Corporate Immigration Law
Corporate Immigration Compliance
Visas for International Personnel
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Mira Mdivani
Mira Mdivani is a leading expert in U.S. corporate immigration law. Her areas of expertise include corporate immigration compliance, internal I-9 audits, defense of employers in DHS investigations, and visas for international personnel.
Ms. Mdivani serves as immigration law counsel to U.S. and multi-national corporations, providing advice, representation, immigration compliance audits and training. Ms. Mdivani represents employers in IT, engineering, food processing, construction, manufacturing, insurance and banking industries, working closely with in-house counsel and HR professionals to ensure corporate immigration compliance and availability of visas for international personnel.
Ms. Mdivani serves as President of the Corporate Immigration Compliance Institute, where she teaches the I-9 Auditor, Corporate Immigration Compliance Officer, and H-1B courses, and as adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law, where she teaches Corporate Immigration Compliance and an Immigrant VAWA courses.
Ms. Mdivani’s professional work and leadership have been recognized by numerous awards, including the Missouri Bar Association’s President Award, Association for Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City President Award, Business Practitioner of the Year by Missouri Lawyers Media, Best of the Bar by the Kansas City Business Journal, Robert Gernon Award for Excellence in Continuous Legal Education, and pro bono recognition from the University of Missouri - Kansas City Law Foundation, the Kansas Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Pro Bono Practice: Representing survivors of domestic violence in applications before USCIS under Violence Against Women Act.
Bar/Court Admissions:
Missouri Bar
Kansas Bar
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas
U.S. Supreme Court
Law School:
University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1999
Ms. Mdivani serves on the Board of Trustees of her Alma Mater, and has served on the UMKC Law School the Alumni Association's Board of Directors.
Adjunct Teaching:
In 2008, Ms. Mdivani was appointed Adjunct Professor of Law by the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. She teaches one credit hour course every year, alternating between Corporate Immigration Compliance and Relief for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence under Violence Against Women Act.
Professional Memberships:
Association for Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City
President, 2010; Board Member, 2004-Present
American Immigration Lawyers Association
Chair, MO-Kan Chapter Pro Bono Committee, 2003
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
Board of Directors Nominating Committee
Vice-Chair, International Law Committee
AWL Representative to Board of Directors
Society of Human Resource Management
Chair, Government Affairs and Legislative Committee, SHRM Johnson County, KS
Board of Directors
Chair, MO Bar Immigration Committee
Editor, MO Bar Immigration Committee Newsletter
Board of Governors
President, Kansas Bar Immigration Section
CLE Chair
Professional Recognition:
Outstanding Service Award by the Kansas Bar Association, 2013
Pro Bono Publico Award by the Law Foundation of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2012
Business Practitioner of the Year by Missouri Lawyers Media, 2010
Best of the Bar, Immigration Law & Business Immigration Law
by the Kansas City Business Journal in 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, & 2004
Super Lawyer, Corporate Immigration Law 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009
Robert L. Gernon Award for Outstanding Service to Continuing Legal Education in Kansas
by the Kansas CLE Commission, 2009
Women Who Mean Business
by the Kansas City Business Journal, 2009
President's Award
by the Missouri Bar Association, 2009
Woman of Influence Award
by the Midwest CEO Magazine, 2009
Missouri’s Best Lawyer If The Folks At Immigration Call
by Missouri Lawyers Weekly, 2008 & 2007
Best Immigration Lawyer
by the Pitch, 2007
Pro Bono Certificate Award
by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2007
Legal Leaders Award
by the Kansas City Daily Record, 2006
President’s Award
by Association of Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City, 2005
Firm of the Year Award to The Mdivani Law Firm
by Association of Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City, 2006
Pro Bono Certificate Award
by the Kansas Bar Association, 2005
American Jurisprudence Awards for Highest Academic Excellence
in Gender Jurisprudence, 1998
in Philosophy & Law, 1999
Publications:
Mdivani Corporate Immigration Update at www.I-9seminars.com
Books:
Corporate Immigration Compliance Plans, Policies and Procedures, 2010
Immigration Law and Violence Against Women Act, Hope for Survivors, with Emily Haverkamp and Samara Nazir Zaman, Vertex Press, 2009
I-9 Self-Audits: The Best Way to Prevent I-9 Disasters, Vertex Press, 2008
Cooking with An Accent, An Immigration Lawyer’s Cookbook, Vertex Press, 2005
Articles:
Employer Prosecutions Triggered by Allegations of Immigration Law Violations: Legitimate Law Enforcement or A Misguided Policy Tool?, 79 UMKC L. Rev. (2011), with Pat Mack
Business Immigration Law Chapter in the Kansas Bar Association’s Annual Law Survey, 2010 & 2009
Immigration Law Update for Employment, Corporate, and Business Lawyers with Kathleen Harvey and Al Hupp, Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, Volume 74 No. 9, October 2005.
A Note to Employers on How to Comply with Immigration Law Without Engaging in Employment Discrimination, Immigration Lawyer’s Weekly, www.ilw.com, August 15, 2005
How to Comply with Immigration Law Without Engaging in Employment Discrimination," AWL Link, Volume 17, No.3, August 2005
RICO-Enhanced Liability Versus Discrimination Issues With the Noncitizen Worker, with Kathleen Harvey, Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, Volume 73, No. 10 November/ December 2004
H-1B Dependent Employer: Wake up and Act OR What Do You Do After You
Have Been Hit on the Head, Immigration Lawyer’s Weekly, www.ilw.com, February 21, 2003
Continuous Legal Education Faculty
Employer Immigration Issues and Immigration Reform, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, 2013
Employer Immigration issues, Missouri Bar Association, 2013
Corporate Immigration Update, Kansas Bar Association 2012
Corporate Immigration Compliance in t he Age of Increased ICE Enforcement, Corporate Counsel Institute, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, June 22, 2011
Immigration Law, What is Hot and What is Not (Business Immigration), University of Missouri - Kansas City, June 16 and 23, 2011
Immigration Law for Non-Immigration Practitioners (Corporate Immigration Issues), Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Jun 24 and 30, 2011
Corporate Immigration Compliance: On the Back Burner Until Too Hot to Handle, June 10, 2011, Kansas Bar Association Annual Meeting
Business Law Update (Corporate Immigration Issues), Missouri Bar Association, May 26, 2011
Business Immigration Law: Law, Regulations and Cases, Kansas Bar Association Bench-Bar Annual Conference, Overland Park, KS, June 18, 2009
Immigration Law Update, University of Missouri - Kansas City 8+4 CLE, Overland Park, KS, June 18, 2008
Immigration Issues (Corporate Immigration) phone CLE, Kansas Bar Association, March 1, 2011
Corporate Immigration Compliance, Enforcement Against Employers, and Other Corporate Immigration Issues, phone CLE, Kansas Bar Association, March 8, 2011
From ICE's Best Employment Practices to E-Verify, Plus Overview of Hot Federal and Kansas Issues, phone CLE for the Kansas Bar Association, May 14, 2009
Update on Business Immigration Law Issues, Missouri Bar Spring Conference, Immigration Law Committee, Springfield, MO, May 8, 2008
Federal and Missouri Contractor Immigration Compliance, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Kansas City, February 17, 2009
Breaking Immigration Law News for All Employers: New I-9 Employment Eligibility Form and List of Acceptable Documents, Phone CLE for the Kansas Bar Association, February 20, 2009
Immigration Law Overview for Lawyers and Judges, Sam Crow Inn of Court,
October 2, 2008, Topeka, KS
Plenary Panel on Missouri Immigration Law, Missouri Bar Annual Bench-Bar,
Conference, September 19, 2009, Kansas City, MO
What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About Immigration Law, Missouri Bar, September 19, 2008, Kansas City, MO
How To Series: Immigration Law, Missouri Bar, Telephone Seminar, June 18, 2008, Overland Park, KS
Employer Immigration Compliance: So You Thought All You Need Was I-9s, A Cutting Edge Update on How To Bring Your Organization in Compliance with Federal and State Immigration Laws, International Personnel Management Association (IPMA) Central Region Conference, June 3, 2008, Kansas City, MO
From Baseball to Boardroom and Employer Immigration Compliance: Immigration Law for Employment Lawyers,: Johnson County Bar Association CLE, June 4, 2008, Overland Park, KS
2007 Annual Business Update: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s
Best Hiring Practices and Non-Discrimination Under Elite Logistics, Missouri Bar Association CLE October 5, 2007 Kansas City, MO
Hot Topics in Immigration Law for the Non-Immigration Attorney, Business Immigration Issues, Missouri Bar Association Phone CLE, August 28, 2007 Overland Park, KS
Immigration in the Bushes," Missouri Bar Association CLE, August 10, 2007 Lake of the Ozark, Missouri
Immigration Update for Family Lawyers, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association CLE, September 12, 2007, Kansas City KCMBA Headquarters
2007 Business Immigration Law Update, University of Missouri - Kansas City CLE, June 4, 2007 Overland Park, KS
Annual Business Update: Employer Immigration Compliance, Missouri Bar Association CLE, October 6, 2006; St. Louis, MO, and October 13, 2006 in Kansas City, MO
"Immigration in the 21st Century," The Missouri Bar’s Fifth Annual Labor & Employment Law Symposium, November 5, 2006, Columbia MO, October 13, 2006, Kansas City, MO
Policies and Procedures for Employer Immigration Compliance, How to Handle the Contractor Issue; Work Visa Shortages, and DHS Regulation on Social Security Mis-Match Letters, Missouri Bar Annual Business Law Institute, October 6, 2006, St. Louis, MO and October 13, 2006, Kansas City, MO
Immigration Compliance for Employers and Work Visas, Sterling Educational Services CLE, August 2, 2006, Kansas City, MO
Why I-9s are Not Enough for Employer Immigration Compliance, Annual CLE Conference, Association of Kansas Women Attorneys, July 21, 2006, Lindsborg, KS
Employment-Based Visas and Business Immigration Compliance Issues Hispanic Bar Association of Greater Kansas City May 26, 2006 Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, MO
Employer Immigration Compliance, Case Update, Earl O’Connor Inns of Court CLE, May 9, 2006, Mission Hills, KS
Immigration Compliance Systems for U.S. Businesses, Overland Park Chamber of Commerce Business Education Series, April 18, 2006; Overland Park, KS
Outsourcing, International Outsourcing, and Domestic Alternative, Annual Business Law Institute CLE, The Missouri Bar, October 7, 2005; Kansas City, MO
11 Million Dollar Question on Immigration Law Compliance, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association CLE, Labor and Employment Law Section, September 22, 2005; Kansas City, MO
2005 Annual Update on Business Immigration Law, Kansas Women Attorneys Association Annual CLE Conference, July 23, 2005; Lindsborg, KS
What Business & Employment Lawyers Should Know About Immigration Law, Hispanic Bar Association of Greater Kansas City, CLE June 20, 2005; Leawood, KS
Employment Verification Issues: Addressing Immigration Law Liability Through Comprehensive Compliance Plans, Missouri Bar Association, Phone CLE, April 20, 2005; Kansas City, MO
Immigration Compliance for U.S. Businesses, Lorman’s CLE, December 14, 2004; Overland Park, KS
Overview of Federal Immigration Law Applicable to U.S. Businesses, Shook, Hardy & Bacon In-House CLE, November 12, 2004; Kansas City, MO
Immigration Law for Employers, Kansas Women Attorneys’ Association 2004 Annual Conference, July 16, 2004; Linsborg, KS
Addressing the Unexpected Exposure Through Employer Immigration Law Compliance Plans, Annual Corporate Counsel Institute, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association CLE, June 11, 2004; Overland Park, KS
Immigration Issues in Business & Employment Law, Wichita Bar Association, CLE, June 4, 2004; Wichita Marriott, Wichita, KS
Relief for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence Under the Violence Against Women Act, Shook, Hardy, & Bacon In-House CLE, March 5, 2004; Kansas City, MO
SSA & IRS Mismatch Letters & RICO: Solutions Through Company Immigration Compliance Plans, Conference on Immigration Law for Employers, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, February 28, 2004; Kansas City, MO
A Ray of Light: Relief for Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence Under the Violence Against Women Act, American Immigration Lawyers Association Kansas/ Missouri AILA CLE, November 13, 2003; Kansas City, MO
Overview of Immigration Law Applicable to U.S. Businesses, Annual Labor and Employment Law Institute, Wichita Kansas Bar Association, October 24, 2003, Wichita, KS
Business Immigration Update: IRCA & RICO, Annual Conference & CLE, Kansas Women Attorneys’ Association, July 19, 2003; Bethany College, Lindsborg, KS
Overview of Immigration Law Applicable to U.S. Businesses, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, CLE, November 12, 2004; Kansas City, MO
Terra Incognita: Thou Shalt Know Your Immigration Law, Annual Corporate Counsel Institute, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, June 11, 2002; Overland Park, KS