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What does an O-1 or EB-1A lawyer cost?

Key answer

The range from the chat: Russian-speaking lawyers charge from 10-15 thousand dollars per case, English-speaking ones average 5-6 thousand, and one member got an O-1 for 6,300 dollars with a free consultation and four months of work. Prices around 3 thousand do not exist among reputable lawyers: from 5 thousand up to a full-case fee plus a rush surcharge. At hourly billing around 200 dollars per hour, two to four months of intensive work come to 20-25 thousand. Whether the price is justified members measure in their own time: a self-prepared petition takes 300-400 working hours. A separate pain is late add-ons: some firms ask for another couple of thousand before filing for a review and update.

Community answers

The answers below are translated from the original Russian - the language of the community chats.

  • I see statistics showing that everyone who consults Russian-speaking attorneys here pays from ten to even fifteen thousand. I know that the average price for attorneys who do not speak Russian is about five to six thousand. If there is a good Russian-speaking attorney who charges six, that's great.

  • From my experience with seven attorneys, I can say there is no price at three thousand. It's from five thousand up to the cost of a complete case plus an additional amount for urgency. This is the case for those most recognized for quality and with good reviews.

  • I received O-1 approval as a video editor in the creative field. I found my attorney through a colleague's recommendation who had a successful EB-1. The consultation was free, the cost was 6300 dollars, and the whole process took four months. Before the consultation, I prepared a detailed portfolio to avoid wasting time and to assess my capabilities realistically with the attorney.

  • Here in the chat, they wrote that people spent 300-400 working hours on the petition on their own. Even by local market standards, for a top specialist, 50 thousand dollars can be reasonable. For an average one, of course, that's a lot, so consider that you're saving your hours.

  • I prepared a business case with a well-known attorney a few years ago; he charged twelve or fifteen, which was average for the market. The case itself was done competently, structurally, and sequentially; during the interview, the officer praised it. However, it took a long time, and when it came to submission, an assistant from his account wrote: let's submit, by the way, we need another two thousand to check and update everything.

The answers are anonymized community experience from the public chats, not legal advice. Officers may decide similar cases differently.

Sources

All questions on: Process and timelinesAll questions on: General questionsAll questions on: The petition and formattingAll questions on: O-1 visaAll questions on: EB-1A

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A reference page built from community experience, not legal advice. Requirements and practice change - verify on uscis.gov.

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