For those looking to move to and work in the United States, navigating the visa process can be one of the most challenging obstacles to entering the country. Although, with a qualified and skilled attorney at your side, the abundance of paperwork you have to file can become much less intimidating. Path Law Group’s Attorney and Founding Partner, Ashkan Emami, has what it takes to help his clients with all their visa needs.
Emami started working in human rights law, but he soon found it wasn’t as fulfilling as he had hoped. He wanted to make much more of an impact by working with clients individually, and human rights law was not doing that for him. Although the work done in human rights law is undeniably important, Emami felt that he could make a bigger and more tangible impact by working in immigration law.
Starting his own immigration law firm
When he came to this realization over a decade ago, Emami decided to take a job practicing immigration law at a firm that specialized in working with physicians and tech companies. However, he shortly realized that working for a large firm wasn’t what he wanted to do in the long term, as he didn’t like the distance he felt in the process.
“The way that many law firms do business is very transactional,” asserts Emami. “You go through a paralegal and an admin, which dehumanizes the process. Starting my own firm with a boutique approach allowed me to provide the type of very personal service that our clients have come to respect about our firm. It’s a very different experience for the client from what they may be used to, but it’s a very valuable one at that.”
Nevertheless, it would take a major life development to push Emami to take the leap and start his own firm — an experience almost a decade ago when he was diagnosed with cancer. “I had already thought about starting a firm,” he says, “but my diagnosis set in motion this desire in me to start my own thing and do things my way.”
Navigating the complex visa process
Path Law Group specializes in helping clients through the visa process to obtain both non-immigrant and immigrant visa options. There are a variety of visa options available for professionals, but not all of them are suitable for every individual. Emami and the team at Path Law Group can help you explore your options and help you navigate through the process to apply for the most appropriate one.
When it began, Path Law Group primarily worked with creatives and artists, but they have recently started to expand their practice to help entrepreneurs and businesspeople with their immigration needs. As the firm continues to grow, Emami hopes to be able to offer additional global mobility support, offering more services than just support for incoming visas.
When they work with Path Law Group, clients can rest assured that they are in qualified, empathetic hands. Emami and his firm’s partner, Lea Nehme, came to the United States as immigrants. As a result, they know from both first-hand experience and their years of built-up expertise in immigration law the difficulties of the visa process, and how to help their clients through it with minimal obstacles.
Emami’s story is an inspiring tale of extraordinary perseverance and sticking to what one values most. Every day, he gets the opportunity to help others on his own terms.
“I’ve had more than a few of my clients tell me that choosing to immigrate to the US was among the most important decisions they have ever made,” he adds. “I imagine it was no different for my family when they came here during my childhood. This is why my main focus is ensuring that we make the legal process as smooth and painless as possible.”
