JCF Immigration & Family Law Firm Utah

Facing criminal charges is daunting. It brings about the possibility of serving jail time. In the same vein, it can affect your reputation, tarnish your character, and put your future at risk even if you’re not convicted. With all the complexities of the criminal justice system and, pending outcomes that impact your future and your freedom, your first concern must be finding a qualified criminal defense attorney that will best represent you.

There are many factors to consider in order to land on the best criminal defense attorney. The below tips will aid in your research and help increase your chance for a favorable outcome.

1) Level of experience

Being accused of a crime is a very serious situation. You want to ensure that the attorney representing you and providing you with legal advice knows the law inside and out. Look for an attorney with experience in all courts (municipal, state, federal, superior) as sometimes jurisdictions of the courts overlap and your case may be heard in more than one court.

Equally as important as the level of expertise is success rate. There is no substitute for real-life experience, and experience without success means very little when you are facing the consequences of a crime. The best attorney has an impressive track record and verifiable success.

2) Avoid a public defender

It may be enticing to consider a public defender in order to avoid the cost of representation, but typically public defenders are inexperienced and loaded with cases. Because of this, they have very little time to address your case, answer your questions and are less likely to dedicate their attention to fight on your behalf.

3) Local connections

Having an attorney with local connections and established relationships is extremely helpful. Someone well connected will have a better understanding of local procedures, and first-hand experience with judges and prosecutors. They will know who entertains plea bargains, and which ones never consider them.

Armed with this valuable knowledge of the inner workings of the local legal scene, they’ll be more qualified to come up with a winning strategy to change the outcome of your case to the best possible one.

4) Board certification

Board certified criminal defense attorneys are the “best of the best”. You’ll be assured that your lawyer is proficient in the specialty legal field in which you have a legal need. Specializing in criminal defense, having a significant amount of jury trials, and an excellent reputation with judges and prosecutors increases the likelihood of a successful and aggressive defense.

5) In person interview

Researching websites, social media, reviews and testimonials of potential attorneys can provide useful information but nothing beats face-to-face. Take advantage of the free consultation most offer so you can form a personal impression, gauge whether or not the lawyer makes you feel comfortable, and get a sense if they are empathetic to your situation.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and check reviews, ratings, and references. Are they a trusted advisor you feel comfortable around and are you able to speak candidly with them? This is the time they will reveal their willingness to fight hard for you.

6) Accessible and available

Time is of the essence — time lost can mean case lost. Make sure your attorney is available not only to take your initial call, but promptly responds to your inquiries. An accessible and available attorney will arrange initial and subsequent meetings as soon as possible.

7) Fees

An attorney with the lowest fees is not always your best choice. Remember the old adage “you get what you pay for” – it is no different when it comes to legal representation. Subsequently, the highest fees aren’t necessarily in your best interest either. Generally, less experienced attorneys set lower fees, but be mindful when you come across an extremely low hourly rate.

An experienced attorney with a higher hourly rate may be able to resolve a case quicker and more suitable than a novice with a much lower hourly rate, thus being less expensive in the long run.

Bottom line

Be thorough, choose wisely. The imminent outcome and how your life will be once the case is closed depends on it. Invest the time and energy, do the homework and the research in order to select the attorney that is right for you. It is the most critical decision you’ll make, and choosing wisely makes all the difference in how your case will go and what the outcome is.

Fighting a criminal charge is not something you should leave to chance. The outcome of your case can change your entire future and it is important you get a good criminal defense lawyer to help you.

U.S. immigration laws can be fairly complex, and hiring an immigration lawyer can help your family deal with immigration issues or legal trouble and save you time and money.

An immigration attorney is a private practitioner who provides immigration legal services to individuals interested in getting a green card, family visas, work visas, or students visas, and they aren’t connected to U.S. immigration offices like the Department of State, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the Department of Homeland Security. They deal with various issues relating to green cards, U.S. citizenship, immigration visas, and other U.S. immigration processes.

U.S. immigration laws are established by the federal government. Anyone who will be allowed to enter the U.S. or how long anyone can stay is determined by these rules. If a foreign national wishes to undergo the naturalization process to become a legal immigrant and become a U.S. citizen, or if they’re facing legal issues regarding their immigration status, they must be familiar with the provisions of these laws.

Seeking legal advice from immigration experts who are up-to-date with immigration news and laws is your best bet when facing legal immigration issues. A UTAH Immigration and family law attorney can help you understand the legal immigration process and make sure that your visa application goes smoothly.

How an Immigration Attorney Can Help

There are different ways an immigrant lawyer can help immigrant families. In this article, we have provided you with three ways that Durham immigration lawyers can help.

1. Properly Explain the Immigration Process

Usually, new immigrants encounter problems such as deportation, overstaying, illegal entry, or even losing legal status because there are issues with the immigrant visas or visa application process they’ve chosen. A legal counsel that knows the process of immigration and the different immigration offices can help make your application a success.

The Department of Homeland Security have different federal agencies that are in charge of administrating different immigration laws and immigration policy :

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) – the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – monitors cross-border crimes and illegal immigration that threaten national security and public safety
• Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – the largest federal law enforcement agency that is focused on border control and security

2. Assess the Right Type of Visa for You

An immigration attorney can guide you when choosing the type of visa or adjustment of status that is appropriate for your situation. The different types of U.S. visas are:

• Immigrant visa – issued to foreign nationals who intend to live permanently in the United States
• Non-immigrant visa – issued to foreign nationals wishing to enter the United States temporarily – for tourism, medical treatment, business, temporary work, study, or other similar reasons
• Visa Waiver Program (VWP) – enables foreign nationals from 38 participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. A VWP can’t be used to apply for a student visa or work visa or to apply for a green card to become a lawful permanent resident

3. Assist You in Your Green Card Application

Aside from giving you immigration advice and helping you get familiar with the immigration process, experienced immigration attorneys can also assist you in preparing and submitting your application for family immigration and give you legal representation in an immigration court.

If you have plans of applying for family-based immigration, you’d have to submit your application and other supporting documents to the U.S. federal government. Immigration law can be complicated, and seeking the help of immigration law firms that specialize in immigration, such as Diener Law, can help you in your application.

How a UTAH Immigration and family law attorney Can Help

The immigration process can be very long and confusing. That is why it’s important to seek the immigration assistance of a highly-skilled attorney who specializes in immigration laws and procedures such as employment-based visas, obtaining a green card, or petition for alien relatives.

Our family immigration lawyers are here to help. If you’re an immigrant who needs legal assistance for yourself and your family or if you have immigration questions, consult with our UTAH Immigration and family law attorney today.

A family lawyer helps to handle various matters that surround both familial and domestic issues. In a situation where you are experiencing disputes with your partner, guardianship, child custody, and divorce, you need to look for a professional family lawyer. However, with various law firms, you are likely to receive, you might find it challenging to come up with the required decision.

When you decide to hire a family law attorney, you need to ensure that you know the recommended tips you need to consider. If you are well-updated with the latest law info, it will be easy to make the right choice. You need to understand that a competent and professional family lawyer will offer essential choices concerning your cases. By hiring a certified family lawyer, here are the benefits you will get.

Get Knowledge of Family Law

One of the main reasons most parents and spouses go for family law attorneys is to receive the right knowledge about family law. When you have the right understanding of family law, it will help you make significant differences in your case.

It is crucial to understand that experienced family lawyers have the law, and they know various aspects they can use to help you win their case. Remember that without proper legal advice of a trained and skilled lawyer, you might end up being misrepresented and you might not win your case.

Lowering the High Stakes

It is vital to note that most family lawsuits and court cases involve high stakes. In this case, if you do not know much about the law, then chances are that you might lose. But when you hire an experienced family attorney, you will get an opportunity to lower your stakes and follow the recommended judicial procedures to ensure you win in your case.

Receive Emotional Support

When facing cases involving child custody and divorce, you will find out that emotions are high and you might feel stressed during the case hearing. That is why you need to hire a professional family lawyer to offer you the emotional support you need. With the services you will receive from these experts, you will end up winning your case.

Understand Legal Procedures

It is crucial to understand that different states have unique procedures relating to family issues. In this case, it is your responsibility to ensure you know these procedures. However, working with an experienced family attorney will help you understand these procedures properly.

Divorce, Child Support, Child Custody, and Alimony (also called spousal Maintenance) are daunting cases for everyone who has to face them. The stress and anxiety that comes with these cases are enough to make you feel defeated before you even begin. Families do have issues, and some are severe enough to require the help of a legal professional. Divorce and custody disputes are not as simple as you may think as there can be risks that can be associated with proceeding family law cases without an attorney. Many people do not hire a family attorney just to save money or due to the assumption that they can handle such a case themselves.

Here is a summary of the reasons why working with a legal professional in a family law case is in your best interest.

Legal Advocacy and Protection:

A family lawyer is well aware of the family laws and the outcomes of similar past cases. Therefore, he can use his that knowledge and experience to get the best possible outcomes for you. He knows to present your case in the court so that the judge will see your side. Of course, you do not have any experience or legal knowledge to fall back on. Especially if the other party is represented by an attorney, it’s easier to take advantage of the lack of legal knowledge. A family attorney guides you about realistic and unrealistic threats, and how to protect your rights.

Proper Filing of Paperwork:

Numerous documents need to be filed and signed during a family law case such as divorce. If you do not have any law experience, you become overwhelmed while trying to make sure every document is submitted properly. The judge has the option to exclude any or all of the documents that are not drafted correctly. By hiring a family lawyer Toronto, you can rest assured that your paperwork is done properly, including drafting, filing, and submitting documents while meeting the time restrictions.

Settle the Child Custody Dispute:

The most complex and stressful part of a divorce case is the war between the divorcing parents to have sole physical custody of their kids. A family attorney will work in your best interests to meet your desire of having sole guardianship right. Generally, the family courts allow shared custody while legal custody may be mutual or sole. Therefore, it’s recommended for couples not to be arrogant on custody issues because there is no way you can achieve the sole custody of your children unless there is solid evidence to prove that the counterparty is unfit to have custody right, e.g. mental illness, addiction, or abusiveness. Your efforts to prove your supremacy of being the best parent for your child’s development and safety and can go against your interest and a lawyer is the one who guides you regarding these potential consequences.

Make Your Spouse Pay Spousal/Child Support:

The issues regarding violation of divorce agreement such as skipping, stopping or denial to pay child support money are common among ex-spouses. Child or Spousal support is the maintenance money an obliged parent has to pay the ex-spouse as per instruction of the court. A family lawyer can help you to resolve the issue if the other parent is not paying the child support money. If you are the obliged person and not able to pay the money due to a financial loss, a family lawyer will help to apply for lessening the support money.

About a week ago, after hanging up the phone with my 17-year-old, I realized that I probably needed a lawyer. However, I had no idea what kind of lawyer I needed to find. So I got on the computer, called a few numbers, and was finally told I needed someone who specializes in family law. But what exactly is family law?

Family law is an area of law that focuses on anything to do with members of a family, such as marriage, divorce, child custody, adoptions, and more. It can also be referred to as matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations. Family law is considered a civil case –– a case that involves some type of conflict between people or institutions. Family lawyers have chosen the family law area of concentration and possess a wide range of skills in order to negotiate any situation you may encounter.

Since the enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1965, legal immigration to the United States has been based primarily on the family ties or the work skills of prospective immigrants. Under the provisions of current immigration law, the family-based immigration category allows U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or “green card” holders, to bring certain family members to the United States. There are 480,000 family-based visas available every year. Family-based immigrants are admitted to the U.S. either as immediate relatives of U.S. citizens or through the family preference system.

The contributions of family-based immigrants to the U.S. economy, local communities, and the national fabric are manifold. They account for a significant portion of domestic economic growth, contribute to the well-being of the current and future labor force, play a key role in business development and community improvement, and are among the most upwardly mobile segments of the labor force. This fact sheet provides an overview of the economic and social advantages associated with family-based immigration. In particular, it highlights the direct benefits resulting from the participation of family-based immigrants in the labor force, their contributions to the community, and the key—yet often underestimated—the value of the unpaid care work provided by immigrant women.

1. Families are crucial to the social and economic incorporation of newcomers.

Because of the overall lack of explicit public policies for the integration of new immigrants, families and ethnic communities have traditionally acted, together with the workplace, as powerful integrating institutions. In particular, ethnic communities and families operate as sources of critical resources for newcomers, including opportunities for employment, access to credit, and different kinds of support. In other words, when newcomers arrive on a family-based visa, they have resources readily available to help them navigate the system and become employed or start their own businesses.

2. Family-based immigration has a positive impact on business development and community improvement.

Family ties facilitate the formation of immigrant communities which, in turn, offer a fertile environment for the development of businesses. In this regard, “case-study evidence finds that extended immigrant families and close-knit immigrant communities ease the economic assimilation of new immigrants and promote investment in U.S. human capital as well as the formation of businesses.”

Many of the most outstanding high technology firms have been created by foreign-born entrepreneurs. In Silicon Valley, an icon of high-tech innovation, more than half of new companies were started by immigrants, many of whom came to the country on family-based visas. As Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) asserted during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, “I often say I am glad that Google is in Mountain View rather than Moscow. Like eBay, Intel, and Yahoo!, Google was founded by an immigrant. But it’s worth noting that none of the founders of these companies came to the U.S. because of their skills.”

Because they recognize the value that immigrant families may have in the revitalization of rundown neighborhoods, local governments in several cities—including Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, and Dayton—have launched programs designed to attract immigrants and promote their economic potential. In fact, so-called “ethnic neighborhoods” (e.g., Little Italy, Chinatown) have long been used in revitalization strategies in most major American cities.

3. Immigrants who come to the country on a family-based visa tend to move up the socio-economic ladder.

The initial differences in earnings between family-based and employment-based immigrants tend to narrow dramatically over time. Despite concerns about the supposedly lower productivity of kinship-based immigrants in the U.S. labor market, it has been shown that “nonoccupation-based immigration, most of which is family-based, is associated with lower entry earnings but higher earnings growth than occupation-based immigration. The higher estimated earnings growth is sufficient for nonoccupation-based immigrants to catch up with occupationally admitted immigrants after eleven to eighteen years in the United States.”

New immigrants—the majority of whom enter the United States on family visas—have become the most upwardly mobile of American workers. This is explained by their high rates of post-immigration human capital investment. This benefits not only immigrants but also the economy at large.

4. Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens who immigrate under the family fourth-preference visa category tend to experience high rates of self-employment and high earnings growth.

Empirical research on the economic benefits of immigrants admitted as siblings of U.S. citizens has shown that there are not only humanitarian but economic reasons to keep this category. In particular, fourth-preference admissions are positively associated with immigrant self-employment. Immigrants who are admitted as siblings of U.S. citizens tend also to have higher initial earnings than family-admitted immigrants in general. In addition, immigrant groups with higher fourth-preference admissions appear to experience higher earnings growth over time. These results further suggest that any proposal to remove the sibling admission category would be counter-productive.

5. Family admissions are critical for the “care economy,” which is fundamental for the well-being of household members, helps sustain the current and future workforce, and facilitates women’s labor force participation.

• Unpaid health and child care provided in the household largely by immigrant women contribute to the physical, cognitive, and emotional development of household members. Those contributions are instrumental not only to individual well-being but also to the human development of the country.

• Because unpaid household and community activities are performed outside the market, they are largely invisible in economic statistics. Groups such as the Pan American Health Organization and the International Labour Organization have highlighted the importance of recognizing the role of unpaid work in the household and the community.

• Immigrant women who perform their work in the domestic sphere help sustain the current workforce, raise the future workforce, care for the elderly and sick, and play a critical role in household well-being. Their contributions to the economy are, therefore, not only immediate but will be felt in the future.

• The economic value of unpaid work performed by immigrants represents a very large portion of the gross domestic product. In particular, “the statistics on time use in different countries suggest that unpaid work contributes to well-being, human capacity building, and long‑term economic growth while accounting for the highest number of working hours, which may represent over 50 percent of the gross domestic product.”

• Immigrant women’s participation in the labor force is facilitated by the presence in the home of other relatives. In other words, when other family members (such as parents or siblings) can take care of everyday household needs, women are more likely to participate in the labor market. Family-admitted immigrants who can provide care for the children or the elderly at home are, therefore, valuable asset for women who work for a salary.

Moving away from the false “brain versus blood” dichotomy

Family and skill-based immigration should not be viewed as mutually exclusive. In fact, if a less family-friendly admission policy were to be adopted, the United States might become less attractive to highly skilled immigrants, who also have families. As economist Harriet Duleep has noted:

“Family visas are…an important complement to high-skilled visas; skilled immigrants have families too. In considering which country to move to, will an emigrating scientist be more likely to move to a country where his family members, including siblings, parents, and adult children, can also live, or to a country where only certain family members are welcome? Would Einstein have continued to live in the U.S. had he not been able to bring over his sister Maja? A family-friendly policy may be one reason the U.S. has been able to attract immigrants with stellar qualifications.”

The concept of family reunification is deeply rooted in American values. However, the positive implications of family-based immigration are not only humanitarian but also economic.

You’re facing divorce and it feels like your world is upside down. Your financial future’s at stake and if you have children, so is your future with them. The last thing you need is a divorce attorney who’s more interested in profit than your best interest.

Determining whether your attorney is trustworthy can be difficult, especially at the outset, because you’ve never been through a divorce before and you don’t know what to expect.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should bury your head in the sand and hope for the best. There are some steps you can take and questions you can ask to assess whether a particular divorce attorney is someone you can actually trust.

1. Research the attorney online

There’s a wealth of information online about attorneys. It’s more difficult than ever to inconspicuously provide poor quality service. That’s because anyone after a miserable experience can hop online and warn their fellow consumers through reviews.

If the attorney’s a fraud, or maybe pretty sound at practicing law, but delivers terrible service, chances are people will post negative reviews about it. Google the lawyer’s name followed by “lawyer reviews” and you’ll see a number of directories on which people who have used the attorney may have left some feedback.

You can also ask around. Word of mouth is important on both ends of the spectrum: for positive and negative information. You may be able to contact someone who’s used the attorney.

Take advantage of the fact that it’s easier than ever to obtain information from third parties about the attorney. Consider that information carefully before making a decision.

2. Beware of being pressured to sign up.

Attorney’s should have your best interest as a priority. It’s not in your best interest to be pressured into hiring an attorney. If it feels like the attorney is a little too desperate to sign up for you, that’s a red flag. Of course, there are some cases in which time is of the essence and it’s the attorney’s obligation to inform you of that.

But that’s not what we’re talking about here. You know that feeling when the person trying to sell you something is pushing instead of educating? If you get that sense, step back and don’t make a rash decision.

3. If the attorney is encouraging you to make emotion-based decisions, run!

Divorce can be difficult. And of course, it’s not uncommon for emotions to run high. However, if the attorney is using your emotions to try to convince you to take certain steps in the case that are not grounded in sound logic and reason, that’s a sign the attorney is more interested in your money than your interests.

One way to put yourself in a better position to detect this is to educate yourself on divorce at the outset. No need to go into this blind. There’s a wealth of information online about divorce. Learn about it. Ask a lot of questions.

Also, if the attorney’s taking the case in a direction that doesn’t feel right, you can consult with another attorney. Sometimes having another professional re-assess a case for you can shed some light on an issue. And it may give you the information you need to determine if your attorney’s leading you astray.

4. Don’t tolerate poor communication.

The fact that many attorneys are poor at communication is a running joke. You leave a message and no one gets back to you for a couple of weeks because the lawyer’s “busy.” Nonsense! Poor communication results in information falling through the cracks, which compromises the lawyer’s ability to represent you effectively. Your information, goals, priorities are all lost in the shuffle if there isn’t a good client communication system in place at the firm.

It’s particularly troublesome when the communication is poor at the outset of the representation. If they’re not paying attention to you now, what makes you think things will get better going forward?

5. Be wary of attorneys that make no effort to compromise.

There’s generally give and take in divorce. Of course, the attorney should be looking out for your best interest and fighting to get you the best result.

But if the attorney has no flexibility and is making no effort to resolve the case, it may be that the attorney’s priority is making some extra money. Generally, if the case is resolved efficiently, the divorce lawyer is paid less. If your attorney is prolonging the case with no good explanation, you need to be asking more questions.

Attorneys have different styles and different personalities (they’re people too!). So understand that not everything about the lawyer or the firm will necessarily be perfect. However, if you keep in mind the principles above, you’ll be well on your way to sniffing out a fraud. Divorce can be expensive. If you hire someone who’s putting your interests on the back burner, it can be even more expensive, and frustrating.

Contact us for more information.