You are about to trust an immigration attorney with the most important work authorization decision of your career. Naturally, you want to know their success rate. The problem is that nobody publishes reliable firm-level H1B approval data. Not USCIS. Not the DOL. Not the law firms themselves.
That does not mean you are flying blind. There is enough public data to separate firms that consistently win from firms that consistently struggle. You just have to know where to look and what the numbers actually mean.
Why Firm-Level H1B Data Is Hard to Find
USCIS publishes H1B approval and denial data by employer, not by attorney. If Amazon files 4,644 initial H1B petitions in FY 2025 and gets 97% approved, that number is tied to Amazon, not to the Fragomen attorneys who prepared the petitions.
The DOL's Labor Condition Application (LCA) database does include an attorney/agent field. That tells you which firm filed the LCA. But LCA approval is nearly automatic (99%+ approval rate), so it reveals volume, not quality.
When a firm's website says "98% success rate," ask yourself: 98% of what? The overall approval rate for initial H1B petitions was 97.2% in FY 2025 according to USCIS data. A 98% success rate barely beats the baseline.
What the Public Data Does Tell You
1. LCA Filing Volume (DOL OFLC Data)
The DOL publishes every LCA filed, including the attorney or agent name. High volume alone does not mean high quality, but extremely low volume is a red flag. A firm that files 5 H1B LCAs per year is not an H1B specialist, regardless of what their website says.
- Firms filing 100+ H1B LCAs annually have meaningful experience
- Firms filing 500+ are major players (Fragomen, Berry Appleman & Leiden, Seyfarth Shaw)
- Solo practitioners filing under 20 per year may be generalists who dabble in H1B work
2. Employer Denial Rate Patterns (USCIS Data)
USCIS publishes denial rates by employer. While this is not attorney-specific, employer denial patterns correlate with attorney quality. Large employers with dedicated outside counsel (Fragomen for Amazon, BAL for Google) have denial rates under 2%. Staffing companies with rotating attorneys and cost-cutting on petition preparation have denial rates of 8-15%.
According to the NFAP, the overall initial employment denial rate was 2.8% in FY 2025. Employers consistently above that number likely have petition preparation issues, which often traces back to the attorney. Check any employer's denial rate on our company database.
3. RFE Rates as a Proxy for Petition Quality
A Request for Evidence (RFE) means USCIS found something inadequate in the initial petition. While RFEs are not always the attorney's fault, a pattern of RFEs from the same firm suggests weak petition preparation. Good attorneys prevent specialty occupation RFEs by writing job descriptions that clearly tie duties to a specific degree field. They advise employers on appropriate wage levels before filing. They include client letters and itineraries proactively for third-party worksite cases.
The Firm Categories That Matter
Understanding the category tells you more than any claimed success rate.
| Firm Type | Examples | Best For | Watch Out For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Law Immigration | Fragomen, BAL, Seyfarth Shaw, Jackson Lewis | Employees at Fortune 500 companies | They represent the employer, not you |
| Immigration Boutiques | Murthy Law, Klasko, Rajiv Khanna | Individuals wanting responsive counsel | Quality varies; firm name ≠ senior attention |
| Solo Practitioners | Varies widely | Complex cases needing personal attention | No backup if overloaded; high variance |
| Staffing In-House | IT staffing company counsel | Nobody | TCS extension denial rate hit 7% in FY2025 |
How to Actually Evaluate an Attorney Before Hiring
Since published success rates are unreliable, here is what to actually check.
1. Ask for Their RFE Rate
Any experienced H1B attorney knows their approximate RFE rate. If they cannot answer this question, or if they dismiss it, that is a red flag. A strong H1B attorney's RFE rate should be in the single digits (under 5% for straightforward cases).
2. Ask About Their Denial Response
What do they do when a case gets denied? Do they file a motion to reopen? An appeal to the AAO (Administrative Appeals Office)? A refiling with a different strategy? The answer reveals whether they fight or fold.
3. Check Their LCA Volume
Search the DOL OFLC disclosure data for the attorney's name. You can see exactly how many LCAs they have filed, for which employers, and at what wage levels. This is public data.
4. Ask Who Writes the Petition
At larger firms, junior attorneys or paralegals may draft your petition while the senior partner's name is on the engagement letter. Ask explicitly: who will write the support letter and review the final petition?
5. Check State Bar Status
Every attorney must be in good standing with their state bar. Check your state bar's online directory. Disciplinary actions, suspensions, or complaints are listed there. This takes two minutes and filters out the worst actors.
6. Look for AILA Membership
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is the professional association for immigration attorneys. Membership signals that the attorney stays current on policy changes. Non-members may still be excellent, but AILA membership is a positive signal.
Red Flags That Override Any Claimed Success Rate
Walk away if you see any of these, regardless of what their website says:
- "100% success rate" on their website. Nobody has a 100% success rate across all case types. This is either a lie or a sign they only take guaranteed cases.
- No clear fee structure. If they cannot tell you exactly what the H1B petition will cost before you sign, expect surprise invoices.
- Pressure to sign immediately. Good attorneys let you think. Desperate ones push urgency.
- They handle "all types of law." An attorney who does H1B petitions, personal injury, real estate closings, and divorce is not an immigration specialist.
- They guarantee approval. No ethical attorney guarantees a USCIS outcome. They can guarantee quality preparation. They cannot guarantee how an adjudicator will rule.
- They do not know about the $100K fee. A Presidential Proclamation issued September 19, 2025 requires new H1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025 to include an additional $100,000 payment. This applies to the FY2027 lottery and all new petitions going forward (renewals are exempt). If your attorney is not proactively advising on this, they are not current on the law.
The Numbers That Actually Matter
When evaluating an H1B attorney, these are the only metrics worth asking about:
| Metric | What It Tells You | Good Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Annual H1B petition volume | Experience level | 50+ per year for specialists |
| RFE rate on their cases | Petition preparation quality | Under 5% for standard cases |
| Years practicing immigration law | Depth of expertise | 5+ years minimum |
| Denial reversal rate | How they handle adversity | Any number above zero is good |
| Client retention rate | Whether employers come back | 80%+ suggests satisfaction |
The Bottom Line
There is no public database that ranks immigration attorneys by H1B success rate. Any firm claiming a specific percentage is cherry-picking their definition of "success."
What you can do is evaluate attorneys using the proxy signals that actually matter: LCA filing volume, RFE rates, petition preparation quality, and professional reputation. The best attorney for your case is not necessarily the one with the biggest name. It is the one who will personally review your petition, write a strong specialty occupation argument, and fight if things go sideways.
Your H1B petition is not a commodity. Do not treat attorney selection like one.
Sources: USCIS H1B Employer Data Hub, DOL OFLC LCA Disclosure Data, NFAP: H-1B Petitions and Denial Rates in FY 2025.