Harvey Shapiro

I needed some advice for an ESTA Visa Waiver question. Caryl Kawalsky Uzelac was recommended to me by a friend. Big mistake. I had used a different lawyer before (Graham Prichard) who was awesome, but he was unfortunately busy at the time, so I needed urgent advice. Caryl was US$500 for an initia...l consultation, which she gave me about a 15 minute phone call. Incidentally, this was double Graham's initial fee. I was potentially going to overstay my ESTA because my flights home to Australia were cancelled by the airlines due to COVID border restrictions in Australia. I thought it might be best to leave the US to e.g. Europe for a few weeks then come back to the US then fly home to Australia when Australian borders opened. She suggested I apply for satisfactory departure which would give me an extra 30 days. When I received advice from the border control, they stated stated that "the 30 day satisfactory departure for COVID is not allowed any more for any country". Caryl should have known this, or at least checked it, and not advised me to apply for satisfactory departure. I believe this her professional obligation to me, which she failed. I then told her of the situation, and she never called back as promised. I overstayed my ESTA visa waiver and now am ineligible for a visa waiver in the future. I asked her to refund my money because her advice was incorrect and required me to then book flights to Canada, then England, then Australia, but she declined and still claims she gave me good advice.

Looking at the prior negative reviews made me realize that I owed to Harvey to share my own very positive experience. - I first hired Harvey in 2005 to help me change firms while on an H1B and coordinate with the immigration law firm of my new employer. Harvey connected with my employment lawyer an...d the HR department of the new firm. It was a breeze. - in 2006, I asked Harvey to help me oversee that same immigration law firm which my firm had then retained for my green card application Harvey's support was invaluable as the other law firm was clearly overwhelmed and unresponsive. Harvey helped me navigate the maze of all of the options available; I was able to steer the other law firm in the right direction and not miss any important deadlines. I got my green card 18 months later. - Recently, I hired Harvey to help me with my naturalization process. While this is a straightforward process, I wanted to be sure to do things right. And here too, Harvey and his team made the whole process seamless. Thinking about the previous negative reviews, maybe these people do not have experience working with a bad law firm? or maybe they were written by one single disgruntled client? Anyhow, based on my experience, I strongly recommend Harvey Shapiro.

I completely disagree with the earlier comment made on this review board. Harvey is a wonderful lawyer and I would absolutely refer him to anyone else seeking a professional who is smart, charismatic and responsive. My immigration situation was somewhat complex for a H-1B visa but Mr. Shapiro poss...essed the industry knowledge and legal sophistication to not only clearly present me with my options but also to guide me through the process especially during moments of personal difficulty and anxiety. I am truly thankful to Mr. Shapiro and the rest of his staff for their unwavering support and professionalism. One must also remember that when it comes to dealing with the USCIS you must demonstrate patience as there are already a plethora of cases flooding the system from others seeking to obtain visa status in the United States. When my status or options changed, I was alerted in a timely and honest fashion from Mr. Shapiro's office. Unlike my experiences with my previous lawyers, I felt well taken care by Mr. Shapiro. I look forward to using his services again for my re-application in the future.