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Mr. Shami was born in Geneva, Switzerland where he spent his childhood. He speaks French and English fluently. Mr. Shami moved to Minnesota with his family in 1977, ultimately attending the University of Colorado at Boulder from where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1988 with a BA in International Relations. He attended the University of San Diego School of Law where he pursued a dual degree in law and business, graduating in 1991. Thereafter, Mr. Shami became licensed as an attorney in California and Arizona, where he has remained licensed to date.
Since 1993, Mr. Shami has represented clients with catastrophic injuries. In order to better represent injured victims, Mr. Shami dedicated nearly 5 years of his career to working on the insurance defense side representing clients such as Mercury Insurance, State Farm Insurance, Hilton Hotels, and Chrysler Automotive. During his years as a defense lawyer, Mr. Shami acquired the tools necessary to understand the methods by which insurance companies and large corporate defendants evaluate and defend cases. Understanding the “insurance defense playbook” has provided Mr. Shami with valuable insight he uses now to represent people injured by the carelessness of others, including large corporations and public agencies.
Mr. Shami has been successful in litigation against Ford Motor Company and General Motors in product defect cases as well as Bridgestone/Firestone in defective tire lawsuits. Mr. Shami also has considerable experience in commercial trucking collisions. In 2005, Mr. 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, a case involving a serious injury in a casino. Mr. Shami successfully argued the case to the California Court of Appeals and successfully briefed the case before the California Supreme Court.
From 2017 through 2024, Mr. Shami oversaw the litigation department for the largest personal injury law firm in San Diego Country. In this capacity, Mr. Shami successfully litigated and tried countless injury cases against private and public entities ranging from broken bones to traumatic brain injuries and wrongful deaths. In 2022, Mr. Shami obtained a $4.7 million verdict against the City of San Diego on a broken sidewalk case resulting in a severe fracture and post-concussion syndrome.
Mr. Shami is passionate about the law and helping injured people. He has spent most of his life with one foot in the courtroom and the other foot in sports. In 2001, Mr. Shami earned his professional motorcycle racing license with the AMA (American Motorcycle Association). In 2002, Mr. Shami became a motorcycle instructor and developed a recognized motorcycle training method used to coach motorcyclists into safer riders. As a riding instructor, Mr. Shami has trained many new motorcycle riders into safer and better riders. He has represented many riders injured in collisions. His unique understanding of motorcycle construction and handling makes him a formidable courtroom adversary in motorcycle cases.
Mr. Shami is happily married and the proud father of a 15-year-old daughter. He is an avid downhill skier, water skier, and horseback rider. He can be found most weekends spending time with his family and horses.
Mr. Shami was born in Geneva, Switzerland where he spent his childhood. He speaks French and English fluently. Mr. Shami moved to Minnesota with his family in 1977, ultimately attending the University of Colorado at Boulder from where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1988 with a BA in International Relations. He attended the University of San Diego School of Law where he pursued a dual degree in law and business, graduating in 1991. Thereafter, Mr. Shami became licensed as an attorney in California and Arizona, where he has remained licensed to date.
Since 1993, Mr. Shami has represented clients with catastrophic injuries. In order to better represent injured victims, Mr. Shami dedicated nearly 5 years of his career to working on the insurance defense side representing clients such as Mercury Insurance, State Farm Insurance, Hilton Hotels, and Chrysler Automotive. During his years as a defense lawyer, Mr. Shami acquired the tools necessary to understand the methods by which insurance companies and large corporate defendants evaluate and defend cases. Understanding the “insurance defense playbook” has provided Mr. Shami with valuable insight he uses now to represent people injured by the carelessness of others, including large corporations and public agencies.
Mr. Shami has been successful in litigation against Ford Motor Company and General Motors in product defect cases as well as Bridgestone/Firestone in defective tire lawsuits. Mr. Shami also has considerable experience in commercial trucking collisions. In 2005, Mr. 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, a case involving a serious injury in a casino. Mr. Shami successfully argued the case to the California Court of Appeals and successfully briefed the case before the California Supreme Court.
From 2017 through 2024, Mr. Shami oversaw the litigation department for the largest personal injury law firm in San Diego Country. In this capacity, Mr. Shami successfully litigated and tried countless injury cases against private and public entities ranging from broken bones to traumatic brain injuries and wrongful deaths. In 2022, Mr. Shami obtained a $4.7 million verdict against the City of San Diego on a broken sidewalk case resulting in a severe fracture and post-concussion syndrome.
Mr. Shami is passionate about the law and helping injured people. He has spent most of his life with one foot in the courtroom and the other foot in sports. In 2001, Mr. Shami earned his professional motorcycle racing license with the AMA (American Motorcycle Association). In 2002, Mr. Shami became a motorcycle instructor and developed a recognized motorcycle training method used to coach motorcyclists into safer riders. As a riding instructor, Mr. Shami has trained many new motorcycle riders into safer and better riders. He has represented many riders injured in collisions. His unique understanding of motorcycle construction and handling makes him a formidable courtroom adversary in motorcycle cases.
Mr. Shami is happily married and the proud father of a 15-year-old daughter. He is an avid downhill skier, water skier, and horseback rider. He can be found most weekends spending time with his family and horses.
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Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and each case is different. We offer free case evaluations, and no attorney’s fees are owed unless we recover compensation; clients may be responsible for case-related costs and expenses. Recognitions by third-party legal directories are based on their own criteria and do not imply specialization or certification. Descriptions of practice areas do not constitute certification or specialization unless expressly stated. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by any government agency.