Every day I receive visits from clients who come worried because they hired the professional services of a lawyer to handle their immigration case and they did not obtain the desired results. Many of them are individuals who seek advice to process their residence in Spain, reunite a family member, renew their residence permit, process Spanish nationality or appeal when their application (of whatever type in this matter) has been resolved unfavorably; also companies that want to hire a foreign citizen from Spain or bring them from their country of origin Law tutoring.
As a legal professional I must deal daily with my clients, not so that they hire my professional services, but to debunk the false myths that have been created in relation to lawyers. In Barcelona there are about 25,000 lawyers and in Spain there are currently approximately 250,000 lawyers, including practicing, non-practicing, residents and non-residents, and of course, with these figures, the consumer will be able to have the pleasure of choosing them as they wish. and need. There will be more expensive ones, there will be cheaper ones, there will be those recently enrolled, experienced, veterans and quasi-retired. There is no better or worse, everything will depend on finding the lawyer who is the best for you. The one that adapts to your needs and also understands you and with which you maintain a certain “feeling”.
For those who follow my blog, you will know that I dedicate myself almost exclusively to immigration and alien law , and as a lawyer dedicated to this branch of law, I can tell you that it is advisable to take a good look at which will be the best professional that best suits your needs. if what you are looking for is to obtain the best result.
1.- Free consultation The word ” free “, without a doubt, is usually quite attractive to the general public, but have you asked yourself if a lawyer can really offer his services for free? Unless it is an NGO, associations for immigrants, etc.; A professional lawyer charges and deservedly does so. I would dare to say that that professional who offers his services for free does so as a strategy to attract clients, in which case, you will receive little, if not no, information that will allow you to carry out the procedure or solve the case you intend to solve. Think carefully before falling into this trap.
2.- Lawyer or Manager? A Manager is a person who is professionally dedicated to promoting and activating private or corporate matters in public offices, that is, the function that the manager has in immigration matters is to initiate procedures, whether or not he or she may know the regulations that regulate each case. The manager completes his work from the moment the client’s request regarding immigration matters is granted or not . If that person’s request were denied for whatever reason, the manager would not be able to file any type of claim, not only because he is unaware of the general bases of the law, but because he basically cannot represent his client before the competent Courts. .
3.- Affinity This requirement, although it may seem superficial, can be one of the most important or notable requirements when hiring the professional services of a lawyer . Why? Simply because he is the person who will accompany you throughout the entire process. Can you imagine having to visit a person with whom you do not understand for one, two or several months? In addition to being exhausting, it can mean that halfway through you give up on continuing with your procedure and you could avoid this if you know how to choose the right person. professional that is right for you.
4.- Demonstrable experience If you are going to hire a lawyer for any immigration matter, first find out who he is, what he does, what he has done and what is said about him. With this I do not intend to disparage any lawyer with little experience, since it is likely that they have a lot of theoretical knowledge, even much more than any other lawyer with years of experience, but as a client looking for quick and effective solutions you may be interested in letting yourself be guided by a professional who knows how to move agilely in the dark world of public administrations and this can only be obtained through practice.
5.- Personalized attention. I suggest that when you start searching for an immigration lawyer , you notice what the customer service mechanism is like in that law firm or law firm, and you can verify this with a simple phone call. If you call a lawyer and more than 24 hours pass without receiving a response from them, it may be an indicator that that office cannot provide you with a very personalized service. From my point of view, personalized treatment implies that the lawyer should be available to answer any possible questions that may arise from the client, before, during and after the matter that has been entrusted to the legal professional that has been hired. You should never feel like just another number in this type of relationship. You have a name, surname and a specific situation, in which you need to be guided and also listened to.