Over the years, thousands of attorneys have discovered the potential benefits of joining the ARAG attorney network. This includes expanding their client base, creating an additional revenue stream and choosing the areas of law they are looking for cases in.
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But here’s one of the lesser known, and quite valuable, advantages an attorney can benefit from: When they take on ARAG clients, it provides a glimpse of where the industry is headed – and in many cases, of new legal trends as they develop or on the horizon.
One of those attorneys is Helena Tetzeli, a partner at nationally renowned immigration law firm Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli and Pratt P.A. Tetzeli has partnered with ARAG for 20 years as a telephone attorney who provides virtual consultation on immigration law matters. In this role, she fields initial calls from ARAG plan members with questions or problems related to U.S. immigration – and offers them general legal advice, guidance on next steps and appropriate referrals.
From her consultative standpoint, the information they provide her in return is very valuable. That’s because, as Tetzeli points out, since members have a legal plan, in many cases they will act more proactively and call her early on to discuss their situation. Those conversations, in turn, help her when consulting with her day-to-day clients. Tetzeli explains, “The interactions I have with members gives me a unique perspective and provides some intel I wouldn’t otherwise have because of the volume and range of questions they have and the things they’ve experienced with USCIS as they go through the immigration process”
She adds, “Things are changing all the time. And I learn a lot from ARAG plan members – about what’s going on in the field, what processing times are like, new notifications from USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services), new policy changes because they’ll get a request for evidence, etc. And because of the volume of the calls I receive, along with the wide range of questions and information I get from them, it’s a substantial statistical sampling of what’s happening out there – which enables me to anticipate emerging trends, ahead of my colleagues who are not ARAG attorneys. And that helps me when I advise clients and prospective clients.”
Tetzeli’s decades of experience practicing immigration law, and as someone who came to the U.S. as an immigrant, gives her a unique perspective of changing immigration policies – and the confusion and stress they often cause for plan members. She states, “My takeaway from interactions I’ve had recently is that the level of anxiety from plan members and clients who wouldn't previously have felt anxiety has increased. Some people who call me are extremely concerned about the frequent and sometimes drastic changes in immigration policy we've seen since January [of 2025].” Which leads to another benefit to being an ARAG network attorney: serving as a trusted legal advisor for a member who may be facing a potentially costly, confusing and stressful legal journey.
She states, “In a word, ARAG is the best resource. I have lost count of the number of times a plan member has told me that they are so grateful they can talk to an immigration attorney about their own immigration case, or that of a family member. I can explain the often lengthy, technical, legalistic and generally hard to understand employment-based immigration process to the member. This can help assuage anxiety and stress on the part of the employee, increasing their productivity. In other cases, I advise employees on matters that are not related to the employment-based immigration process but are covered by their plan, for example green cards for spouses or children or other covered family members. These kinds of procedures are frequently not covered or handled by the employer’s own immigration counsel, but they are covered with an ARAG legal plan, so I can fill that space for the employees.”
Tetzeli adds, “This is an extra benefit for them for which they are grateful to the employer, as well as ARAG. And it’s nice when I can give people peace of mind. Even if it’s not great news, at least I can confirm some things for them or outline next steps. But most of all, it’s just knowing they have someone on their side they can turn to when they face confusing immigration policy changes and complex laws.”
