Yuck, poor guy. Its horrible being in limbo with visas - I spent nearly 4 years in a similar situation and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy
Before you go to the lawyer, try searching, or posting on
http://forums.british-expats.com/vie...d162263fccc006 I don't know if you already know of that forum, but there is some useful info to be found on there.
When we first moved here, I was on a B visa, so was not allowed to work. Although there was a SSN in my name from living here 15 years ago, the local SSN office would not let me access it as I didn't have a work visa. Later, when the employment authorisation card came through as part of the green card application process, they were happy to hand over the SSN.
Also, have you tried calling the customer service number on the
www.uscis.gov page. I had to call them in the autumn and after the long wait to get to someone, they were civil, stuck to the facts and were helpful within their limitations.
Good luck, fingers crossed you can get this worked out favourably...