Avi Friedman is a partner in the Santa Monica office with more than 28 years of immigration experience. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America since 2010 and was named Los Angeles Immigration Law Lawyer of the Year in 2014 and 2016 by U.S. News Best Lawyers. He is also recognized by Who’s Who Legal as a Thought Leader from 2022 to 2025, where he has been described as an outstanding lawyer, an expert on consular issues, and a highly rated practitioner, earning widespread praise for his expertise in nonimmigrant visa applications and consular matters.

Mr. Friedman advises clients on a wide range of nonimmigrant visas, including E, H, J, L, O, and TN categories, as well as immigrant visa matters such as PERM labor certifications, extraordinary ability petitions, multinational executives, national interest waivers, and EB-5 investor cases. His EB-5 practice includes advising investors on eligibility, lawful source and path of funds, as well as consular processing and adjustment of status.
He also handles family-based immigration, naturalization, J-1 waivers for physicians, and immigrant and nonimmigrant waivers. He regularly assists clients with consular processing and CBP admissions worldwide.

Avi served eight terms on AILA’s Department of State Liaison Committee and also served eleven terms as Consular Affairs Liaison for the AILA Southern California Chapter. He writes and speaks frequently on immigration law.