Leiva Law Firm - Don't Give Them $
Hired Leiva Law Firm for a straightforward N-400 naturalization application. It was one of the worst professional experiences I've had.
The attorney, Scarlett Leiva, demonstrated alarming incompetence on basic immigration law. She could not distinguish between a routine traffic citation (a parking ticket or speeding infraction) and a citation issued by a law enforcement officer -- a fundamental distinction that any immigration attorney handling naturalization cases should know without hesitation. This confusion caused months of unnecessary delays on what should have been a simple application, while I was left chasing clarification on something my $2,000 was supposed to cover.
When I finally received the draft application packet, it was riddled with errors. The form referenced "see addendum" but the addendum pages were missing. My employment history was wrong. After I terminated representation and hired competent counsel, my new attorney immediately identified numerous standard supporting documents that Leiva's team never requested or included -- items like spouse proof of citizenship, tax documentation, and ID copies that any competent immigration firm includes as a matter of course.
When I followed up on the sluggish timeline, instead of accountability I got a condescending lecture that "frequent follow-up emails do not expedite the review process and can actually slow things down." They also tried to upsell me on an expedited service fee when I expressed urgency about my own case.
After termination, with nothing filed, nothing submitted to USCIS, and a draft full of errors, the firm claimed the entire $2,000 flat fee was "fully earned" and refused any refund.
Save yourself the money, the stress, and the months of wasted time. Find a lawyer who knows the basics of what they're filing.