Immigration Site

Hi, everybody.
Before filing all the papers me and my husband went for a consultation to a lawer advised by our friends. As he asked for his services way more than we could afford we decided to file on our own. After filing all the documents I wanted to clear up a couple of questions with the lawyer but he refused to give us any consultations saying that "he cant be responsible for whatever we have filed and cannot represent us anymore". Is it a common practice between all the lawyers and if I filed all the documents on my own I have to figure out everything else by myself now? Dont I even have a right for a consultation?
The questions I had (may be one of you can answer and Id be really grateful):
1) My husband have lived in the USA with a GC for 20+ years and filed for naturalization only around 5 months after we met. 8 months after we met we got married, 8 months after the marriage he got naturalized and I filed my paperwork right away. The reason we did everything so fast: we just want to be able to travel together as soon as possible, to visit my parents, have a celebration of our marriage with all our parents and go on a honey moon. Does this timeline look too much like a rush? Will it cause any extra problems?
2) I came to the US in 2008 on a J-1 visa and worked for cash until my authorization expired a couple of months later. I didnt pay any taxes. I changed my status to F-1, my family sponsored me and I didnt work officially since then. Do I still have to pay the taxes from the time when I worked?
3) Two weeks after my husband got naturalized I filed my documents. Now were waiting for the interview invitation and not sure if we should apply for his passport yet. If we do, we need to send away an original of his naturalization certificate which we might need at the interview, right?...And in case the process gets delayed we may have no originals proving his citizenship at the interview. Should we take the risk and apply for the passport now or wait until we are done with the interview?

Thank you

He does not have to give you a consultation - and certainly not a free one which is what you seem to expect. Your posting has all the signs that you are a problem client; your knowingly illegal actions in not paying your taxes indicate that you may do something to affect his reputation and law license. You made your choice; live with it. Either pay another lawyer for their assistance or do it yourself as you initially decided to do.

Failure to pay your taxes and working under the table and working illegally are all big issues for you in the future. Pay up! Get yourself a CPA or enrolled agent since you dont seem to understand US tax law.

You are really something else!

By no means I expected the lawyer to give us free consultations, not before or after. He refused solely on the basis that we filed the papers on our own. He said its the same as if we would have gone to a different lawyer. I didnt intent to work "under the table" when I just came in and I am willing to pay taxes for whatever I owe (I didnt work after my authorization expired). I am going to consult another lawyer, was just a little confused by the behavior of this one.
Thanks for your opinion.

He was offended that you rejected his services, so hes acting like a sourpuss. Apparently you didnt make it clear from the beginning that you have no intention of having him actually represent you, that you just want a paid consultation now and possibly again during the process. Find a new lawyer if you need one (I dont see why youd need one though).

Anyway, to answer your questions:
1) No thats not a rush thats would raise any red flags with USCIS -- you have 16 months total relationship time (before + after marriage). But dont rush to create any international travel plans, as youll need a green card for that. Dont travel abroad with Advance Parole.

2) Yes, youll eventually need to pay those taxes. They might not bring up the issue in the green card interview, but sooner or later the IRS could hound you down for it if you dont file those returns and make arrangements to pay, and it could be a major obstacle for your citizenship. The longer you wait the more the penalties and interest will climb. Consult an accountant to make sure its done right.

3) The interview will be at least 2 months after filing the GC application; more likely 4-5 months. So theres plenty of time to receive the passport and get back the naturalization certificate before the interview. These days US passports are almost always delivered in less than 1 month, even with non-expedited service.