Raphael Scheetz
N/A
Licensed for 28 years
Law Degree
Awards
Primary Practice Area
Business
Language
English Russian
About
Raphael (Ray) Scheetz founded the Law Offices of Raphael M. Scheetz in 1994, which focuses on the practice of criminal defense and immigration cases.He was one of the first lawyers in Iowa who specialized in the practice of immigration law. He has represented hundreds of American citizens and immigrants who have matters with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.The cases included American citizens who marry or intend to marry a person living in a foreign country or who want to petition for their children, parents, or brothers or sisters that live outside of the United States.Mr. Scheetz has successfully navigated his clients through the immigration process before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, Immigration Court, and Board of Immigration Appeals.Mr. Scheetz has also successfully represented hundreds of persons accused of Federal and State criminal offenses. He has been lead defense counsel in approximately ninety jury trials in State and Federal court and reached “not guilty” verdict for clients accused of white collar felonies, such as bank fraud, infringement of copyrights, bankruptcy fraud, wire fraud, offenses involving internet pharmacy violations, to name a few.Mr. Scheetz has also represented persons accused of crimes such as drug possession, manufacture and/or distribution, domestic assault, firearm offenses, arson, kidnapping, first degree murder, and theft, which you can read about on our success stories page.Areas of PracticeWhy the merging of criminal defense and immigration law is beneficial to the client?Tens of thousands of people are deported every year from the US who have been convicted of crimes — people that are living legally in the United States, have US citizen spouses and children, and are deported for minor crimes such as marijuana possession or possession of a drug pipe.Persons who have been arrested and are not US citizens need a lawyer who has knowledge of both criminal defense and immigration law. Mr. Scheetz can advise you the best ways to avoid deportation if you are charged with a crime, no matter how minor or serious. Mr. Scheetz can fight for you in criminal court to avoid a conviction, or structure a plea agreement that will give you the best opportunity to avoid deportation and remain in the United States with your loved ones.Bar AdmissionsEducationProfessional Associations and MembershipsMr. Scheetz is a member of the American Bar Association, the Iowa State Bar Association, the Linn County Bar Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and he serves as the current Vice President of the Historical Society of the Federal Court for the Northern District of Iowa.Call us for a consultation:Toll Free: 800-450-3140Office: 319-378-7416Fax: 319-364-4442
Practices Areas
Criminal Defense
Business
Litigation
Immigration
DUI and DWI
Language
English Russian
Contact
Law Office of Raphael M. Scheetz425 2nd St SE Ste 1010Cedar Rapids, IA, 52401-1818
Office: N/A
Website: N/AReviews
Ray Scheetz is an extremely competent, caring and experienced attorney serving the greater corridor area. I was in my senior year of college when I reached out to Ray. It was just after finding out from the schools administration about a false allegation of sexual assault the allegedly occurred durning the first few weeks of my freshman year. I was scared, confused, and worried. Unlike in court, to “win” an allegation of sexual assault the complainant only needs to prove that it’s “more likely than not” (50% and a feather) a violation occurred (not beyond a reasonable doubt). At my school, out of the 16 reports in 2017, 14 had resulted in expulsion for the respondent. The odds were not in my favor. I called over ten different attorney offices throughout the state, and none had any experience with Title IX (the governing document for universities across the country that lays out the guidelines for handling allegations on campus). Ray immediately made time in his schedule to see me the next day. After our free consultation, Ray helped me through every step of the process. He was available for coaching and counseling throughout the entire process of the investigation, insuring that our response to all of the questions would not lead to any legal consequences for me after the fact. As a college student without a lot of money, Ray was able to be very transparent with his billing and budgeting throughout the entire process. Ray coached me through how to properly respond to interview questions, and helped me write all of my statements and responses to the complainant's statements. The process took over four months, and I was found not responsible for the false allegation. Without a doubt, Ray has a wide range of knowledge pertaining to many fields of law. I could not have gotten through my senior year without his help - in fact I am certain that without his help I would have been kicked out of school for something I had not done. Thank you Ray. I look forward to retaining you for my future legal needs should they arise.
Ray's expertise and guidance allowed me to navigate the complicated naturalization process successfully. He was quick to respond to any of my questions or concerns throughout the process. I continue to recommend Ray to family and friends without hesitation.
Sought guidance with the required forms needed to bring my wife to the United States. Ray was a great help and relief on guiding us through the process. Things have gone very well for us with the immigration process. Having Ray help us saved us a lot of frustrations and time. Thank you Ray.
Ray helped us through my husband's green card application. He was extremely helpful and worked around our busy schedules to meet during off hours. Ray helped us fill out the paperwork and met with us to prepare for the interview with the immigration officer. His advice helped make the process go very smoothly. He walked us through the process step by step and had great communication.
I would like to express my satisfaction towards the work of Ray Scheetz. He helped to guide my brother through his marriage green card process including interview preparation. Everything was done professionally and his expertise helped my brother got approval quickly. We were surprised how fast his green card came. Ray is very detailed-oriented, knowledgeable, and very kind. We could not have asked for a better attorney. I highly recommend him to everyone for any US immigration matters. Once again, thank you for doing your job so well!
In June 1016, I hired Mr. Scheetz as immigration layer for my wife case. We started with a brief and free interview, when we shared the basics about our case. We conclude to work together in our case. During the first appointment, we shared all the requested information. It was a two hours meeting and, at the end, we had all the applications ready to be submitted to USCIS. We really appreciate to Mr. Sheetz the way that he explained the requirements, very easy to understand. On July 5th, USCIS received our applications and send us the receipts. Following a process without RFE, my wife received her work and travel permit in September 2016. Because of some personal matters, my wife traveled 2 times outside US. Mr Scheetz promptly answered to our e-mails and gave us the right advises, in a very complicated situation. The trips happened twice, in December 2016 and April 2017, each time we came back in US without any problems, We had the interview on May 8th. We has a 2 hours appointment with Mr. Scheetz, who explain us the interview process and how to conduct the answers from the immigration officer. Also, he suggested to have an interpreter, which was a very important decision in our case. The interview when very well and, at the end of the day, we had the green card process approved. Overall, Mr. Sheetz helped us to have a very clear and straightforward green card process! Thank you!
Fantastic! He is extremely professional and made us feel safe and confident. Everything was clearly filed quickly and accurately. He made the complicated immigration process seem fast, straightforward, and simple. Because he got the paperwork processed so quickly, my wife was able to start working much faster than if we had filed the paperwork ourselves or with a different attorney, so really he paid for himself. The entire process from start to green card was 10 month.
Ray Sheetz is competent, experienced and knows exactly what needs to be done. He knew the truth in my situation immediately and fought for me when others simply walked away and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't have had a better advocate. Thank you Ray. Thank you.
We hired Ray after the initial consultation for family (parents) based immigration process. He listened to our situation and provided a solution quickly at our first meeting and asked us to submit a list of documents needed for the process. We provided all documents during our next meeting. He completed all forms I 130, I 485, I 131 & I 765 and he submitted them without any time delay. He also suggested us to get some additional documents that may be required by USCIS. As we have to get them from overseas, it took us couple of weeks to get those additional documents. As suggested by Ray, USCIS requested for those additional documents for further processing. As we had the documents needed we submitted them without much of time delay. USCIS accepted documents and completed the process and issued green cards in 120 days. we are so happy and would recommend Ray to anyone who is looking for an immigration attorney.
My wife had a very complex VISA problem during FY2015. We've consulted Ray Scheetz and filed change of status(COS) to acquire a valid VISA status in USA. Ray Scheetz was very friendly , asked us about the complete details to understand the situation. He thoroughly examined all the documentation and clearly explained what can be done next , assuming a positive outcome from USCIS. He kept in touch with us during the COS was under processing and provided us updates. He replies promptly to all emails except when he is out of town. We finally got COS approved by USCIS . Overall, we are satisfied with his services and would recommend him for any legal immigration services.
Ray Scheetz is an extremely competent, caring and experienced attorney serving the greater corridor area. I was in my senior year of college when I reached out to Ray. It was just after finding out from the schools administration about a false allegation of sexual assault the allegedly occurred durning the first few weeks of my freshman year. I was scared, confused, and worried. Unlike in court, to “win” an allegation of sexual assault the complainant only needs to prove that it’s “more likely than not” (50% and a feather) a violation occurred (not beyond a reasonable doubt). At my school, out of the 16 reports in 2017, 14 had resulted in expulsion for the respondent. The odds were not in my favor. I called over ten different attorney offices throughout the state, and none had any experience with Title IX (the governing document for universities across the country that lays out the guidelines for handling allegations on campus). Ray immediately made time in his schedule to see me the next day. After our free consultation, Ray helped me through every step of the process. He was available for coaching and counseling throughout the entire process of the investigation, insuring that our response to all of the questions would not lead to any legal consequences for me after the fact. As a college student without a lot of money, Ray was able to be very transparent with his billing and budgeting throughout the entire process. Ray coached me through how to properly respond to interview questions, and helped me write all of my statements and responses to the complainant's statements. The process took over four months, and I was found not responsible for the false allegation. Without a doubt, Ray has a wide range of knowledge pertaining to many fields of law. I could not have gotten through my senior year without his help - in fact I am certain that without his help I would have been kicked out of school for something I had not done. Thank you Ray. I look forward to retaining you for my future legal needs should they arise.
Ray's expertise and guidance allowed me to navigate the complicated naturalization process successfully. He was quick to respond to any of my questions or concerns throughout the process. I continue to recommend Ray to family and friends without hesitation.
Sought guidance with the required forms needed to bring my wife to the United States. Ray was a great help and relief on guiding us through the process. Things have gone very well for us with the immigration process. Having Ray help us saved us a lot of frustrations and time. Thank you Ray.
Ray helped us through my husband's green card application. He was extremely helpful and worked around our busy schedules to meet during off hours. Ray helped us fill out the paperwork and met with us to prepare for the interview with the immigration officer. His advice helped make the process go very smoothly. He walked us through the process step by step and had great communication.
I would like to express my satisfaction towards the work of Ray Scheetz. He helped to guide my brother through his marriage green card process including interview preparation. Everything was done professionally and his expertise helped my brother got approval quickly. We were surprised how fast his green card came. Ray is very detailed-oriented, knowledgeable, and very kind. We could not have asked for a better attorney. I highly recommend him to everyone for any US immigration matters. Once again, thank you for doing your job so well!
In June 1016, I hired Mr. Scheetz as immigration layer for my wife case. We started with a brief and free interview, when we shared the basics about our case. We conclude to work together in our case. During the first appointment, we shared all the requested information. It was a two hours meeting and, at the end, we had all the applications ready to be submitted to USCIS. We really appreciate to Mr. Sheetz the way that he explained the requirements, very easy to understand. On July 5th, USCIS received our applications and send us the receipts. Following a process without RFE, my wife received her work and travel permit in September 2016. Because of some personal matters, my wife traveled 2 times outside US. Mr Scheetz promptly answered to our e-mails and gave us the right advises, in a very complicated situation. The trips happened twice, in December 2016 and April 2017, each time we came back in US without any problems, We had the interview on May 8th. We has a 2 hours appointment with Mr. Scheetz, who explain us the interview process and how to conduct the answers from the immigration officer. Also, he suggested to have an interpreter, which was a very important decision in our case. The interview when very well and, at the end of the day, we had the green card process approved. Overall, Mr. Sheetz helped us to have a very clear and straightforward green card process! Thank you!
Fantastic! He is extremely professional and made us feel safe and confident. Everything was clearly filed quickly and accurately. He made the complicated immigration process seem fast, straightforward, and simple. Because he got the paperwork processed so quickly, my wife was able to start working much faster than if we had filed the paperwork ourselves or with a different attorney, so really he paid for himself. The entire process from start to green card was 10 month.
Ray Sheetz is competent, experienced and knows exactly what needs to be done. He knew the truth in my situation immediately and fought for me when others simply walked away and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't have had a better advocate. Thank you Ray. Thank you.
We hired Ray after the initial consultation for family (parents) based immigration process. He listened to our situation and provided a solution quickly at our first meeting and asked us to submit a list of documents needed for the process. We provided all documents during our next meeting. He completed all forms I 130, I 485, I 131 & I 765 and he submitted them without any time delay. He also suggested us to get some additional documents that may be required by USCIS. As we have to get them from overseas, it took us couple of weeks to get those additional documents. As suggested by Ray, USCIS requested for those additional documents for further processing. As we had the documents needed we submitted them without much of time delay. USCIS accepted documents and completed the process and issued green cards in 120 days. we are so happy and would recommend Ray to anyone who is looking for an immigration attorney.
My wife had a very complex VISA problem during FY2015. We've consulted Ray Scheetz and filed change of status(COS) to acquire a valid VISA status in USA. Ray Scheetz was very friendly , asked us about the complete details to understand the situation. He thoroughly examined all the documentation and clearly explained what can be done next , assuming a positive outcome from USCIS. He kept in touch with us during the COS was under processing and provided us updates. He replies promptly to all emails except when he is out of town. We finally got COS approved by USCIS . Overall, we are satisfied with his services and would recommend him for any legal immigration services.
Ray Scheetz is an extremely competent, caring and experienced attorney serving the greater corridor area. I was in my senior year of college when I reached out to Ray. It was just after finding out from the schools administration about a false allegation of sexual assault the allegedly occurred durning the first few weeks of my freshman year. I was scared, confused, and worried. Unlike in court, to “win” an allegation of sexual assault the complainant only needs to prove that it’s “more likely than not” (50% and a feather) a violation occurred (not beyond a reasonable doubt). At my school, out of the 16 reports in 2017, 14 had resulted in expulsion for the respondent. The odds were not in my favor. I called over ten different attorney offices throughout the state, and none had any experience with Title IX (the governing document for universities across the country that lays out the guidelines for handling allegations on campus). Ray immediately made time in his schedule to see me the next day. After our free consultation, Ray helped me through every step of the process. He was available for coaching and counseling throughout the entire process of the investigation, insuring that our response to all of the questions would not lead to any legal consequences for me after the fact. As a college student without a lot of money, Ray was able to be very transparent with his billing and budgeting throughout the entire process. Ray coached me through how to properly respond to interview questions, and helped me write all of my statements and responses to the complainant's statements. The process took over four months, and I was found not responsible for the false allegation. Without a doubt, Ray has a wide range of knowledge pertaining to many fields of law. I could not have gotten through my senior year without his help - in fact I am certain that without his help I would have been kicked out of school for something I had not done. Thank you Ray. I look forward to retaining you for my future legal needs should they arise.
Ray's expertise and guidance allowed me to navigate the complicated naturalization process successfully. He was quick to respond to any of my questions or concerns throughout the process. I continue to recommend Ray to family and friends without hesitation.
Sought guidance with the required forms needed to bring my wife to the United States. Ray was a great help and relief on guiding us through the process. Things have gone very well for us with the immigration process. Having Ray help us saved us a lot of frustrations and time. Thank you Ray.
Ray helped us through my husband's green card application. He was extremely helpful and worked around our busy schedules to meet during off hours. Ray helped us fill out the paperwork and met with us to prepare for the interview with the immigration officer. His advice helped make the process go very smoothly. He walked us through the process step by step and had great communication.
I would like to express my satisfaction towards the work of Ray Scheetz. He helped to guide my brother through his marriage green card process including interview preparation. Everything was done professionally and his expertise helped my brother got approval quickly. We were surprised how fast his green card came. Ray is very detailed-oriented, knowledgeable, and very kind. We could not have asked for a better attorney. I highly recommend him to everyone for any US immigration matters. Once again, thank you for doing your job so well!
In June 1016, I hired Mr. Scheetz as immigration layer for my wife case. We started with a brief and free interview, when we shared the basics about our case. We conclude to work together in our case. During the first appointment, we shared all the requested information. It was a two hours meeting and, at the end, we had all the applications ready to be submitted to USCIS. We really appreciate to Mr. Sheetz the way that he explained the requirements, very easy to understand. On July 5th, USCIS received our applications and send us the receipts. Following a process without RFE, my wife received her work and travel permit in September 2016. Because of some personal matters, my wife traveled 2 times outside US. Mr Scheetz promptly answered to our e-mails and gave us the right advises, in a very complicated situation. The trips happened twice, in December 2016 and April 2017, each time we came back in US without any problems, We had the interview on May 8th. We has a 2 hours appointment with Mr. Scheetz, who explain us the interview process and how to conduct the answers from the immigration officer. Also, he suggested to have an interpreter, which was a very important decision in our case. The interview when very well and, at the end of the day, we had the green card process approved. Overall, Mr. Sheetz helped us to have a very clear and straightforward green card process! Thank you!
Fantastic! He is extremely professional and made us feel safe and confident. Everything was clearly filed quickly and accurately. He made the complicated immigration process seem fast, straightforward, and simple. Because he got the paperwork processed so quickly, my wife was able to start working much faster than if we had filed the paperwork ourselves or with a different attorney, so really he paid for himself. The entire process from start to green card was 10 month.
Ray Sheetz is competent, experienced and knows exactly what needs to be done. He knew the truth in my situation immediately and fought for me when others simply walked away and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't have had a better advocate. Thank you Ray. Thank you.
We hired Ray after the initial consultation for family (parents) based immigration process. He listened to our situation and provided a solution quickly at our first meeting and asked us to submit a list of documents needed for the process. We provided all documents during our next meeting. He completed all forms I 130, I 485, I 131 & I 765 and he submitted them without any time delay. He also suggested us to get some additional documents that may be required by USCIS. As we have to get them from overseas, it took us couple of weeks to get those additional documents. As suggested by Ray, USCIS requested for those additional documents for further processing. As we had the documents needed we submitted them without much of time delay. USCIS accepted documents and completed the process and issued green cards in 120 days. we are so happy and would recommend Ray to anyone who is looking for an immigration attorney.
My wife had a very complex VISA problem during FY2015. We've consulted Ray Scheetz and filed change of status(COS) to acquire a valid VISA status in USA. Ray Scheetz was very friendly , asked us about the complete details to understand the situation. He thoroughly examined all the documentation and clearly explained what can be done next , assuming a positive outcome from USCIS. He kept in touch with us during the COS was under processing and provided us updates. He replies promptly to all emails except when he is out of town. We finally got COS approved by USCIS . Overall, we are satisfied with his services and would recommend him for any legal immigration services.