Founding Partners
Meet Kareem Essayli
Kareem Essayli is an attorney licensed in New York and Texas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine, and a Juris Doctor with an emphasis in International Law from Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law. Kareem’s passion for immigration law stems from a firsthand understanding of how borders shape lives, families, and opportunity. His experiences working with people from diverse backgrounds inspired his dedication to advocacy and his belief that every client deserves compassionate representation.
Before establishing Essayli, Essayli & Pineda, Kareem gained valuable experience working at boutique immigration law firms and several nonprofit legal service providers. In these roles, he assisted vulnerable individuals and families, strengthening his commitment to client-focused representation. His dedication to serving underserved communities and achieving meaningful outcomes earned him recognition as Advocate of the Year at Inland Counties Legal Services in 2025.
Kareem has represented clients in a wide range of immigration matters, including asylum, bond, cancellation of removal, U visas, VAWA, SIJS, adjustment of status, and naturalization. He also has extensive experience in removal defense and has successfully obtained relief for clients facing deportation. Kareem is bilingual in English and Arabic and an active member of the American Bar Association, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association (Immigration Section), the New York State Bar Association (International Law Section), and the Texas State Bar Association.
Meet Jad Essayli
Jad Essayli is a licensed attorney admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey, and New Mexico, and is authorized to represent clients in immigration cases across all 50 states. His specialty includes deportation defense, asylum, and complex immigration litigation, with extensive experience representing clients before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (“EOIR”), the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”).
Jad earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science – International Relations from the University of California, San Diego, and his Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law, where he received a Certificate in International Law. During law school, he served as Associate Editor of the San Diego International Law Journal, was recognized as a California Change Lawyers Scholar, and earned CALI Awards for excellence in Transitional Justice and International Business Transactions.
He began his legal career in San Diego, working with the International Rescue Committee, the ABA Immigration Justice Project, and the University of San Diego Immigration Clinic, where he advised asylum seekers, assisted detained clients inside the Otay Mesa Detention Center, and represented individuals seeking naturalization, work authorization, and protection from removal.
Fluent in Arabic and conversational in Spanish, Jad combines cross-cultural understanding with strategic legal expertise. He leads the firm’s litigation and deportation defense practice, known for meticulous preparation, persuasive advocacy, and unwavering dedication to achieving results for clients.
Meet Miguel Pineda
Miguel Pineda is a leading immigration attorney with broad legal experience spanning government service, public interest advocacy, and private practice. He leverages his extensive background in immigration law to deliver strategic, client-centered representation across all areas of immigration law.
Before focusing exclusively on employment-based immigration matters, Miguel served as an Attorney Advisor with the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review, appointed through the highly selective Attorney General’s Honors Program. There, he managed complex immigration matters and provided counsel to Appellate Immigration Judges of the Board of Immigration Appeals, the nation’s highest immigration tribunal for interpreting and applying immigration laws.
Earlier in his career, Miguel was awarded an Equal Justice Works Fellowship, one of the most prestigious post-graduate legal fellowships in the United States. His fellowship work provided pro bono representation to immigrants before the Immigration Courts, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In this role, Miguel was part of the legal team in the landmark class action lawsuit Human Rights First v. Wolf, successfully challenging government policies that restricted access to immigration benefits.
Miguel holds joint J.D./M.B.A. degrees, magna cum laude, from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and San Diego State University, and a B.A. in Political Economy from the University of Washington. In law school, he was an editor of the Thomas Jefferson Law Review. Miguel is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
