Can an immigration attorney deny the clients request to speak with a family member regarding their case?

Absolutely. Listen, we understand that more than one member of a loved one's family may want ask questions about the processing of a case. But when I am hired, I explain to clients that I plan on speaking with one person in the family. Designate someone who is the spokesperson for the family, friends, etc. and that is the person with whom I am going to talk. Often times, families get upset because they do not believe that their attorney is providing any information or doing anything to help their foreign national loved one who has immigration problems. A lack of information is often times as bad as being provided the incorrect information. But I am not here to explain the same thing to three different people because someone did not hear what they wanted to hear or couldn't be at the meeting or couldn't take the phone call, etc. I am here to provide competent and up to date information and I do this to one member of a client's family. Keep in mind that every time you want me to call three people to provide the same explanation, I cannot do the work that I was hired to do because I am spending time on the phone to explain the same issues again and again. That is not to say that sharing information is not important, in fact it is probably the absolutely most important part of the entire process. Forget about what I can do on behalf of your loved one, if you do not have any clue what I am doing or why I am doing it the work is lost to speculation. With that said, make wise decisions when you hire an attorney. Explain the expectations in front, obtain a signed fee agreement delineating those obligations and an explanation of how much will be charged and when payment is expected. Often times, issues of too many family members asking the same question again and again occur when a loved one is detained. The loved one is in a detention facility and hears all sorts of this and that in the facility. They then wonder why their attorney is not doing what they heard this other guy's attorney is doing and the speculation turns to wonder and the wonder turns to a belief that nothing is being done. Make good decisions, have confidence in the attorney you choose and if you have doubt then do out and get a second opinion. There are a lot of us out there that are interested in making promises we cannot keep. A lot of this happens because people want to hear what they want to hear and do not spend the time obtaining a good opinion from a qualified attorney because of the belief that hiring an attorney right now is the answer to all problems and the source of all solutions. BS. There are good attorneys out there that will take the time to make sure that you know what is going on, how to fix it and the costs and strategy required to fix the problems. It only takes one explanation to one family member (or a group of family at one meeting) to get this across. If you are having problems communicating with an attorney, ask for a meeting. But be cautious of the attorney's time and the fact that your loved one is not the only person who needs help. If you are not getting what you believe is good service, consult with someone else and see who else is out there.