Verify an attorney

You should be able to check anyone who offers you legal help, including anyone we send you to. Here is how, in a few minutes, for free.

How to check any Arizona attorney's licence

1
Go to the State Bar of Arizona and open their member directory.
2
Search the attorney's full name. If you only have a firm name, search that first.
3
Check that the licence status is active, and that the name matches the person you actually spoke with.
4
Open the member record and look at the public discipline or activity history. The Bar publishes this.
5
If you cannot find them at all, stop and ask why before you pay anyone anything.

State Bar of Arizona member directory opens a site we do not run

Warning signs

They will not give you their Arizona bar number, or the number does not check out.
They guarantee a result, a timeline, or an amount of money.
They ask for cash only, or for payment before anything is explained in writing.
They will not give you copies of what you signed.
They ask you to sign something in a language you do not read comfortably.
They tell you not to talk to anyone else about your case.
They call themselves a notario and imply that means they can advise you on immigration law.
They pressure you to decide today.

Notarios: what the word means here

In Mexico and much of Latin America, a notario público holds a demanding legal qualification, years of formal study, and real legal authority.

In the United States, a notary public is something completely different. A notary here may witness a signature. That is essentially the whole job. A notary cannot advise you on immigration law, cannot represent you, and cannot tell you what to file.

This gap is the single most common way families in our community lose money and, sometimes, lose their case. If someone offering immigration help describes themselves as a notario, that is a reason to check their bar licence, not a reason to relax.

If someone has already taken your money

You are not the first and it is not your fault. Reporting it is worth doing even if you do not expect to get the money back, because it can stop the next family losing theirs.

The Arizona Attorney General's office takes consumer fraud complaints, including complaints about unauthorised practice of law. The State Bar of Arizona takes complaints about attorneys.

An immigration attorney can also tell you whether anything filed in your name can be corrected.

Other free and low-cost options

We would rather you get help somewhere than nowhere.

Maricopa County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service. A referral fee applies for the consultation.
Pima County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service. A referral fee applies for the consultation.
Community Legal Services and other Arizona legal aid organizations, for people who qualify.
Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association, for Spanish-speaking attorney contacts.

If you would rather we made the introduction, that is what we are here for. Either way, check the licence.