My name is Louisa Jones, I am a Solicitor at Timpson Immigration Lawyers and like many Australians, I am a bargain hunter who likes to save costs where I can. Let’s be honest – who doesn’t?
This being said, when I see value in a service or product, I fundamentally believe it is important to not shave costs. For example, from a young age, I said to my parents, “I can have this wallet which will last me 15 years, or you can buy me that low quality wallet from the dollar store which will last me 6 months”. Needless to say, I still have that same wallet I convinced them to buy me 15 years ago (perhaps I was always destined to be a Lawyer and argue my case (and win)).
Although my wallet story is a great example of value, it is slightly harder to argue the case in a service industry where there is no physical or material product. In most cases, a Lawyer will deliver a service where the end result has numerous variables, and, in most cases, the client cannot see what goes on behind the scenes. As an Immigration Lawyer, I find the most difficult conversation you can have with a client, is expressing your value or worth to them.
The Migration Industry is an area of law where some migrants choose to be self-represented, as opposed to areas such as criminal or family law. At times, I find this very frustrating, as receiving valuable immigration assistance can result in a migrant staying in Australia and securing their future. As I have been in the industry for many years, I am a (admittedly honest) realist! As a result, when I feel a client can undertake some of the work themselves to cut costs, I will tell them! This is exactly why we offer a different range of services at Timpson Immigration Lawyers, to accommodate for a range of clients.
When a client questions the value of my services, it is easy for me to answer them by saying I have a good understanding of the law, have been doing this for years and assisted numerous clients; and, although this is all true, how many times have we heard a lawyer say this? At the end of the day, working in Migration Law is much more than that.
Over the years, I have travelled a certain path with clients and assisted them with decisions that directly affect their life-journey. To a lot of my clients, temporary visas, permanent residency and citizenship means absolutely everything to them and the thought of not getting their desired outcome is simply unfathomable. In simple terms, if my assistance directly correlates to my client’s future in Australia, I would say my value is priceless. This is exactly why I take my role and duty to my client very seriously.
In my view, an Immigration Lawyer’s assistance with the process means more than a visa grant, it is a new beginning and, in some instances, a safer life in an amazing country. To put it simply, although the migration process can be stressful, it is an investment into the future for yourself and your family. It is for this reason that I will be doing this job for many years to come.
Presently, you only need to look at the latest news to see how difficult it is to migrate to Australia. For me personally, there is nothing worse than seeing a client come to you with an incredibly difficult situation which could have been entirely avoided (not because they didn’t see the value in my services), but because they received incorrect advice from the beginning. Furthermore, in some instances, a visa cancellation could have been avoided if it were properly dealt with; ultimately costing the client their future in Australia and hefty legal fees to rectify the situation.
So, this leads me to ask – before you engage in the migration process, what does security for your future mean to you? Furthermore, what is the price you put on it?
