Remember these questions you should ask your immigration attorney during your first meeting if you want clarity and confidence when proceeding with your case.

Immigration attorneys assist in cases dealing with issues such as naturalization and fiancé(e) visas. These cases deal with sensitive issues and require careful planning and knowledge. But how do you differentiate a suitable lawyer from the rest? These are the top three questions you should ask your immigration attorneyduring your first meeting. 

How Much Experience Do You Have? 

This is a standard question you should ask when partnering with any professional, and an immigration attorney is no exception. Specifically, relevant experience comes down to how many years the professional has worked with these types of cases as well as how many cases they have under their belt. That way, you can find an experienced expert who knows the titular topic front to back.

Another clear sign of expert experience in immigration law is being a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA); this membership showcases a dedication to professionalism and ethical practices. When you’re browsing online for an immigration law firm, you’ll find many details on its website, and one of them should be its AILA membership. 

How Long Will the Process Take? 

When you’re discussing the steps of any immigration case, they can understandably seem daunting to some newcomers. An experienced immigration law firm is helpful for various reasons, and one of the reasons is the clarity it can provide. Knowing how long your case will take is an easy way to set your expectations accurately. 

For instance, when you’re researching how long obtaining a K1 visa takes, you may find a large swathe of time frames. The reason for this is that details such as correctly filing the necessary forms will affect how long the case takes. So after your attorney looks over your case details, ask how long they think the process will take so that you can plan accordingly. 

Will You Help Me Win My Case? 

Another effective way to set proper expectations is knowing how your case objectively looks to a professional. Therefore, one of the top questions you should ask your immigration attorney is: What are my chances of success in this case? Of course, lawyers are not fortune-tellers. But a reliable immigration lawyer should know your chances of success after you provide them with the proper information regarding your case.

Beyond providing clarity on the topic, asking this question also offers you a way to test your lawyer’s knowledge and integrity. Whether they see success or failure in your case, the attorney should provide you with a reason why.

Thanks to these questions, you can gain a clearer picture of how your case will proceed and whether you’re talking to the right professional. 

OLYMPIA, WA — The Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) honored its Builder, Associate and Remodeler of the Year members at its Fall Board of Directors meeting on November 12. Fellow BIAW members selected the award recipients based on their significant contributions to BIAW and the home building industry as a whole. The following two Clark County companies were chosen for Builder of the Year and Remodeler of the Year out of almost 8,200 BIAW members all over the state of Washington. 

Tracy Doriot | Builder of the Year

Tracy Doriot of Doriot Construction is an award-winning custom home builder with 43 years in the construction business. ACertified Builder, Doriot has served on the Building Industry Association of Clark County (BIACC)’s board of directors since 2007, holding multiple committee chair positions and serving as president the second half of 2009, 2010 and 2016.  He’s an active recruiter of new members with 521 Spike credits to date. 

Doriot has served on the Cascadia Technical Academy (formerly known as Clark County Skills Center) Construction Technology Advisory Committee since 1996 and has been chair of the board since 2019. He also serves on the board of directors for the Clark County Parks Foundation.

A state leader in the BIAW active in government affairs, Tracy participates in BIAW’s Washington Affordable Housing Council and has served as a senior officer on its Executive Committee since 2019. He was installed as BIAW’s 2021 President at the Fall Board meeting and will lead the organization starting in January.

Dave Myllymaki | Remodeler of the Year

Dave Myllymaki of ReNew Creations, LLC, has served as a BIACC director for five years and is currently BIACC president for 2020 and 2021.

Along with serving as local association president, Myllymaki served as the chair to the BIACC remodeling council for two years. His involvement goes beyond his local association, resulting in Myllymaki receiving National Remodeler of the Month honors from the National Association of Home Builders in 2018.

Myllymaki is also active in his church and works on a variety of community outreach projects. He has also been involved in projects for Camp Hope, Evergreen Habitat for Humanity and the Clark County Fair’s Junior Livestock Auction. 

$3 million EDA grant comes to Opportunity Zone in Washougal created by Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; estimated to bring 130 new jobs

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03) today applauded the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant award of $3 million to the Port of Camas-Washougal to help establish an industrial workspace for use by local manufacturing employers.

The EDA grant, targeted to a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Opportunity Zone, will be matched with $2.5 million in local funds and $1.4 million in state funds, and is expected to create 130 jobs and spur $10.6 million in private investment.

In addition to helping establish the Opportunity Zone in Washougal, Herrera Beutler also partnered with the Port of Camas-Washougal to successfully earn this grant. Her advocacy included this 2019 letter to EDA.

“Yet another reason I supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was because it established Opportunity Zones like the one that’s bringing 130 new jobs and $10 million in private investment to Washougal,” Congresswoman Herrera Beutler said. “Job creation has always been my top priority, so I’m grateful to the Department of Commerce for targeting the tools Congress provided through the 2017 tax cuts bill in support of the Port of Camas-Washougal’s effort to bring more manufacturing jobs here.”

“EDA is proud to support local efforts to improve infrastructure to spur new business growth,” Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development said. “EDA investments in Opportunity Zones enhance the return on investment for business interests and encourage the public/private partnerships critical to driving private investment and new jobs to cities like Washougal.”