Anyone have direct experience with a good immigration lawyer?

I've been illegal here in Spain for some time now, and I've been looking for a 12-month contract to get legal (via "arraigo social") without success. Everyone wants working papers. A familiar experience, I am sure.

Now I've found an employer who wants to hire me, but they want to do it without giving me a contract (they want me to become "autonomo"). They say they can give me a letter, I can go back home, get a special visa, and then return and voila.

I've spent a few years here now (you need 3 years to be eligible for "arraigo social") and "arraigo social" is one of the few ways you can get legal without having to leave Spain, so I am obviously very apprehensive about the risks of abandoning that plan and leaving the country.

So before I do anything radical I want to talk to a well-informed, fairly-priced immigration lawyer. (A little tired of hearing from my Spanish friends how easy it is to get legal; I'm sure they wouldn't think so if they'd actually been in a position like mine before and tried it.)

Basically I have lots of doubts and questions and I want definitive answers from someone who really knows the laws and procedures. I don't want to jump on a plane until I know it's the right thing to do. But it's awfully hard to choose a lawyer sight-unseen.

Anyone got any references/recommendations?

Hey,

I am almost done with arragio social right now here in madrid. the people who have helped me are the people at law bird.

www.lawbird.com

I have an American friend here in Madrid who is also doing arraigo social right now and has a specialized blog about immigration:

http://theguiridispatches.wordpress.com/

She is videoblogging about arraigo social as well here

http://www.vimeo.com/1128545?pg=embed&sec=1128545

I don't get on the forums too much, but if you have any specific questions I'll try to answer them next time i am on.

take care

Phil

Thanks a lot Phil.

Can you comment on your experience with law bird? Were you happy with their fees, responsiveness etc?