I think people here (including myself) often forget how complicated and scary the first application experience can be. With no ideas and experience, struggling with complicated rules in a foreign language it's really something that can be messed up easily. Here is what I'm saying.
First time I used a lawyer for the whole application, it was really costly, but there occured a really big problem that couldn't have been solved without her. She nailed it, and we are here.
2nd time I just took skype conversations with her, before I filed my application. It was much cheaper, I was much more familiar with the rules and the whole process, but still wanted to be sure I was correct. It occured again that she told me about an important detail I didn't notice and that could have been resulted in a big problem for us.
3rd time (now) I'm pretty confident about our application, and my questions can be answered here. The problem is, people here often believe they are right, and against their best intentions sometimes they are not. So you have to be able to select between the information you get here.
All together, if you have money and you are not confident enough, hire a good professional. Ask your friends for a good one, don't rely only on the internet, there are a lot who don't care enough about their clients.
If you have less money, ask for a consultation and ask your questions. It's still expensive, but cheaper and I think it worths the money...
If you are confident, just go ahead..
Good luck!
