MRWOOHOO

Hi Folks, I just got home from the consulate and got my papers "Legalized". I had read about this a little bit but never actually talked with anybody about it. To begin with, don't be surprised if nobody speaks English. Do remember this is a foreign consulate, make sure you are very pleasant, understanding, and have at least a couple of hours to do this. I really do speak but a few words of Spanish, barely anything above hello, goodbye, and please. Always remember please. At first there was the language barrier but she had a good idea why I was there already. I gave her the documentation and she went through the process of stamping and manually typing the legalization form in a typewriter and then sticking them together. If I had to manually type onto a triplicate form and stamp things together in this outdated fashion I would loose my mind. That is where I emphasize be REAL nice to the person that is doing this and do not rush them. While waiting I was lucky enough to have the head of the consulate come over to me and spend some quality time talking to me about Panama, it was SOOOOOO informative, truly a very nice thing to do. He gave me a whole lot of recommendations. I will share one with this forum. Make sure the attorney you hire is connected politically. Even if you think you are just a small fish looking to do small things, go to the effort of finding this out. When trying to locate an attorney and you start contacting them, flat out ask if they are connected in government. The right lawyer will make all the difference.