I am currently a partner at Shamieh, Shamieh & Ternieden. Our firm focuses on helping individuals, families, and employers navigate the U.S. immigration process with confidence — from family-based petitions and adjustment of status to employment visas and naturalization. We combine deep legal expertise with a practical, human-centered approach to deliver results that matter.
As many companies scale back their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, employees and founders who once relied on internal support for immigration matters are now left without clear guidance. We see this as an opportunity to bridge that gap. We provide direct, personalized immigration solutions for professionals, founders, and families navigating the U.S. immigration process on their own. Whether you need help with family-based adjustment of status, naturalization, or employment-based immigration as a founder or skilled worker, our firm is here to help you chart a confident path forward. In this new landscape, we’re redefining immigration law as a service built on trust, accessibility, and client-focused relationships — not corporate gatekeeping.
<aside> <img src="/icons/card_gray.svg" alt="/icons/card_gray.svg" width="40px" /> For employment-based immigration, we focus on O-1A and EB-1A petitions, with a particular emphasis on non-researcher professionals and founders.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/people_gray.svg" alt="/icons/people_gray.svg" width="40px" /> For family-based immigration, we regularly assist clients with adjustment of status (green card), naturalization, VAWA, removal of conditions, and related USCIS filings.
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While we continue to expand our direct-to-client and founder-based immigration services, we remain deeply grounded in the work that shaped our practice — removal defense and humanitarian protection. Our roots are in standing beside individuals and families facing the most difficult chapters of their immigration journey. We continue to handle complex cases involving asylum, cancellation of removal, appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and Ninth Circuit petitions for review. This commitment reflects who we are at our core: a firm that fights for due process, believes in second chances, and never forgets the human stories behind every case.
Ray has helped clients successfully secure visas, green cards, and other immigration benefits, often in challenging circumstances. He practices as part of a collaborative law office, recognizing that effective legal work requires a strong support team to handle the administrative demands that accompany each case.
It all begins with the initial consultation. When consultations are conducted over Zoom, Ray provides follow-up notes so clients have something concrete to refer back to as to what was discussed during the consultation.
One recent client had already fully paid another attorney but decided to switch to me—not because I claimed to know everything, but because I was honest about what I didn’t know. That level of candor mattered to her. In an age where information can easily be verified through tools like ChatGPT, clients value authenticity and trust more than overconfidence.
She later told me, “Out of all the attorneys I spoke with, you were the one who seemed most in the weeds, actually doing the work.”