Meet Inna Shapovalov | Immigration Lawyer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Inna Shapovalov and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Inna, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I looked for jobs in immigration law in South Florida, but at the time, the market was really tight and there were few available positions for any kind of attorney. I got a few offers, but none where I felt I would be respected as a professional. Even though I had my law degree and was a member of the bar, I was working as an administrative assistant for a local immigration attorney, just to make ends meet. After a few months, it was clear to me that I could do everything that he did, but better. After some networking in the Russian-speaking immigrant community, I suddenly had my first potential client and a lead on a cheap office lease. I jumped in and took the chance.

What should our readers know about your business?
I help Latin American entrepreneurs establish businesses in the U.S. After many years of working with immigrants seeking visas to do business in the United States, I have realized that the key to business immigration is planning the visa strategy from the start of the business planning. I get very involved in my clients’ businesses – I like to hold their hand through their journey from their home countries to becoming a successful businessperson in the United States. I love learning about my clients’ lives. I learned Spanish at the beginning of my legal career because I was frustrated with a translator. I wanted to hear directly what the client has to say.

I understand the difficulty of my clients’ journeys. I am also an immigrant. I left the Soviet Union with my family to escape an autocratic regime. I had family members who were imprisoned in the Gulag for protesting the communist government’s actions. I also understand the clients’ challenges in starting businesses in the United States. I also did it: I had to figure out operational systems, banking, licenses, insurance, accounting, etc.

I learned, through my own mistakes, the importance of planning, being organized, writing things down on paper instead of having them in your head, and also the importance of marketing. It took me a long time to learn to be selective in my clients, or learn to respect the value of my time and the service that I provide.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love the cultural diversity of South Florida. Of course, it would have to involve food. Little Havana is often my first stop in the tour I give to my visiting friends, and the go to restaurant is Versailles. All the Argentinian meat places that have popped up in the last years are also great (for my non vegan friends), like Graziano’s. Wynwood is the place for art and walking around, but there is some nice street art now in Allapattah. No stay in South Florida is complete without getting out on the water. There are a lot of nice waterside bars and restaurants, one of my favorites is. the the 15th Street Fisheries in Fort Lauderdale. However, it is best to get on a boat and see it all from the water. I am restoring an old sailboat right now, but once that’s done, we’ll be sailing in Biscayne Bay and down to the Keys. In the meantime, I find friends with boats for the real Miami experience.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Edward Boreth, my husband, He is also a lawyer, now my law partner. He is the reason I moved to Florida and he had put up with, and been supportive of, my crazy ideas, the unpredictable schedule and the unpredictable income of being out on your own. He’s been by my side as I networked amongst many of South Florida’s immigrant groups, and believe me, it can get weird. He has had faith in me from the beginning and always backed me up when I came into conflict with anyone.

Website: www.innasabe.com

Instagram: @inna.sabe

Image Credits
brenda fischer