Ghassan Marwan Shihab

PRO

Ghassan Marwan Shihab

also known as Gus M. Shihab

4.9
Rating: 10.0

Licensed for 33 years

Immigration Lawyer at Fairfax, VA
Practice Areas: Immigration

8500 Executive Park Avenue, Suite 206, Fairfax, VA

Virtual Consultation Available

About Ghassan

Biography

Competent. Responsive. Ethical. Affordable. Reliable. Innovative Representation, Proven Results.

Affordable. Competent. Responsive. Ethical. Reliable. Peer Reviewed as Super Lawyer

Practice Areas

1

Practice Area

Immigration 100%

H-1B, Green Cards, PERM, Intra-company Transferee, L-1A, L-1B, O-1, F-1 Students, EB-1 Aliens of Extraordinary Abilities, EB-2, EB-3, Family immigration, Fiancé Visas, permanent residence, spouses to US Citizens, Immigration Appeals, H-1 Audits.

33 years | 6,000 cases

100%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Hourly Rates

$ 150-560 per hour

Retainer

Always


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Awards

Client's Choice
Client's Choice
2021 2020 2019
...
+ 9
Silver Client Champion
AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating

Licenses

Licensed in Ohio for 33 years

State: Ohio

Acquired: 1993

Active

No misconduct found

Location

The Law Firm of Shihab & Associates, Co., LPA

8500 Executive Park Avenue, Suite 206, Fairfax, VA, 22031

shihabimmigrationfirm.com/

The Law Firm of Shihab & Associates, Co., LPA

65 East State Street, Suite 1550, Columbus, OH, 43215

shihabimmigrationfirm.com/

The Law Firm of Shihab & Associates, Co., LPA

1725 I St. NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20006

shihabimmigrationfirm.com/

The Law Firm of Shihab & Associates, Co., LPA

2000 Town Center Drive, Suite 1930, Southfield, MI, 48075

shihabimmigrationfirm.com/

The Law Firm of Shihab & Associates, Co., LPA

600 Superior Ave. East, Suite 1300, Cleveland, OH, 44114

shihabimmigrationfirm.com/

Online Presence

Other places you can find Ghassan online.

Ghassan Marwan Shihab's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.9 /5.0

208 Client Reviews

Showing 76 - 80 of 208 reviews

Posted by Jacob | November 28, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

Employer Based Green Card Process

Shihab immigration legal firm is attentive to detail, listens to your concerns and is available all the time to respond to your questions. They helped my wife and I through the employer based green card process. Once you have all the documentation they need for the process, do not fret or worry, kin...dly be patient. Sign them up to represent you and they do it extremely well. Shihab immigration legal team is extremely competent. I am retaining them for the naturalization process. Thank you Shihab team!

Posted by Mike & Trina | October 31, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

Highly Effective & Efficient

We highly recommend Gus and his team at The Law Firm of Shihab & Associates. My wife and I have worked with Gus since 1999 for E2 and TN visas, including initial applications and renewals. In every case, Gus has been professional, personable, knowledgeable, proactive and thorough so we have never h...ad an issue with our filings. Gus educates us and gives us confidence that we are secure in our status so we can focus on our family and business. Thank you, Gus!

Posted by Ankit Gupta | August 21, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

Excellent Service for Marriage Immigration Case

Hello I hired Gus after reviewing various immigration related lawyers on AVVO. He has a very reasonable initial consulting fees, and overall immigration fees. He provided us excellent service and guidance on preparing and submitting our marriage-based immigration petition, and counseled us through va...rious issues faced (non-availability of my birth certificate, my overseas travel while awaiting interview notice and EAD card, etc). One one instance when I USPS accidentally misplaced my documents, he replied to my emails on weekend and his staff went out of their way to find the documents. I would highly recommend Gus and his practice for any immigration related cases.

Posted by Alex | July 19, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

A refreshing antidote to industrial scale stupidity

There's an old joke: "What do you call 3000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea?". Answer? "A good start". That would describe my attitude when i emailed Shihab & Associates. I'm not sure the conventional lexicon has the words to accurately describe my gratitude to Gus and his team. After 4 years of... paperwork, 2 lawyers, and a previous complaint to the California Bar, your faith in the immigration machine can reach the breaking point. It's no understatement the company emphasises "ethics" as a differentiator. My case sits on the "extraordinary" end of the USCIS spectrum, and i'm sure it will make some kind of history in the horror section of a legal journal. Language like "inconceivable" and "riddled with errors" were used in response to USCIS. If you wanted to be concise about what makes this team different, you could summarise it by saying it's immediately apparent that they personally care. You're not just a reference number, you're a person going through one of the most needlessly frustrating organisations on planet Earth. Doesn't sound like much. But when you've burned through a few of the more impersonal, cynical attorneys ratcheting up the numbers to file template documents, it makes all the difference. Gus's briefs actually look like court papers. They are tight, well-argued, diligent, and have a feel of excellence. His practical grasp of jurisprudence is without peerage in my experience to date. My case was an initial enquiry into embassy visa reviews, but quickly the scope spawned into a 3-week marathon race to file a motion correcting what can only be described as some of the most epic governmental stupidity even a 3rd grade schoolkid would roll their eyes at. Magdalena was at work over a weekend to get the brief right; when i was curious as to why, she was blunt that cases where she can make a real difference excited and fulfilled her. I don't think i've ever heard an attorney speak in those tones. They even had a British solicitor on hand to flesh out the nuance. I've giggled on the phone with Gus, swapped jokes over email, pounded the team with homework, expressed my frustration, and received nothing but professional, compassionate support. Therapy isn't in the job description, but i'm in no doubt that everyone at Shihab actually cares about the case outcome. And it's no joke to say that Gus has been 100% accurate so far about each one of those outcomes, without exception. The financials haven't been easy, but i've learned the hard way you really get what you pay for and there's no easy way around what is an unimpeachably flawed, inefficient, and in many cases, entirely hopelessly under-funded immigration system. Gus helped me to see what an unconscionable turd-in-the-punch my previous attorney had created for me, and refilled the bowl with a much more agreeable Martini mix. US immigration comes with an absolutely obnoxious price tag. If you're going to have to write cheques, it's a painful rite of passage learning who to pay, and who not to. WIth the contributions i've made towards multiple people's Lamborghini funds, the ease at which i can accept Gus's itemised costs is a rare experience of trust. From the reception desk to the librarian, Gus has a personable team that are a delight to deal with, a legal hive mind that are genuinely on their clients' side, and a professional machine on a mission to make every other legal firm look bad by comparison. Truth fears no investigation, and the best way to win the loyalty of others is self-evident expression of integrity. It's easy to win clients when they know you're damned good. The reason Shihab will have all of my business through the immigration nightmare through to naturalisation isn't because of something they purported and advertised to be, but because of who they happily wanted to show me they were. And my inevitable jokes tomorrow morning about Gus's hilarious full name.

Posted by anonymous | June 04, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

Highly recommended

I had a great experience with Gus and his team, my case was not an easy one taking into account the sharp deadlines and everything went well. They were responsive, friendly and very professional with all my requests. I highly recommend The Law Firm of Shihab & Associates for any inmigration matters.

See All Client Reviews

Ghassan Marwan Shihab's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Ghassan
Somair Syed Alam headshot
Somair Alam

Immigration lawyer | Feb 11

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I'm pleased to endorse Ghassan. He is a top-notch immigration attorney and zealous advocate for his clients. Highly respected in the legal community."

Azin Arbab headshot
Azin Arbab

Immigration lawyer | Dec 20

Relationship: Other

"I endorse Mr. Shihab. He demonstrates an impressive knowledge of the law based on his accurate legal answers on Avvo. He is an asset to the legal field and respected by colleagues."

Joseph T Ostrowski headshot
Joseph Ostrowski

Immigration lawyer | Feb 05

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Attorney Shihab as a valuable member our profession and of this forum. Attorneys who participate in this forum are providing useful information for those in need and should be commended. Further, the type of information conveyed is in the true spirit of professionalism where information is provided to help those in need which is the underpinning of the legal profession. Often the users of this forum are given second opinions that expand on information or provide contradictory information. Providing information empowers the uninformed to go forward with confronting their legal problems. I recommend and endorse this attorney for all listed areas of practice in his profile."

Anne Zeitoun-Sedki headshot
Anne Zeitoun-Sedki

Immigration lawyer | Jan 29

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have had the opportunity of working with Gus Shihab and I have come to know him as an exceptionally intelligent and professional attorney who has contributed greatly to the field of Immigration. I endorse him for his work and dedication to helping his clients."

Jalal Jamil Dallo headshot
Jalal Dallo

Unknown lawyer | Dec 19

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I strongly endorse Attorney Ghassan Shihab based on the quality of his legal work and the answers he provides to the community through Avvo. Attorney Shihab is a a passionate immigration advocate who really cares about his clients."

Luis Alberto Guerra headshot
Luis Guerra

Immigration lawyer | Dec 15

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I strongly endorse this attorney based on the quality of his work and his vast experience. Attorney Ghassan Marwan Shihab is a passionate immigration advocate who really cares about his clients."

Rosa H Soberal-Vigh headshot
Rosa Soberal-Vigh

Immigration lawyer | Dec 14

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Khaja M. Din headshot
Khaja Din

Immigration lawyer | Nov 22

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. He is a fierce and unrelenting advocate. -Khaja"

Ryan Matthew Stubenrauch headshot
Ryan Stubenrauch

Immigration lawyer | Feb 10

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"Early in my legal career, I had the opportunity to work for Gus Shihab. In my brief time there, I learned that Gus is second to none in immigration law. On top of that expertise, Gus is a Professional Engineer and speaks several languages fluently. You'd be hard pressed to find a smarter lawyer."

View All Endorsements
Azin Arbab headshot
Azin Arbab

Immigration lawyer

Farhad Bomi Sethna headshot
Farhad Sethna

Immigration lawyer

Khaja M. Din headshot
Khaja Din

Immigration lawyer

Experience

Rating:  10.0 (Superb)

Honors

2025

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2024

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2023

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2022

AV Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

2022

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2010

AV Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell

2007

Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum

2007

Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Million Dollar Advocates Forum

Work Experience

1996 - Present

Attorney, The Law Firm of Shihab & Associates, Co.,LPA

1985 - 1996

Project Engineer, Ohio Department of Transportation

Associations

2009 - 2011

American Immigration Lawyers Association

Ohio Chapter Chair & Member of the Board of Governors

Sample of Legal Cases

Gordon Proctor v. French Hardware

Prevailed on appeal for the property owners.

Frankllin County Convention Facilities Authority v. CP Maple Street, LLC

$8,000,000

See More Legal Cases

Education

1993

Capital University Law School

Juris Doctor

Speaking Engagements

2011

American Immigration Lawyers Association

Imperfect Naturalization

2009

Immigration Law Update

Immigration

2009

7th Annual Ohio AILA Conference

Immigration Law

2007

5th Annual Ohio AILA Immigration Law Update

Alternatives to H-1B Visas

Publications

2011

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Imperfect Naturalzation

Languages

French

Spanish

Arabic

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution