Before founding her own immigration and business law firm, Shadi Sheidayi served as national counsel for Kia Motors, managing complex litigation matters including consumer protection and product liability cases at scale across the country. That background — navigating high-volume, high-stakes litigation in a corporate context before pivoting to focused client representation — shaped a practice in Irvine, California where clients work directly with Sheidayi herself rather than being handed to associates. The American Institute of Legal Counsel has named her among the Top 10 Best Immigration Attorneys for California. Locale Magazine has named her among Orange County’s top lawyers.
Overview
Law Offices of Shadi Sheidayi operates from Irvine, California as its primary location, with a second office in San Diego. Shadi Sheidayi (California bar #238927) practices immigration law and business law. She graduated cum laude from Chapman University School of Law and earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from UC Irvine. Prior to her own firm, she worked at Lee, Hong, Degerman, Kang and Waimey, and then served as national counsel for Kia Motors.
The firm handles the full spectrum of immigration applications, from family-based green cards and fiance visas to employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas and investor pathways. The business law practice covers contract work and dispute resolution for domestic and international companies. A central feature of the firm’s model is direct attorney access: clients work with Sheidayi, not with less experienced attorneys, throughout their matter.
Practice Areas
Family-Based Immigration. The firm handles family-based immigration for individuals seeking to bring qualifying family members to the United States or to obtain permanent residence through a family relationship. This includes marriage-based green cards, immediate relative petitions, fiance visas (K-1), adjustment of status applications (I-485), removal of conditions on permanent residence (I-751), and green card renewals (I-90). The firm also handles SB-1 returning resident visas for permanent residents who have been outside the United States for an extended period and risk losing their status.
Employment-Based Immigration. The employment-based practice covers several preference categories: EB-1 visas (extraordinary ability and outstanding professors/researchers), EB-2 (exceptional ability and advanced degree professionals), and EB-3 (skilled workers and professionals). The firm also handles L-1 intracompany transferee visas and E-2 treaty investor visas for qualifying foreign nationals.
Investor Immigration. For clients seeking permanent residence through investment, the firm handles EB-5 immigrant investor petitions and E-2 treaty investor visas. These visa categories require careful documentation of investment amounts, business plans, and job creation projections, and the firm prepares these petitions with the evidentiary rigor they require.
Diversity Lottery Visas. The firm assists individuals selected in the Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery with completing the immigration process, including adjusting status or processing through consular proceedings.
Humanitarian Immigration. The firm prepares petitions for battered spouses, children, and parents under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), as well as U visa petitions for victims of qualifying criminal activity.
Naturalization and Citizenship. The firm handles naturalization applications for eligible lawful permanent residents, including preparation for the interview and assistance with any complications that arise in the process.
Business Law. The business law practice covers contract preparation and negotiation for domestic and international companies, business structuring, and dispute resolution. Litigation capability is included for business disputes that require court involvement. The international component of the business practice reflects the firm’s client base, which includes companies operating across borders.
Attorney Profiles
Shadi Sheidayi is the founder and principal attorney. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine, and her J.D. cum laude from Chapman University School of Law. She is admitted to the California bar (#238927). She previously practiced at Lee, Hong, Degerman, Kang and Waimey, and served as national counsel for Kia Motors handling complex litigation including consumer protection and product liability cases. She is recognized by the American Institute of Legal Counsel among the Top 10 Best Immigration Attorneys for California, and by Locale Magazine among Orange County’s top lawyers. She holds an Expertise.com 2022 recognition badge. Clients work directly with her throughout their matter.
Location and Service Area
Law Offices of Shadi Sheidayi’s primary office is located at 19200 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 400, Irvine, CA 92612. Phone: (949) 622-5585. The San Diego office is at 600 West Broadway, Suite 700, San Diego, CA 92101; phone (619) 215-1070. The website is https://www.shadiatlaw.com/
The firm serves Orange County and San Diego, California, and assists clients nationwide. Phone calls and inquiries receive prompt responses, consistent with the firm’s direct-access model.
Client Focus
The firm’s immigration clients include individuals pursuing family-based immigration for themselves or their relatives, foreign entrepreneurs and investors seeking E-2 or EB-5 pathways, employment-based applicants in the EB-1 through EB-3 categories, and individuals who have faced domestic abuse and qualify for VAWA or U visa protections. The business law practice serves domestic and international companies that need contract support or dispute resolution.
A defining feature of the client experience at this firm is direct attorney access. Sheidayi states explicitly that clients work directly with her — a policy that is relevant in a legal services market where clients at smaller firms sometimes find themselves passed to paralegals or junior attorneys for most of their communication. For immigration matters, where the details of a client’s history and circumstances directly affect the strategy, direct attorney involvement throughout the case matters.
FAQ
What does it mean that clients work directly with Shadi Sheidayi?
It means that the attorney handling the intake is the attorney managing the case throughout. Calls, emails, strategy decisions, and document review all go through Sheidayi rather than being delegated to associates or paralegals after the initial consultation. This is a deliberate firm model, and it is listed as a central feature of how the practice operates.
What is the E-2 treaty investor visa, and who qualifies?
The E-2 visa is available to nationals of countries that have a qualifying treaty with the United States who invest a substantial amount in a U.S. business. It is a nonimmigrant visa that allows the investor to work in the United States to develop and direct the business. It requires demonstrating that the investment is substantial relative to the business cost and that the enterprise is more than marginal. The firm handles E-2 petitions as part of its investor immigration practice.
What is a VAWA petition, and who is eligible?
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) allows certain immigrants who have been abused by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent, or child to self-petition for immigration status without requiring the abusive family member’s cooperation or knowledge. Eligibility requires demonstrating the qualifying relationship, the abuse, and good moral character. The firm prepares VAWA petitions for eligible clients.
Does the firm handle business law matters in addition to immigration?
Yes. The business law practice covers contract drafting and negotiation, business structuring, and dispute resolution including litigation for domestic and international companies. The immigration and business law practices are complementary — companies hiring foreign national employees often need both immigration assistance and general business counsel.
How does the firm’s location across two offices — Irvine and San Diego — work for clients?
The primary office is in Irvine, serving Orange County clients. The San Diego office at 600 West Broadway extends the firm’s geographic reach to San Diego County. The firm also assists clients nationwide. Prospective clients can contact either office by phone to initiate a matter.
Closing
National counsel experience at a major automotive corporation, a cum laude Chapman University law degree, dual offices spanning Orange County and San Diego, and a top ten California immigration attorney designation form the professional foundation of Law Offices of Shadi Sheidayi. The firm’s operating model — direct attorney involvement throughout every client matter — connects the credentials to the client experience in a practice built around personal accountability for every case outcome.