EEA family permit...and now??

[fonal78]

Hi, i am italian resident in the Uk since 2005 and married with a non-EU who just got the EEA family permit on the 5/2/2013. We are very happy for the recent success,but now the question is..what's gonna happen next?I don't really know much about this matter,all i know is that the permit expires in August and my lawyer(we got one after the first refusal we had for the tourist visa we applied for) said we need to apply straight away for the 5 years resident permit. He asked me the same money i paid for the EEA permit..i have no idea what to do!
Where and how to apply for the resident p.?
Is it necessary and worth it to carry on with the lawyer?(i have to admit that we applied for the family p. and after exactly 1 week we got the stamp!
Can my wife work in the meantime with the family p.?(Why would a company accept to hire someone who has a stamp expiring in August 2013??)
Please i really need advices.
Thanks a lot

[Obie]

Yes she can work and apply for national insurance, she can even apply for residence Card immediately, as you seem to have resided in the UK for a while.

[Jambo]

The application is quite simple. There is no need to use a lawyer. If you work, then a payslip, marriage certificate, passport and photos is all that is required. Oh and patience (as the application can take 6 months). Read the application form and feel free to ask if you got any questions.

I suggest you start here - EEA FAQs - Common Questions - Read before posting - Residence Card.