Thank you for your explanations. And to assure you: i didnt come to the Earth yesterday. I know pretty well that there is not a commodity price for a lawyers fee (as for an oil barrel). And i also understand that a lawyer might try to milk a millionaire more than some poor guy coming to the country on his last dime. (so its not all about negotiation).Alpinista, You may not know this, but it is still true none the less:
Most people pay a different price for the same exact automobile, optioned the same way. Car dealers takes sales on the same exact item at all different levels. Why is this? Simply because each customer has different negotiating ability and product knowledge. A lamb get slaughtered sun such a transaction while a tiger gets fair, or even generous treatment. The lamb knows nothing and pays dearly while the tiger exploits the system. Cash back, dealer incentives, financing, the correct time of the month, quarter or year to buy, understanding leasing vs out right purchase, money factors ... I could go on and on (I am not even sure how many of you out there would even grasp all this??? Some I guess???) Here is my point ... If you have experience and a comfort level negotiating you may very well drive a better bargain with an attorney of any vocation. Their price per hour or job is very fluid. They are not working from a hard and fast rate card. I can guarantee that. Having stated the previous. You need to get out there and interview attorneys of interest to you and start discussing compensation / cost for service. Only then, will you have a feel for what the market will support. Generally speaking a good attorney will be strong on their compensation because their time is mostly or always booked / bookable. And the opposite is also true ... free time or an abundance of it ... well ... supply and demand ... the rate can get low, but you get what you pay for ... the attorney has an awful lot of free time for a reason.
But exactly because it is not a standardised product or service it would be helpful to have some kind of a reference point. (“I paid for this 1000 bucks last year”, or “a reasonable fee to me looks like between 1500 and 2500, depending on your case”, something like that). Some members here are weighing up the risks and chances of their options (staying on a tourist visa, permanent residency, citizenship etc). All I am saying is that it is for some members good to have a rough idea of the costs of these options.
That the star lawyer himself doesn't want to reveal his hand, thats fine. I understand that. And of course no one else is obliged to share his insight/information. I only made a comment that i found an answer very strange (“childish/foolish”), just because someone dared to ask the question. Thats all.
NB: if you follow ceviche’s advice and dont even dare to ask the fee (because that seems blashphemic), then thats pretty much the perfect template to get screwed