Based in San Jose · Serving Santa Clara & Alameda Counties
Vijay Law represents clients in family and criminal cases that cross international borders, with substantial experience in India-California and China-California matters and other cross-jurisdictional family, criminal, and immigration cases.
Cross-border cases — parallel divorce filings in two countries, dowry harassment complaints filed in India against US residents, child abduction to non-Hague countries such as India, exit bans in China, recognition of foreign family judgments — sit at the intersection of family law, criminal law, and immigration. Most California lawyers cannot handle these cases because they require substantive knowledge of both legal systems. Vijay Law has handled them for years, with active coordination across jurisdictions when local counsel is needed abroad.
Travel Restricted; Airport Detention Risk
Visa Renewals Affected By Criminal Complaints Abroad
US Criminal Case + Indian Penal Code Case From Same Dispute
Child Taken To Or Held In A Non-Hague Country
Assets In Two Jurisdictions; Different Property Rules
Indian And Chinese Cases Involve Broader Family Networks
Passport Surrender, Interpol Notices, Exit Bans
California Recognition Of Indian Or Chinese Judgments
FAQs
Vijay Law focuses on criminal defense and restraining order matters, helping clients navigate serious allegations with clarity, urgency, and strong legal advocacy.
Yes, with significant complications. California can exercise jurisdiction if residency requirements are met. The strategic issue is which judgment is recognized in which jurisdiction. Parallel proceedings affect property division, support, and custody, and the cases need to be coordinated. Strategy is needed in both forums simultaneously.
No. India is not a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. When a child is taken to India, the Hague return mechanism is unavailable. It is for this reason that California courts often impose strict travel restrictions on taking a minor child to India when either parent has ties to India.
No, China is a not a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Thus the normal Hague return mechanism is not available if a child is wrongfully removed in mainland China. There is an exception to this in that Hong Kong and Macau are covered by the Hague Convention. In a California family law case, if there is a risk that a parent may take a child to mainland China, courts often take that risk seriously because there is no legal treaty mechanism to lawfully return the child to the California in the event of a wrongful removal.
A “498A case” refers to the long known section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalizes cruelty by a husband or his relatives toward a married woman, including physical or mental cruelty and harassment connected to unlawful demands for money, property, or dowry. Effective July 1, 2024, the Indian Penal Code was replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which carries this offense forward under Section 85. It remains a broad statute frequently invoked in dowry-related disputes and is often filed by a wife or her family against the husband and his relatives. The statute carries serious consequences, including arrest, bail proceedings, and travel restrictions. While many cases involve genuine allegations of unlawful dowry demands, others involve false or exaggerated claims, and these allegations sometimes arise in disputes involving California-based spouses.
At Vijay Law we often see parallel proceedings: allegations of dowry abuse and cruelty in India alongside domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) allegations in California family court. We represent Indian nationals in California on both sides of these disputes – those who are the victims of dowry abuse and those facing false allegations of dowry abuse. These cross-border cases present unique challenges that often require experienced counsel coordinating with local counsel in both countries to reach an optimal outcome for the U.S. based client.
“Dowry case” is a general term covering several overlapping provisions of Indian law. The principal one is the cruelty offense formerly codified at Indian Penal Code Section 498A, now carried forward in Section 85 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) as of July 2024. Related provisions address dowry death – formerly Section 304B, now carried forward under the BNS – along with the Dowry Prohibition Act, which independently penalizes the giving, taking, or demanding of dowry. Both civil and criminal remedies may be available. These cases are often filed strategically by Indian families against US-based husbands and the legal exposure is very serious. It can include arrest, bail proceedings, and lookout circulars that affect the ability to travel into or out of India. The legal exposure is real and includes arrest warrants and lookout circulars.
Client Testimonials
Vijay is a thorough gentleman. He listened to me like a counselor would, then shared his acumen in the best possible language. I felt safe and much better by merely knowing my legal options and rights.
Hand down the best lawyer with a wide range of experience from immigration to litigation.
Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. The way Mr.Vijay handled the case from explaining the details to me, filing motions with all the details included, and email communication between you and DA was outstanding.
We were very much worried about my life the way the case was leading too. But, everything was handled by you smoothly and professionally. My family and I are so grateful to you. It exceeded beyond our expectations. Thank you so much sir again for everything you did in this case.
Vijay is a knowledgeable and helpful attorney. He was there for me and helped me through a difficult incident. He was able to work with the prosecutor and I received a favorable outcome. Mr. Dinakar communicates with his clients, tells them the possible outcomes, and delivers results. Do your research, he is reputable around town and is a straight shooter. 5 stars for Vijay and his firm. He’s one of the better CD lawyers in SJ and I value his help and support. Don’t look for anyone else, hire Vijay for your legal needs.
I had 2 felonies charges regarding insurance fraud claim. My Naturalization(citizenship) petition was on hold due to felonies. I met Vijay regarding my case. His first free initial consultant is very transparent. So I hired him. He understands the important of immigration consequence with criminal charges & impact on professional career.
Vijay was so patient enough; he took multiple court dates to resolve case in my favor. He communicates very clearly. He also wrote multiple letters to submit my status to keep alive my naturalization petition in USCIS.
Finally, my 2 felonies charges dismissed & converted into Infraction charge. My naturalization petition approved & got citizenship certificate.
He is very responsive & also available to discuss during late evening & weekend. He is very friendly, professional & detail orientated. I would highly recommend him for criminal case.
I don’t know how to say thanks to Vijay.
Before I came to him I had hired two other attorneys, and trust me those behaved like the gang mans. Nice at the beginning to get the money and stated playing with the matter to see it gets worse so that they can milk you more (just like the drug dealers does).
I strongly suggest you should try Vijay if you have already troubled by other attorneys like my case or in fact he better be your first attorney in any case. You can only compare him with others only if you had hired others before.
First of all we are very happy to have identified Vijay for our case. He is such a brilliant and skilled attorney and particularly man of actions. His sincerity in following up case to completion was speedy and commendable. Would definitely recommend him as he is very approachable and friendly.
Vijay Dinakar is BY FAR THE BEST LAWYER I’ve ever seen. I need more than 5 stars to express my gratitude to Vijay. He is the ideal lawyer you expect from watching movies. He is very knowledgeable and more important than that, he is a hard worker. I value more his work attitude because independently of the outcome, I believe he is working very hard in my case, and as a result he will win my case. He is a winner!
I have worked with many lawyers but he is by far the best in the business. He got my case completely dismissed !! I am glad to have consulted him..
I am glad that I approached Vijay to help me with my DV case. He is a good person, very knowledgeable, logical and has a calm but a rational approach. He was very strategic and focused on the relevant points. He was sharp, impactful and picked up important cues during the trial and strongly advocated for me in the court. Although the prep for my case was very last minute, he was great. Me and my family are very grateful to him, for helping me out in a very stressful time. I would certainly recommend him to friends and family.
Excellent hardworking lawyer.
I am grateful for the outcome produced by Mr. Vijay after hearing in my domestic violence restraining order trial. Vijay is a very knowledgeable attorney who provides so thorough answers to questions. He talked nonstop for over one hour explaining all possibilities that I would face. I felt hopeless at the time that I will have immigration problems but I am surprised when I am told by Vijay the case would not be filed in criminal court. Then Vijay helped with the family restraining court. This case went on for too long because but finally we did trial and I had many texts that proved the lies and plan. Vijay is confident in court and we had planned and won. Hopefully, nobody gets into these terrible cases but a good attorney can help you out of it.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND for an extremely satisfying representation
Providing 5-star and saying Mr.Vijay Dinakar is a good attorney would still be an understatement considering many 10/10 positive reviews and his excellent representation in my case. I write this review hoping it would help someone like me who has spent hours checking reviews online, consulting many attorneys while trying to hire a good one and finally found the best. I have known attorney Vijay Dinakar for over one and a half years now. He did what he promised me in my complicated case involving several other cases. In fact, Vijay Dinakar’s aggressive representation in the court room ensured more than a favorable result. I couldn’t be any happier about going with this law firm. He is non-judging, very patient and composed which helped in dealing with the emotionally draining legal case. While I cannot divulge the details of my case, I can say that Vijay Dinakar got me an excellent victory giving me an edge over the opponent in my other cases. Thanks to his outstanding representation. He is one of those rare attorneys who does not file anything we ask for by taking Fee. He is very ethical and always did what was right and favorable to the client. He is easy to reach and always available to answer my questions. With my experience as a client, I would just say to keep calm and trust Vijay Dinakar. He has always stayed on top of things. Highly responsive Reachable – Always, through mail/text/phone call Fee – Very reasonable. He has put more efforts and time towards my case than the Fee he charged me. All the reviews about Vijay Dinakar Law Firm will prove to be true once you have the initial consultation. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Vijay Dinakar Law Firm to anyone in need of an extremely satisfying legal representation.
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