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How to Prepare for an Initial Consultation with an Attorney and What to Expect When You Work with Us

February 13th, 2024

Meeting with an attorney has advantages, such as better understanding your risks, and knowing your legal options to make well-informed decisions. At the first appointment with us, we get to know your objectives and make a preliminary assessment of your situation and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the potential alternative(s) in your case. We will also give you information on the processes and times required to complete the different options, the costs of the potentially viable alternative(s), available payment plans, and a list of necessary documentation for each alternative if there is more than one. If you have thought about scheduling an initial consultation with one of our attorneys, the following guidelines and recommendations will help you understand what to expect and how to get the most out of your meeting.

1. Before Meeting With Our Attorneys

1. Make a written list of your questions and identify your objective for the meeting.
2. Gather all the documents related to your case and bring them to your meeting:

For Immigration Cases:

• Previous immigration applications (forms) and supporting documents
• Correspondence to or from Immigration, Department of State, Embassy, Consulate or any other related administrative office for immigration cases.
• Tax returns for the last 3 years (taxes for you and your spouse for marriage cases or employer’s taxes for employment cases)
• Passport with previous visas to the United States and I-94 form or printout for last entry
• Birth Certificates (including those of your spouse and children)
• Marriage Certificate (if applicable)
• Divorce certificate (if applicable)

For Criminal Cases:

• Police Report
• Complete copy of Court Records (i.e. Docket Sheet)
• Correspondence or Notices from the Court
• Tax returns for the last 3 years
• Marriage certificate (if applicable)
• Divorce certificate (if applicable)
• Medical Records (if applicable)
• Photographs (if applicable)
• If the person is an immigrant, copy of any immigration application made (forms)

For Accident Injury Cases:

• Information about your auto insurance and any notices or claim forms
• Information about the car insurance of the person who hit you
• Police report (if there is one)
• Records / photos of the accident or damage to your car
• Copies of medical records
• Photos of your injuries if they are visible
• Copies of medical bills

If possible, complete the Client Intake Form and bring it to your meeting.

2. During Our Initial Meeting

1. Be prepared to answer questions about your case accurately. If you provide incomplete or inaccurate information, we may agree to accept a case based upon a strategy that may not be supported, once the accurate information is revealed.
2. Let the Attorney know if you do not understand any terms or points of discussion. Do not be afraid to ask questions.
3. Before ending the meeting with us, make sure you are clear about the following:

• What could be potential legal alternatives (note: we cannot provide legal advice until you hire our firm and become a client and before we complete our evaluation)
• What are any potential difficulties and / or complications that your type of case may encounter
• What is the estimated time frame for the case
• What are the costs and payment plans available
• What is the necessary documentation for your case
• Which are the next steps for you to open a case with our office

After Starting to Work Together

Once you have had the time to analyze all this information, if you want us to take your case and we agree to accept your case, we will ask you to sign our contract and make the payment of the initial fee. In addition, you must provide us with the documentation and information requested in the list of documents provided, so that we can open your case and start working on it.

1. Be sure to update us on any changes to your address, phone number, email, family or employment.
   Keep your own copy of all the documentation that we send you throughout the duration of your case so that you have an up-to-date copy of your file at all times.
2. Follow the instructions given by our firm and provide us with any additional documentation or information that we request expeditiously
3. Contact us if you have questions at any time during the process or if you have any difficulty following our instructions, and if you leave a voicemail, make sure it contains all the necessary information for us to respond.
4. Do not take any legal actions or fill out any government forms / applications related to your case without first consulting with us as this may affect your case and our strategy for it.
5. We will contact you to keep you informed about any developments in your case, such as, when we need additional documentation, if there is a need for you to review any application, if we have news about the case (for example if we receive a decision, notice, request for evidence, etc.), if we need to schedule an appointment to prepare you to testify in court or administrative hearing, if we need you to take any action, or if we recommend a change in strategy (see our communication policy).

If you would like to schedule an appointment with one of our Boston immigration, criminal defense or accident injury attorneys, please call us at: (617) 303-2600 or complete your appointment request online. It will be our pleasure to serve you.