From Jennifer Leavitt-Wipf,
Your Guide to Immigration Issues.
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The Web is a place where anyone can be published. Fancy software can make a site look impressive while providing no other certainty that the information on it is correct. Of course, this is true for all subjects, but it can be a serious matter when it comes to issues affecting immigrants.

Pay attention to how often a site updates. Look for those that update daily or weekly and which provide or link to the most up-to-date USCIS processing times, waiting times and visa bulletins.

Find out who hosts the site, what their credentials are and what sources they use. Be wary of those who make wild promises and sound too good to be true. There are no magic fixes when it comes to being legally in the U.S. Under various circumstances, even marriage to a US citizen may not guarantee anything. Wild promises indicate a certain lack of responsibility and may even hint at fraud.

Once you've educated yourself in the basic legal ins and outs, and hopefully not before then, it's time to choose an immigration lawyer, there are many things that you can use as an indicator.

"Help! Where and How Do I Find a Good Immigration Lawyer?!"

Most cases can be handled from afar, says Greg Siskind. "Only cases where an [USCIS (formerly INS) or court] appearance is necessary, really require a local immigration lawyer," he points out. "Although travel expenses are usually not that high for most cases," the Tennessee attorney maintains, "we can either hand pick local counsel, or work in association with an attorney located in your area."

Located in Los Angeles, California, The Law Offices of Carl Shusterman also take many long-distance cases, says Shusterman, and he is very familiar with top immigration lawyers around the country that he can recommend.

Of course, taking a look at where the attorney went to law school, what associations he/she belongs to and other credentials is all important, says Siskind.

He stresses that first and foremost, an immigration lawyer should be a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). "This shows the commitment of the attorney to this area of practice," he says. Also, "AILA provides an information Net forum containing many posts where immigration lawyers can discuss all kinds of difficult cases and ever-changing procedures. There is a daily library and annual seminars as well.

"Very true," says Shusterman, just don't let that be your only indicator. "AILA is not that selective," he explains. "Membership is acquired through payment of a fee, and they don't monitor how well the immigration lawyer does his or her job. Use this as a mandatory prerequisite, but not the sole criteria."

Another great indicator can be a Web site, says Siskind. While some of the most outstanding immigration lawyers do not have a Web site, having one that provides good, consistent and accurate information can be a solid testament to how well-informed that attorney is. "If they don't have a Web site," he says, "figure out what the immigration lawyer does do to stay in touch. Do they have a newsletter for clients? Do they initiate and answer e-mails quickly and readily?" And you can ask for a firm answer on how often they meet with clients.

If the immigration lawyer does have back issues of a newsletter, Shusterman suggests that you do a little historical research to see how accurate some of their legal predictions were in terms of changing USCIS (formerly INS) policies and case outcomes.

This is a fluid and ever-changing sector, says Siskind. "Make sure the attorney you hire has several years of experience in immigration law and only immigration law. There is virtually no way that an immigration lawyer can keep up with this area of law while practicing in other areas at the same time.

"You don't want to be someone's Guinea Pig," says Shusterman. If they are right out of law school, they may be inexpensive, but the risks are far greater unless you have an extremely simple case. One wrong answer on a form can lead to months of backlog and red tape. "It can be deceptively easy to 'just fill out a form,'" he warns.

Lawyers.com provides a listing of the Martindale- Hubbell ratings on attorneys, says Shusterman. Martindale-Hubbell is considered the single most reliable source for information on attorneys and can help you select one to meet your needs.