Pro Bono and community commitment of the Shah Peerally law team.

By Maitreyee B Chowdhury

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If there is something that is missing in today’s world, it is the passion for one’s belief and the zeal to do something for others without any kind of benefit for oneself in the process. But true passion for one’s work and helping others through one’s knowledge base is something that the Shah Peerally Law Group is committed to.

Since its inception, the Shah Peerally Law Group PC’s has been a name associated with help for the community combined with an excellence and dedication to the field of law. Rated 10 out of 10 in 2012 and clients’ choice 2012 and 2013 on the award winning legal site Avvo.com like many other law firms, the group need not have opted for spreading awareness or community work, but it is different beliefs that make all the difference. As an attorney, Shah Peerally the founder and director of the firm, has been appreciated on different forums. His work has been featured by media houses like San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, US Fiji Times, Mauritius Le Quotidien, and Movers & Shakers amongst many other International magazines. Mr. Peerally and his work have also been praised by Congress women Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Lee.

For Shah Peerally and his team comprising Hasan Adullah and others, practicing law is more than earning a livelihood; it is dedication to helping people in distress and bringing them justice.

The Shah Peerally team is known for his numerous pro-bono works. Their legal clinics, held in churches, temples and mosques, has given many people the opportunity to be informed about Immigration law, the various intricacies and how they can be helped. The firm also runs a weekly radio show on KLOK 1170 AM, where Mr. Shah Peerally devotes time to giving free legal advice to callers, on different legal angles in a one-on-one format.

Adding to the information on their website that is constantly updated on various Immigration and other legal issues, Shah Peerally Productions is a production house which works as a part of the efforts of Shah Peerally to bring awareness to people about the various injustices that are happening in the field of American immigration and family law, while also discussing on various other concerns. In one of their short films (30 minutes), ‘The lost dream’, directed by Renato Asuncion raises the important issue of INA 221 (g), which has had disastrous results on the life of many immigrants and US companies. The company produces many such short films and full drama, documentaries and video blogs that talk on current and serious aspects of American legal system. The subjects covered as a part of these small films are many and wide ranging. One video called ‘How Is an Immigration Interview Typically Conducted at the USCIS’ has been extremely helpful and has gathered a viewership of over 60,000 views on Youtube alone.
Shah Peerally Law Group has made the practice of law a fight for integrity and passion for justice while combating and remaining firmly rooted in the belief of the American judicial system. The combined efforts of the Shah Peerally team and their dedication to their pro bono work, advocacy of people’s rights and community outreach have helped thousands of people all over the United States and abroad.

The Muslim Community association in its appreciation of the pro bono work done by Shah Peerally and his team has the following to say-
Mr. Peerally has been a volunteer attorney for the clinic since its inception. He has been very affectionate in attending the clinic at least once a month, which is very impressive since we live in times where people are very busy in trying to finish their own affairs. Moreover, Mr. Peerally devotes his firm’s resources to support the clinic in other ways, such as instituting a program roster where he and other attorneys at his firm fully staff the immigration aspect of our clinic, an area which is of high demand in our community. Mr. Peerally’s dedication to public interest is evident in his work at our clinic. He always approaches our patrons with much patience and cultural and religious sensitivity, exhibiting great compassion while at the same time remaining impartial and professional in his dealings with them. He has made valuable contributions to the clinic not only in his capacity as a volunteer attorney, but he has also helped to identify areas for improvement and actively contributes to making those improvements. This is something we value greatly at our clinic as it is run by volunteers with very little resources of our own.

At the Shah Peerally Law Group the fight for justice does not end with the community. In the recently concluded Tri Valley University scam, Mr Shah Peerally and his law firm, stood strongly behind the students who were evacuated and suffered loss for no fault of their own. The firm made sure that it gave sound legal advice to plenty of the students and their parents who had panicked at the situation. Mr Shah Peerally’ base in Immigration law gave him the experience to handle such a crisis and his open letter to President Obama has been quoted in many dailies including on NDTV and been widely circulated for its insight into the situation from the student’s point of view and ultimately providing them with a legal option in what seemed to be an otherwise hopeless situation.

Mr Shah Peerally sound knowledge of Immigration law has made it to the headlines many a times and this knowledge base has been used by him to advocate on issues that are close to his heart and which in many ways effect immigrants in different ways. His articles on different podiums like that of http://www.ilw.com/ which is one of the popular Immigration publishers have only added to his contribution to society. His articles on the problems related to H4visa have helped plenty of people in distress and given them hope. In similar vein his articles on various visa bulletins and his intricate and capable analysis of them for the benefit of immigrants have given education and free advice to plenty of immigrants who maybe helpless when it comes to an understanding of various immigration laws, changes and their overall significance on their lives.
Apart from advocating many causes like protesting the unfair delay (visa retrogression based on the Department of State Visa Bulletin) which Indian Nationals have to bear in getting a permanent residence and others, Shah Peerally and his team have always tried to advocate the cause of the people.
The goal of the team in all that they do is probably best summed up in Mr. Shah Peerally’s words, when he says, “Helping people is incredibly rewarding.”

Maitreyee B Chowdhury is a Bangalore based writer. A columnist, she writes on various issues related to problems of society and women. Her articles have been published in various Indian magazines including Times of India.