Barnes & Thornburg has added Tejas Shah as a partner in the firm’s Labor & Employment Department in the Chicago office. Shah is the seventh attorney to join the Chicago office this year.
Shah focuses his practice on U.S. immigration law. He guides employers through the complicated process of hiring and retaining foreign national employees in temporary visa categories such as H-1B, O-1, E-2, TN and L-1, and in sponsoring employees for permanent residency. In addition, Shah counsels companies of all sizes, including emerging companies, on I-9 audits by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, compliance with DOJ regulations in the I-9 process, and H-1B audits by the Department of Labor. His work touches a number of industries, primarily the finance, banking, primary, secondary and higher education, transportation, healthcare, nonprofit, and arts sectors. Shah also maintains a healthy individual immigration practice with a focus on investors, family-based immigration, and helping undocumented individuals obtain lawful status. He also maintains a strong commitment to pro bono work with organizations such as the National Immigrant Justice Center and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services.
Shah is active in the legal community and has served as the chair of the Illinois State Bar Association’s International and Immigration Law Section and co-chair of the South Asian Bar Association of North America’s immigration committee. In addition, Shah was named one of the Most Influential Minority Lawyers in Chicago by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2017. He joins the firm from Franczek P.C., where he led the immigration practice.