Recently started my own firm and interested in others thoughts. Are there resources out there for practical advice or is it only something that comes with experience? For example, I can take let's say a 601A client and use the resources available to me to learn how to do it. But if a client asks me is it better to marry my fiance in her home country, bring her here on a K-1 or have her visit on a B-2, that's not learned from a book or webinar. How does one learn how to evaluate new cases?

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Read Kurzban’s, join AILA and participate actively in your local chapter, and find a mentor to guide you.

likehelpful

Totally get it. Hopefully the local aila chapter has good people and an active listserv. I see questions all the time on listservs for basic advice. And there’s nothing wrong with telling a potential client you need to do research first about the issue and get back to them.

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Join AILA and get an AILALink subscription. It has a lot of key AILA publications including Kurzban’s but also several practical publications that give you a starting point. Some of these practical publications include things like checklists of issues to look for, and samples/templates of documents you need to draft for certain types of case. The paralegal publications are very handy as well.

I’m a business immigration attorney though, so definitely read through what’s offered in AILALink to see if it’s right for you. I’ve used it for help on cases I don’t do that often, including the occasional family based case.

Also, as an AILA member you get access to member listservs (there’s different ones for different interest groups) where people ask questions and exchange tips all the time.

But yeah, a lot more comes from experience and talking to folks than from reading anything.

likesmart

This.

Get yourself of a Chill Paralegal™️ with plenty of experience. They will go a long way. (I’m not available 😉)

The AILA Message Center is great for the type of questions you have. Chances are someone has asked what you may be looking for. Use it in addition to listservs. I scour the MC all the time and get good results for stuff I’m not able to find in Kurzban’s or a practice guide.

likesmart

You should get this book. It’s very helpful. ILRC provide really good immigration training too.

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Listen to them. What do they really want? Do they want to stay here as long as possible regardless of status or do they want status? My clients want to be here regardless of status. I get surprised sometimes, however.

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Thanks for the thoughts! Doing all of those things, but as one person commented I think knowing the comparisons just comes from experience :( I was hoping to find another way. Mentor is great, but you can't reach out to them on every case or when you're on the spot with a client.

Also, try CLINIC resources. Those are so helpful for a reasonable price

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