Oliver Shami

Oliver Shami joined Ardalan & Associates as an attorney in 2010, bringing nearly 20 years of litigation experience.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1988, Shami attended University of San Diego School of Law (“USD”) where he pursued a dual degree in law and business. In 1991, Shami graduated, passed the bar, and became licensed in two separate states, California and Arizona.

Since 1992, Shami has represented hundreds of clients with diverse legal needs in the areas of personal injury, family law, and criminal law matters. In order to better represent injured victims, Shami dedicated nearly 5 years of his career to working on the insurance defense side representing clients such as Mercury Insurance, State Farm, Hilton Hotels, and Chrysler Automotive. During his years as a defense attorney, Shami acquired the tools necessary to understand the methods by which insurance companies and large corporate defendants evaluate and defend cases. This experience provided Shami with invaluable exposure to the defense side of civil matters, allowing Shami an insight that many plaintiff only attorneys lacked in representing clients in personal injury matters.

Shami has been involved in litigation against Ford Motor Company and General Motors in rollover cases as well as Bridgestone/Firestone in defective tire lawsuits. In 2005, Shami was among the first attorneys in California to pierce Native American tribal sovereign immunity in the landmark case of

Bluehawk v. Campo Band of Mission Indians

Shami successfully argued the case to the California Court of Appeals and successfully briefed the case before the California Supreme Court.

Shami is passionate about the law and helping injured people. His passion extends far beyond the courtroom. In 2001, Shami earned his professional motorcycle racing license with the AMA (American Motorcycle Association). In 2002, Shami became a motorcycle instructor and developed a widely recognized motorcycle training method used to coach motorcyclists into safer riders. As a riding instructor, Shami has trained many new motorcycle riders into safer and better riders. He also has worked with many injured riders, helping them overcome their disabilities and achieve just results when they were injured due to the carelessness of others.

Shami is an experienced litigator with fearless determination. Shami’s primary focus is on handling personal injury, family law and criminal defense matters in the San Diego office of Ardalan and Associates.