Married International Student in the U.S.

I am an international student studying in the U.S. My student visa (F-1) will expire in Januray 2008. I intend to extend my I-20 for one more year. I married a Canadian citizen in August 2007. He is working in Canada. We have been trying to gather all sorts of documents to start the immigration process under spousal sponsorship. I got the FBI police clearance certificate, am waiting for police certificate from my home country and the medical record. Should I also get police certificates from each state in the U.S. where I have lived for more than 6 months? We will start the process by mid december and are thinking of hiring a lawyer. Do you think my expired student visa, extended I-20 would affect my application? Is it a wise decision to hire a lawyer for a simple and straight forward case like ours?How much funds do I need to show in my bank acount as a person who is being sponsored. Do I also need to submit my transcripts since I have not graduated from college yet?

Any feedback would be highly appreciated. Thank you very much!