. There are a few reasons for this. Of paramount importance, every potential client is given a personalized evaluation of his or her case. With over 20 years of experience, we have found that no two clients are exactly the same. Immigration laws change rapidly and frequently. Therefore, the field is very fluid and dynamic as well as complex. Your case may require multiple or simultaneous strategies. Each potential client deserves to have their situation personally and thoroughly evaluated. We usually spend 45 minutes to an hour interviewing prospective clients and sometimes have to do follow-up research. We generally do not have sufficient facts from which to make a recommendation from a brief email or phone conversation. Our fees vary for each service and are based upon the facts in your case, results in similar cases, anticipated or actual time of all staff devoted to the case, the complexity or extraordinary nature of the factual or legal issues, the level of skill needed, need for expedited processing, your immigration history, and your ability to pay.
Initial Consultation
Unlike many firms where prospective clients meet with a paralegal or office manager, prospective clients always meet with an attorney and your case is followed and managed by an attorney throughout the representation. You can always ask to speak to your attorney.
Benefits of a Consultation
- You will have an in-depth, personal and confidential interview with the attorney. This is also your opportunity to ask the attorney lots of questions.
- You will learn about strategies, procedures, processing times, likelihood of success, potential issues, and logistics. You may be given information to take home with you.
- You and the attorney will discuss fees and costs, billing and payment methods. These are usually discussed after the attorney learns more about your case and is able to decide what course of action is needed.
Consultation Fee
Prospective corporate clients are invited to speak to Ms. Wasser to discuss your short and long-term immigration needs. Will there be multiple beneficiaries needing service? Will you need assistance with I-9, H-1B, E-3, or PERM internal or actual audits?
The consultation fee for prospective individual clients is $250.00 for the first hour. The fee charged is for the attorney's time spent on your behalf during the consultation and for time spent reviewing your documents before the appointment, if applicable. The consultation and the payment of a fee are not meant to establish an attorney client relationship. This fee is payable on the day of the consultation, except as noted below.
- If our services are retained within two weeks after the consultation, the consultation fee paid for the first hour will be credited toward the total fees on your final bill.
- If our services are retained the day of the consultation, the consultation fee will be waived.
By "retained" we mean a formal written legal services agreement is entered into and a deposit toward the total fees is paid.
Make an Appointment
- Office appointments. If you are in the greater Seattle area, please call us at (206) 282-2279 to set up an appointment. Please do not show up at the office without an appointment. We will provide you with a checklist of documents to bring to the consultation. Or, see the consultation checklist below.
- Phone consultations. If you are OUTSIDE the greater Seattle area and wish to arrange for a phone consultation, our procedures are as follows: Please call our office or e-mail us (bonnie@bswasserlaw.com) with your address and we will send you a detailed questionnaire and a checklist of items to collect. Send these items back to us along with a check for the consultation fee, or arrange with our office to make a wire transfer. When returning these documents, include a few alternative dates and times for a phone consultation. We will then call or e-mail you to confirm the appointment time and date. At the time of the consultation appointment, please call our office and plan to spend about an hour. We must receive your questionnaire, documents and consultation fee PRIOR to the phone consultation so that our discussion can cover any issues concerning these documents and to make the consultation the most productive use of your time.
If you need to cancel your appointment, please do so more than 24 hours ahead of the scheduled time. Otherwise, you will be billed for the consultation fee if you are a no-show.
Billing Policy
We provide written fee agreements and dual representation/conflicts disclosure notices. In some cases, we are not able to predict the total amount of fees and costs due to unanticipated actions by other parties or agencies, or changes in the law. Other than the initial consultation fee policy above, flexible billing arrangements are available including hourly, flat fee, or a combination. Most cases are billed on a flat fee basis in stages with certain unpredictable events billed on an hourly basis. Payment plans are available. We accept checks, money orders/cashiers checks, cash, wire transfers and Visa/Mastercard.
Consultation Checklist
All propective clients, please bring/send:
- Resume/CV detailing all education and work experience in the United States and abroad (do not include marital status, # of children, date or place of birth, sex, nationality or immigration status on resumes!)
- Passport (original to interview, otherwise copies of all pages)
- $250 Consultation fee
- Anything not mentioned below that you think is relevant
If you are in the United States, please bring/send:
- I94 (arrival document - both sides)
- I20 (foreign students), IAP66 (exchange visitors)
- I797 (approved visa petitions and fee receipt notices)
- Green card (I551 or I151)
- Copies of all applications, correspondence to and from the appropriate agencies, court filings, fee and mailing receipts, appointment notices, opinions/decisions.
- US VISIT Receipts
If you have a job offer, provide information about the proposed employer:
- Proposed start date and location of work
- Marketing/promotional information about the employer
- # employees, gross and net income of the business
- Your diplomas, degrees and transcripts - translated
- Copies of awards, recognition you may have received
- Name, title, phone number and email of company contact person
If you have a relative to sponsor or you may be sponsored by a relative:
- Certified copies of birth, marriage, divorce, death certificates and translations for yourself and sponsor
- Proof of sponsor's permanent residence or US citizenship status (passport or naturalization/citizenship certificate)
If you plan to start or purchase a business:
- Please contact us about additional information we will need. As a general rule, we do like to see a business plan at a minimum.
