Hi,
I’m seeking some people with experience working with Legal Square for the Portugal GV. Were you able to obtain your GV? Were they professional and efficient?
Anyone with negative experiences?
Thanks!
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I am using them. Very responsive so far. But I have not even gotten to the point of submitting my application yet.
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They have been quick to respond and supportive through the process, and not asked for any extra money for miscellaneous services required during Golden Visa process like notarizing or translating the documents in Portuguese etc. - which makes things easy for me.
I found their cost for Financial Representation expensive and chose to go with someone else for NIF and financial representation - but otherwise they seemed most competitive to me.
I agree, they are expensive for fiscal representation… are you at the stage where you’ve gotten pre-approval or have already used Legal Square to complete any transactions?
have you used them for real estate transaction yet? (if that’s the route you’re choosing). If so how long does due diligence take with them?
I will be aplying for my pre-approval in couple of weeks. I have gone through the fund route. Their due diligence for the fund was quite quick - in a few days time.
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No, I went the fund route, so I cannot comment on their value on the real estate path.
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I am using them now & they have been very responsive & yes their tax representation fee is high .
Also they are not PayPerMilestone agency and want fee before they proceed ahead with the process.
Please share you experience if you have completed your GV process.
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I agree with what’s written above; they are very responsive and approachable. Once you pay their annual fee, they provide answers to your ad-hoc queries as well; e.g. they even arranged covid tests for me last year.
Though I have two notes;
In my case, at least in two different occasions I was asked to pay something that I had already paid; I don’t think there is any bad intention and think that it is simply the financial clerk not checking the transactions before reminding me the payment, yet I do strongly suggest that you keep a track record of your payments…
My second point is; as a client waiting for the final renewal for the last 8 months, they were not able to get me a biometrics appointment… I can understand that the calendar is closed and since Jan, there is almost no appointments up for grab, but I am not sure if they are the best agency to secure appointment at times likes this.
Regards
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Any other agency that you would recommend that has strong connection with SEF?
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I don’t have first hand information on this - there seems to be some companies who claim to be more aggressive but I think it is best if people who have had renewal appointments by those companies comment…
i) The first time applications can get appointments easier (still I am aware of the terrible waiting times)
ii) Renewal appointments are far worse…
iii) Since Jan there were perhaps no renewal appointments - I expect this to last for some more time till the SEF restructuring finishes or they come up with a pragmatic solution such as enabling biometrics to be taken at embassies
iv) I know that LegalSquare was able to get few appointment in October, but most probably they were allocated to people who were waiting for longer than me…
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Unresponsive, lack of communication and service. Misinformation. They dont give the feeling of you have a lawyer and you are backed up.
Dont recommend.
More over, you pay in advance. So that they dont have any motivation to fulfill their job descriptions according to your contract.
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I’m using LegalSquare. First signed with them to purchase real estate. They were very helpful and responsive, although I didn’t complete the purchase. They allowed me to redraft the contract to purchase funds instead.
They are expensive as fiscal reps, but they put me in touch with someone very quickly who could answer tax questions, which saved the cost of an outside consultation.
I’d use them again, although it’s been almost a year since submitting my application and I’m still waiting on pre-approval. That has more to do with SEF, obviously. I understand some lawyers have close relationships with SEF and can move mountains. Not sure yet if that’s them or not, but I’m happy with them thus far and would recommend them.
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Worst lawyers you can ever hire.
Also be careful about promotion reviews
Curious why you feel this way. Do you have experience with them? Something we should watch out for?
I have recently signed on with them for the GV through property. I have questions about their legal knowledge. They sent a Power of Attorney with the notary page listing citizenship, passport info, marital regime etc. When I had it notarized and sent to the State for apostille it was rejected b/c a notary can’t attest to this info can only acknowledge a signature. Had they not encountered this issue b/4? I have also had an ongoing argument regarding in which state I was married and marital regime. Again they keep telling me they have to include this language. I have said the state in which I reside is what’s pertinent. I think this is a problem say if you were married in a community property state but reside in a non-community property state. I have a promissory contract from another attorney that does not include state of marriage. Not always satisfied with issues I have raised regarding contract language where I have requested changes. At this point I’m thinking I may want to hire someone else but having paid the fee up front not sure how that might work. Anyone with similar experiences?
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Legal Square uploaded my Golden Visa application on December/2021. My Biometrics were April/2023 and till now, I have no news about my temporary residence card. They have not given me access to the system to follow the process. Have you, Legal Square clients, managed to access the SEF/AIMA system? What is the email that Legal Square use in the SEF/AIMA system?