Neil Sheff graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Communication Studies in 1983, and went on to serve as the first Executive Director of the Sephardic Educational Center (SEC) World Executive Headquarters in L.A. for 3 years.
He then earned his Law Degree in 1989 at Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, where he was founder and President of the Loyola Jewish Law Students Association, an organization which remains vibrant on campus to this day. He was awarded the prestigious Alumni Association Award for his service to the Law School.
After working in civil litigation for 10 years, Neil opened his own practice dedicated to Immigration Law in 2001. He is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), where he has served as Chairman of the Young Los Angeles Immigration Lawyers Division for 3 years (2002-2005), and has been the Southern California Co-Liaison to the Los Angeles District Office of Citizenship and Immigration Services since 2006. As a Liaison, he is involved in helping to make the Immigration process work smoother for the Greater Los Angeles immigration attorneys and applicants, and works closely with the District Director, Field Office Directors, Department Supervisors and Managers of the five Los Angeles immigration offices and satellites to bring to their attention issues that will help improve the application experience and cases that have been pending for too long without resolution.
Neil has lectured to the Beverly Hills and Santa Monica Bar Associations on Immigration Law and presented and moderated panels on the of the Religious Worker Visa and Green Card to the National Convention of the American Immigration Lawyers Assoc. and the L.A. County Bar Assoc. He regularly serves as a moderator for the annual AILA Southern California’s conference on the “State of the Los Angeles District Office of U.S.C.I.S.” where he discusses processing issues, policy changes and best practices with heads of the local Immigration Offices for the benefit of Los Angeles immigration attorneys.
Neil Sheff was named “2009 Mensch of the Year” by the Los Angeles Jewish Journal. He is founder of the Los Angeles Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, International President of the Sephardic Educational Center and is active in many local, national and international organizations.
While he is a native of Los Angeles, he is fluent in Spanish, Hebrew and English, with a familiarity of French, Italian, Turkish and Arabic. His wife is a native of Morocco and they are both proud of their 3 beautiful children.
