I guess you can see that I was hungry when I replied to that comment.
Sometimes people say: “I understand that you charge so much. After all, you had to study for 4 or 5 years to become a lawyer.” That’s nonsense. Theologians and experts in ancient Chinese literature of Mongolia study even longer, yet you wouldn’t pay them your life’s savings, would you? You pay a lot because you are in a messed-up situation that only one person, the hot-shot lawyer, can solve. And by doing that, he will save you not only more money than you invest, but also your life, your freedom and your sanity.
And realistically, you only need a lawyer once or twice in your life. So you may as well pay a bit more than for your monthly haircut. Regard it as a treat, like a vacation. Just a more intellectually rewarding treat, at least if you find a lawyer who is also a philosopher.
The Happy Hermit 
A long time fan and reader. I have had to hire lawyers for both civil and criminal. I found both times that women were detailed, patient, honest and understanding and won all 3x. The men were full of sheet and overcharged and under-performed. I have learned go to a law firm and choose the woman. I really hope I will never need another lawyer in my life but if I do it will be a woman. I have also hired a man that was 5x the cost and did 5x less.
At that point I had to shop around for a criminal lawyer that really looked at the facts and the bs that was the Crown and scam artist who somehow was able to falsify documents and it was allowed in court. The lady lawyer dug and dug and found out this con had a long document record of scamming and I never had to appear based on her showing the Crown that something was really wrong with zero evidence. In some countries even in the so-called civilized ones (think north and cold) there is a lot of “nasty” going on and one can easily accuse you and congrats you have years of hell to fight and an expensive one at that. So yes. Lawyers should be solid and expensive but show their worth and track record.
No one questions your knowledge on citizenship. You outshine every Embassy staff, MOI and immigration lawyers etc. I would also say that one must do your own homework and gather all the documents you possibly can. I did both my German citizenship and another EU citizenship by myself and studied every point and asked a million questions to the MOI and read everything I could. I tried through my mother for 7 years to get Slowvakastanian citzenship and that never worked do to some bs law that if you were born between 1949-1969 this could not be accomplished through blood and only naturalization. I gave up and went back further with my other grandparents and learned the language and took my 3rd citizenship after a lot of hard work and dedication.
Yes, citizenship is undervalued. I see it as my greatest asset aside from health and my chances to study. 99% of people simply don’t see the value. In this ever changing world, borders will change as will laws and you want to be able to travel to where you are treated best and want to be!
One question. Andreas, do you ever regret your lifestyle? I have a decade on you and over 80 countries but ready to say the hell with dealing with ageist recruiters and the 9-5 rubbish and enjoy my last few decades as a digital nomad and enjoying the rest of the world unseen. Do you ever miss “the norm”? I would think that on your deathbed you are the only person I could see saying, “I did what I wanted and experienced the world and have no regrets”. Keep on traveling my fellow German! (btw you once said that 2 EU citizenships were not worth it) but I would say studying, the challenge and the oath as well as making the impossible a reality gave me a new breath of life.
You are absolutely right in citizenship. Congratulations on acquiring several ones! I am happy that I have the German one, which is most useful for traveling, but I wish I would have a few others, too. But I never stay in one place long enough to satisfy the residency requirement, nor do I have any international ancestors.
It is indeed undervalued, and only after dramatic events like Brexit and the election of Mr Trump do a lot of people suddenly realize that it would be great to have a second citizenship.
Lastly, even a lot of Europeans undervalue the fact that they have EU citizenship and can live in 27 countries besides their own. I would also subscribe to your argument on several EU citizenships now. First of all because of the Brexit experience, but also because of what you emphasize: if I lived in a country long enough to qualify, I would go for it and the goal of obtaining citizenship would serve as great motivation to learn the language and learn more about the history and politics of a country. I can also imagine that it’s a great source of pride when you mastered a language that well. It’s probably more useful than investing that time in a PhD.
About my lifestyle:
I never regret leaving the regular office world. There is nothing that I miss: not the getting up early, not the routine, not being stuck in traffic, not having to deal with colleagues and staff, not the constantly ringing telephone.
Of course I earn much less now, but I live in places that are cheaper and I have discovered that I really don’t need a car, let alone two, that I don’t need to buy new clothes all the time. I enjoy the simple life because I have much more time on my hands.
I actually think that if I had to return to a regular office job, I couldn’t cope very well after being used to freedom.
That’s not to say that there aren’t things that I regret, particularly some personal decisions and my laziness, slowness, lack of productivity. When I look back, I always feel I could have done more, learned a language better, written more. Although I do hope to get a good feeling for and understanding of the countries I live in, I sometimes feel like I am “bumming around” too much and not traveling in a structured way. In the future, I’d like to do more project-based travel, with a bit more of a structure, e.g. like the longest-possible train trip in the world.
Your English is incredible and you could pick-up Spanish is months. I think you answered my and your own question, “after being used to freedom”.
I don’t think 99% of the population could even dream of having your kind of freedom. We all know that aside from health that freedom allows you to move and live where and when you want. I don’t know many that have that in their lives. Intelligent people are becoming minimalists. I have had a car, house and land…that equals headaches while if I were to give myself an airline ticket and an experience, that would be the ultimate freedom. I almost lost my freedom and when that never happened the idea of a job, success or climbing the ladder to a stroke no longer mattered and freedom made me a new man once again.
Trancapechos are cheaper than kebabs.
Which would explain the difference in lawyers’ fees. And burgers in the US are most expensive, coinciding with ridiculously high attorney fees. I think we are on to some statistical significance here.
Just so you know, attorneys fees in cochabamba are ridiculously expensive considering the price of trancapechos, and yet, there we are.
Then, logically, Cochabamba lawyers should be fatter.
They are !!! 😂😂
And another theory proven! We should be a socio-legal-economic research institute.