Immigration law can involve complicated legal procedures, federal agencies, court proceedings, and decisions that can have a lasting effect on individuals and families. Attorneys who work in this field often handle matters that require not only a strong understanding of immigration law but also experience with federal litigation and constitutional issues.
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg has built his legal career around these areas. He is a partner and head of litigation in the Fairfax office of Murray Osorio PLLC, where his practice includes federal litigation on behalf of immigrants. His professional background includes individual and class-action cases in federal district courts, Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
His career also includes legal education, nonprofit advocacy, professional teaching, and work on immigration cases with broader implications. This combination has made his professional path particularly notable within the immigration-law community.
Who Is Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg?
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg is an immigration attorney and federal litigator associated with Murray Osorio PLLC. According to the firm’s professional biography, he has practiced immigration law and federal litigation since graduating from Yale Law School in 2008. He currently serves as a partner and head of litigation at the firm’s Fairfax office.
His work has included representing immigrants in disputes involving the federal government. Some of his litigation has addressed immigration detention, government policies, and other issues affecting immigrant communities.
Rather than limiting his career to traditional legal practice, Sandoval-Moshenberg has also been involved in legal education and professional training. His background shows a continuing interest in helping both clients and other lawyers understand complex immigration litigation.
Education and Early Legal Development
A strong legal career often begins with a combination of academic preparation and practical experience. Sandoval-Moshenberg earned his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, graduating summa cum laude in 2001. He later attended Yale Law School and received his J.D. in 2008.
While at Yale Law School, he founded the Legal Services for Immigrant Communities law clinic. This early experience reflected an interest in providing legal assistance to immigrant communities and developing practical solutions to legal challenges.
His professional interests also developed before law school. According to his Murray Osorio biography, he lived in El Salvador and Honduras and worked with organizations involved in labor rights and human rights. These experiences provided additional exposure to the concerns faced by communities dealing with legal and social challenges.
A Career in Immigration Litigation
One of the defining features of Sandoval-Moshenberg’s career is his focus on litigation involving immigration and the federal government.
Federal immigration litigation can be different from routine immigration casework. While many immigration matters involve applications, petitions, interviews, or administrative proceedings, federal litigation may require attorneys to bring legal challenges before federal courts when government actions or decisions are disputed.
Sandoval-Moshenberg has represented immigrants in individual and class actions and has litigated in federal district courts, Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. His firm biography also identifies his involvement in cases concerning immigration detention involving adults and children.
This type of practice requires careful legal research, strong written advocacy, knowledge of federal procedure, and the ability to develop arguments that can withstand review at different levels of the court system.
Work on Immigration Policy and Government Actions
Sandoval-Moshenberg’s litigation history has included challenges to government immigration policies. His professional biography lists work involving the Muslim Ban, family separation during the Trump administration, and an effort to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Cases involving immigration policy can attract attention well beyond the parties directly involved. A court decision may affect how an agency implements a policy or clarify the legal rights available to immigrants in similar circumstances.
This is one reason federal immigration litigation can be significant. Attorneys working in this area may need to consider both the facts of an individual case and the wider legal principles that could affect other people.
Experience in Public Interest Legal Work
Before joining Murray Osorio, Sandoval-Moshenberg served as Litigation Director and Director of the Immigrant Justice Program at Virginia’s Legal Aid Justice Center. His work there included litigation and advocacy on behalf of immigrant communities.
The Legal Aid Justice Center role also gave him an opportunity to work on issues involving state laws affecting undocumented immigrants. His biography notes his involvement in efforts connected to driver privilege cards and in-state tuition.
Public interest legal work can provide attorneys with a different perspective from private practice. It often involves clients who may have limited resources and who need legal representation in circumstances where the consequences of a decision can be particularly serious.
Teaching and Sharing Legal Knowledge
Sandoval-Moshenberg’s professional activities extend beyond representing clients. He founded the Immigration Litigation Clinic at George Mason School of Law and has taught an immigration clinic at the University of Virginia School of Law.
He has also participated in educational programs for attorneys through the American Immigration Lawyers Association and other organizations.
His speaking engagements have covered subjects including habeas petitions, immigration detention, asylum-related representation, federal litigation, immigration enforcement, and legal developments affecting immigrant communities.
Teaching is especially valuable in an area such as immigration law because procedures and government policies can change over time. Sharing practical litigation knowledge can help other lawyers better understand how to approach difficult cases.
Professional Memberships
Professional organizations play an important role in continuing legal education and collaboration. Sandoval-Moshenberg is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, commonly known as AILA.
His professional affiliations include AILA’s Federal Court Litigation Committee and Benefits Litigation Committee, as well as AILA-DC and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild.
His involvement with AILA has also included work on educational programs. The firm’s biography states that he helped develop the curriculum for AILA’s Federal Court Litigation course and teaches other immigration lawyers about litigation strategies.
Recognition for Immigration Litigation
Professional recognition is another part of Sandoval-Moshenberg’s career. His listed honors include the 2025 Forbes America’s Best-In-State Top Lawyers recognition, the 2024 Legal Elite recognition from Virginia Business, and the 2024 Washingtonian Top Lawyer recognition.
In June 2026, Murray Osorio announced that the American Immigration Lawyers Association had selected Sandoval-Moshenberg as the recipient of the 2026 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award. The award recognizes excellence in immigration-law litigation and honors attorneys whose litigation work has contributed to the field.
Recognition of this kind can help illustrate the professional impact of an attorney’s work, although awards should always be considered alongside education, experience, practice areas, and the specific needs of a potential client.
Why Federal Immigration Litigation Matters
For people facing difficult immigration situations, the legal process can be confusing. An immigration case may involve multiple government agencies, administrative procedures, deadlines, and potentially several levels of legal review.
Federal litigation can become relevant when an immigration-related dispute raises issues that need to be addressed by a federal court. Attorneys with experience in this area may need to understand both immigration law and federal litigation procedure.
The work of attorneys such as Sandoval-Moshenberg demonstrates how immigration law can intersect with broader questions involving government authority, individual rights, administrative decisions, and access to judicial review.
For anyone researching an attorney, it is useful to look beyond a professional title and examine the lawyer’s actual practice areas, education, court experience, professional memberships, and history of working on similar legal issues.
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg and Murray Osorio
Murray Osorio PLLC is an immigration law firm serving individuals, families, and businesses with a range of immigration matters. The firm describes its attorneys as handling immigration issues across the United States and providing legal strategies tailored to individual circumstances.
Within the firm, Sandoval-Moshenberg’s role is particularly focused on litigation. His experience gives the firm an attorney whose practice includes disputes involving federal agencies and immigration-related court proceedings.
People researching immigration lawyers should always remember that every legal situation is different. A lawyer’s experience in one type of case does not automatically mean that the same approach will be appropriate for another matter. Prospective clients should discuss their circumstances directly with qualified legal counsel.
A Broader View of Immigration Advocacy
Sandoval-Moshenberg’s career illustrates several different dimensions of immigration advocacy. His work has included direct representation, federal litigation, public interest law, teaching, professional education, and community-focused legal work.
His biography also notes that he is bilingual in Spanish and English. He has participated in know-your-rights presentations and other educational efforts in both languages.
These activities show that immigration advocacy does not take place only inside a courtroom. Community education and access to reliable legal information can also play an important role in helping people understand their rights and available legal options.
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What People Can Learn From His Career
The professional journey of Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg offers several useful observations for people interested in immigration law.
First, specialization can be important. His career has developed around immigration and federal litigation rather than treating immigration as only one small part of a general legal practice.
Second, legal education can continue throughout a career. His teaching, speaking engagements, and involvement with professional organizations demonstrate an ongoing commitment to sharing legal knowledge.
Third, public interest work can provide valuable practical experience. His time with the Legal Aid Justice Center placed him in a role focused on immigration justice and community advocacy before he joined Murray Osorio.
Finally, litigation can be an important part of immigration law when administrative processes do not fully resolve a legal dispute. Federal courts can become an important forum for addressing questions concerning government action and immigration rights.
Final Thoughts
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg has developed a legal career centered on immigration litigation, federal court advocacy, and immigrant rights. From his education at Columbia University and Yale Law School to his work in public interest law, private practice, teaching, and professional legal education, his background reflects a long-term focus on immigration law.
His recognition with the 2026 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award adds another notable milestone to that career.
For anyone researching immigration attorneys, his professional profile provides an example of why experience should be evaluated in context. Education, litigation history, areas of specialization, professional involvement, and experience with similar legal issues can all help people make more informed decisions when seeking legal representation.
