My wife is Japanese and 10 years ago we had to deal with INS while applying for permanent residency for her. We did not hire a lawyer and did all the paperwork ourselves which honestly wasn't all that dificult, (no piece of cake either though). What was infuriating however was the incompetency of the INS. Appointments would have to be set up months in advance. Getting simple forms was very dificult. I remember one time going through security and waiting in line for an hour to get a form only to be told they were out of them and to come back later in the week. All in all it was about the worst bureaucracy I have ever dealt with.
I've had to deal with them too for others. Agreed.