The Legal 500

Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP is an immigration law powerhouse, and fields over 280 professionals from offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, McLean, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC. The firm is highly praised by clients and competitors alike. ‘We receive phenomenal service from BAL. Its professionalism, responsiveness, breadth of knowledge, industry/policy knowledge, and general savvy makes it an invaluable partner’. ‘The value added service we receive from BAL is unbelievable’. ‘I have found its service to be far superior than that of other firms we have used. It is as though it is an extension of our company’. ‘In terms of responsiveness, confidence and customer service, there is absolutely no comparison to our positive experience with BAL’. The firm’s primary focus is to ease the workload of human resources departments and accelerate the employment prospects of foreign nationals. As an example of the firm’s capabilities, it recently led the intake of immigration casework resulting from a multibillion-dollar acquisition by one of Silicon Valley’s largest software publishers. This acquisition presented an especially challenging timeline due to the impending close of the prior corporation’s legal entity. The intake required a total of 850 new filings made within weeks of the acquisition. A particular strength in Washington is the government relations practice which represents clients before Congress and the executive branch agencies, to address problems that can only be resolved at policy level. Washington DC partners also specialize in “additional” services when complex or high-priority individual cases are not being resolved through the regular government adjudications process. Of particular note, Warren Leiden is ‘very knowledgeable, reliable, and is expert with communicating complex immigration issues, challenges to employees and managers’, while ‘ Jeremy Fudge’s ability to speak in layman’s terms to employees, while still calming their fears or reassuring them of a course of action, is unparalleled. He is our secret weapon in disarming difficult employees or resolving “impossible” situations’. Daryl Buffenstein is very highly regarded and Frieda Garcia is ‘an expert in her field’.

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy is ‘excellent’ and clients attest it ‘is considered a premier law firm with many offices, large staff of lawyers and very well-respected in the field of business immigration’. The firm is another giant in the US and global immigration law market and employs over 1,000 legal and immigration professionals worldwide. It advises on every aspect of this speciality, whether a client requires assistance in addressing compliance issues, benchmarking against industry standards, assessing the immigration impact on a corporate reorganization, or determining whether a business visa is an appropriate option. In addition to providing clients with immigration services, the firm also has dedicated practice groups that deal with compliance, export controls and investment visa services. Managing partner of the firm’s Northern California practice, Cynthia Lange leads the firm’s high-tech practice. In New York, Michael Patrick is highly regarded, not just for his private practice, but also for pioneering the development of the firm’s pro bono practice that includes immigration advocacy and support for Sanctuary for Families, and the establishment of the firm’s partnership with the New York City Bar Justice Center, providing support to low-income families with immigration matters. Andrew Greenfield is the managing partner of the firm’s Washington DC office. He and his team recently partnered with a multinational financial management consulting firm with over 15,000 employees to establish a worldwide immigration program centrally managed from Washington DC, with regional centers in Asia and Europe. The team also successfully represented a global professional services firm charged with citizenship status discrimination before the Department of Justice’s Office of Special Counsel for Unfair Immigration-Related Employment Practices. In Philadelphia, office managing partner Jonathan Adams is also recommended, particularly for his experience in global workforce mobility. His recent casework includes the integration of over 1,000 foreign workers employed in the United States to new US employers, following the dissolution of one of the country’s largest companies. Michael Turansick is also highly regarded.

Baker & McKenzie ‘has the right mix of knowledge and experienced team members’ and the firm’s lawyers are ‘knowledgeable, very responsive and produce excellent results’. In December 2009, the firm’s immigration practice welcomed Paul Virtue, formerly the Executive Associate Commissioner and General Counsel of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service under the Clinton Administration and then a leading practitioner at what was Hogan & Hartson LLP. The firm has designed an immigration service model to address the trend of heightened regulatory scrutiny and the needs that its clients identified as essential to their business operations, including top performance levels, one-stop account management, customized IT solutions, and 24/7 access to its people and resources. Representative work and key client lists are impressive. The firm represented Intelsat in obtaining federal legislation allowing the newly privatized entity to retain special international-organization visas for its managerial and special skills employees, and continues to assist in the regulatory implementation of the new law, conforming company immigration practices to its new privatized status, and provides ongoing global migration services to the new entity. The firm was also selected to manage Invensys’ worldwide immigration program, including visa and work permit filings in 60 countries. Another example of the work the firm has undertaken is its representation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The firm advised the federally-funded broadcasting organization on the implementation of special legislation that provides US permanent resident status for broadcasters, many of whom have risked their lives to bring unbiased news reporting and commentary from war zones. Elizabeth Espin Stern leads the worldwide immigration practice. She has ‘high level understanding of the domestic immigration structure and is able to advise on all situations’ and is ‘not only a great technical lawyer, but a great business person’. The ‘quite outstanding’ Carl Hampe, who has ‘excellent knowledge and experience’, and Betsy Morgan, a founding member of the firm’s global migration and executive transfers practice, are also highly recommended.

Founded by name partners Charles Foster and Gordon Quan, Foster Quan, LLP is an immigration law boutique that has offices in Houston, Austin, Mexico City, San Antonio, Rio Grande Valley and Washington DC. With regard to US immigration, the firm offers a broad range of services, including advice on temporary work visas, US Permanent residency, litigation, and naturalization and citizenship. The firm’s global immigration practice covers work authorization, international business traveler services, and global immigration compliance management. The firm is also well versed in employer compliance, advising on E-Verify assistance, Form I-9 audits and employer sanctions. Based in Houston, Rebecca Burdette, Kelly Cobb and Robert Loughran are all recommended.

Greenberg Traurig LLP’s full-service business immigration and compliance group represents businesses, organizations and individuals from around the world. ‘Service is consistently excellent and the team has in-depth knowledge and provides quick response time and superior customer service’. ‘This is a thoroughly professional and knowledgeable team that has consistently served my company and helped us achieve our immigration goals. I also use it to coordinate some outbound work as I have global responsibility for the immigration function and have been very satisfied with its global partners as well’. The group has extensive experience in advising multinational corporations on a variety of employment-related issues, particularly I-9 employment eligibility verification and Department of Labor H-1B audit matters. The business immigration and compliance practice group regularly develops immigration-related compliance strategies, programs and training as well as internal I-9 compliance reviews. The group also counsels on a variety of I-9 issues including penalties for failure to act in accordance with government regulations, anti-discrimination laws and employers’ responsibilities upon receiving social security number “no-match” letters. In addition, the group has successfully defended businesses involving large-scale government raids and audits. Clients include businesses across industries including national fast food chains, restaurants, landscape, construction, pallet manufacturing, agricultural, defense contractors, apparel, and pharmaceutical companies in both internal and government audits. Recent examples of work undertaken include the representation of TechServe Alliance against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and Homeland Security over the new H-1B rule applying to staffing firms. Laura Reiff is ‘professional, comprehensive and client oriented’. She is also ‘an expert on business immigration and the most knowledgeable partner on legislative activities that impact business goals and hiring & retaining foreign nationals in the US’. Dawn Lurie, Patricia Gannon and the ‘excellent’ Martha Schoonover are also all highly regarded.

Paul Virtue’s departure to Baker & McKenzie was a definite loss for Hogan Lovells US LLP. However, the newly merged firm continues to attract impressive instructions from high-caliber clients, who attest that it provides ‘an outstanding service’. ‘The timeliness of this group’s response is always excellent and its substantive knowledge is fantastic’. The firm serves as immigration counsel to US and multinational clients, including large corporations, hi-tech and internet startups, universities, non-profit organizations, sports teams, hospitals, governments and individuals. The firm regularly handles large, varied, and complex legal matters and has excellent relationships with representatives from the US departments of Homeland Security, State and Labor, as well as US embassies and consulates. Examples of key clients include Cadbury, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, Daimler Trucks North America and Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Recently, on behalf of its client Kroenke Sports, the firm assisted professional sports teams Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Rapids (MLS), Colorado Mammoth (NLL), and Colorado Crush (AFL) regarding immigration matters, including obtaining expedited P-1 status for key players and support personnel, as well as advising Colorado Rapids on its relationship with Arsenal FC in the UK. In another high-profile case following the acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft Foods, the firm provided advice regarding necessary filings under the US immigration laws as a result of the transaction. It also provided advice for affected employees to ensure that the company could maintain critical employee sponsorships. The firm also assisted Gamesa Corporacion Technologia with the transfer of key employees to provide critical services in the United States on an expedited basis. The firm obtained approval of an L-1 blanket petition amendment to facilitate the transfer of employees to its US operations and facilitated sponsorship for critical employees for permanent resident status. Co-chairs of the immigration practice group, Beth Peters and Aleksandar Dukic remain popular with clients. The former ‘is particularly impressive. Her knowledge of the law and contacts within the industry are superb’, while the latter is ‘very service-oriented’ and provides ‘a high level of skill, knowledge and practical advice’.

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP continue to impress both its clients and competitors with the quality and caliber of its work in the immigration field. ‘Between the attorneys’ knowledge, attention to detail, and strong customer service, clients can rest assured that their cases are being handled by the best immigration attorneys in the business’. Its ten lawyers regularly advise on the cross-border hiring and transfers of professionals, managers, executives, investors and persons of extraordinary ability. The team works seamlessly with its firm’s employment law, employee benefits, and tax law groups to provide a comprehensive solution to its clients’ cross-border needs. Of particular note, the firm actively represents high-net-worth foreign national investors in seeking immigration status based on their substantial investments in their own enterprises or in special pre-approved investment vehicles. The firm is also involved in the development of immigration law and policy, having proposed, analyzed, and commented on immigration reform measures to Congressional Committees, legal and business groups, and leading US and international universities. Clients include Time Inc, Time Warner Cable, Banco Santander, Euro RSCG New York, Nomura Holding Corporation and the Manhattan Theater Company. The firm is known for bringing leading artists into the country for both short and long-term engagements, most recently the cast of and technical staff for the theatrical productions of “Billy Elliot”, “Brief Encounter”, “Mrs Warren’s Profession” and “A Behanding in Spokane”. In addition, it recently represented a global insurance company in its compliance with immigration requirements when it acquired the life insurance unit of a leading competitor, and assisted a top ten global financial institution in its immigration matters, when it acquired a regional bank with approximately 10,000 employees. Theodore Ruthizer is ‘extremely knowledgeable about immigration law, frequently provides me with personalized information, updates, and advice, and is very responsive’. Mark Koestler and Matthew Dunn are also highly recommended.

Morgan Lewis offers an interdisciplinary perspective that stresses the synergy between a multinational corporation’s immigration program and its other essential operations, including internal employment policies, corporate compliance and governance, plans for expansion, corporate development, and growth. It provides ‘a high level of service, is always responsive, available when needed and thorough’. ‘I would highly recommend it to any corporate client that wants to outsource and trust the firm with its immigration/visa requirements’. Also of note, the firm has strong relationships with senior government officials in Washington DC, in all agencies that deal with immigration including the Department of Labor, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, and continues to maintain a growing US visa practice that has developed creative alternatives for employers seeking visas for foreign talent and shortage occupations. It also has an innovative immigration compliance practice that is at the forefront of I-9 and E-Verify worksite counseling and support. The firm also represents clients who are facing immigration-related government charges, teaming up with its colleagues in the labor and employment and white-collar litigation practices as needed, to ensure that the firm’s clients’ interests are protected. Recently, the firm has taken on more responsibility for managing Apple’s global immigration program, and is working more closely with the Apple M&A group. The firm functions as part of the company’s M&A team to review and conduct due diligence on talent, ensure that deals are structured in a way that provides access to and successful integration of that talent. Other representative work highlights included providing immigration counseling for pharmaceutical, medical device, and medical technology companies including Integra Life Sciences, B Braun Medical and Aesculap. Further high-profile clients include DHL and Toyota Motors of North America. The much-admired corporate immigration practice leader Eleanor Pelta is president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Her talented team includes Eric Bord and Lance Nagel. James Vazquez-Azpiri ‘translates legal jargon in simple easy to understand terms to our executive levels’.

Although Proskauer Rose LLP’s corporate immigration team is very small, with only one partner and two senior/special counsel, the quality of the work the firm undertakes makes it a serious player in this market. The service provided is ‘excellent – responsive, effective, efficient, honest, direct, accurate and successful’. Representative work included advising QCE – LLC, a fast food franchise which is the second largest submarine sandwich shop in North America, in connection with ongoing senior staff transfers and hires, particularly cross-border between Canada and the US. It is also currently assisting the executives and non-resident professional employees of HSBC Bank and other related entities throughout the US, in immigration and nationality law. The firm represents clients from a broad range of sectors – from financial services to hospitals, fashion and retail to pharmaceuticals and media to museums and galleries. Key clients include Polo Ralph Lauren, The Frick Collection, Calyon, UBS and The New York Times. Head of practice David Grunblatt has specialist knowledge of the I-9 and E-Verify programs, as well as other recordkeeping and compliance programs necessitated under Immigration and Nationality Law and complex immigration issues resulting from mergers, acquisitions and other corporate changes. He is the attorney of record for the US Chamber of Commerce E-Verify litigation team. ‘ David Grunblatt is constantly concerned with the best interest of our company and expends a tremendous amount of effort to achieve success. He is able to foresee obstacles that may arise, weigh the alternatives and recommend the course of action that will help us achieve our goals’. ‘We are constantly awed by his immigration knowledge and ingenious solutions to complicated situations’. ‘His wealth of knowledge and wise disposition is a true asset to our company’. Special immigration counsel Avram Morrell is also recommended.

Seyfarth Shaw prides itself on its national thought leaders and technology savvy partners, who invest time and resources developing immigration management programs. The firm operates with the focus of a boutique-style immigration firm, while practising in all areas of immigration law. In addition, it is backed by one of the country’s leading labor and employment practices. Recent representative work highlights include advising Kiewit Corporation; the company implemented an electronic I-9 software program to avoid I-9 errors and the related fines. When it became clear that there would be a material delay in the roll-out of the software, the firm stepped in to fill the gap by quickly deploying a secure extranet that allowed the client to submit I-9s to the firm for real-time audit, review, and E-Verify submission. Over the course of 7 months, the firm reviewed the I-9s and trained approximately 100 individuals within the client organization to properly handle I-9s. Another case in which the group showed itself to be adept at problem solving was when the firm was able to obtain a ‘second passport’ for Metso’s global sales manager when travel commitments made it impossible for him to obtain a Brazilian business visitor visa on his first passport. From Atlanta and Boston respectively, James King and Russell Swapp co-chair the corporate immigration group. The latter is ‘both very knowledgeable and can explain the rules and provide practical guidance in a very comprehensible way’. Dyann DelVecchio is also recommended. She is the chair of AILA’s national F-1 Student & Scholar Committee. California-based Angelo Paparelli has an impressive reputation; he was the recipient of the 2010 Edith Lowenstein Award for advancing the practice of immigration law given by the AILA.

Akerman Senterfitt’s Michael Benchetrit and Thomas Raleigh co-chair the immigration planning and compliance practice. ‘The overall service levels are outstanding. Quick response times, knowledgeable staff with good people skills are the hallmarks of the firm’. The firm deals with all immigration issues, but specializes in representing multinational corporations and foreign clients in US inbound investment, including the relocation of operations or investment in US businesses. Raleigh is ‘a thoughtful and skilled legal professional with a genuine interest in his clients’. ‘He has provided peace of mind for an international company with little experience in the USA’. Of note, the firm has particular expertise in the healthcare and hospitality industries, providing clients with specialized expertise in immigration-specific matters, and advising seasonal resorts on hiring temporary workers in the H-2B category. The firm also has a specialized multi-practice EB-5 team, representing high-net-worth foreign national entrepreneurs and investors in the planning, managing, and filing of specialized petitions in the EB-5 immigrant investor category. Highlight work included the representation of a major European airline with respect to non- immigrant petitions (H-1B) and labor certification/immigrant visa petitions for senior executive based in the United States. The firm was also involved with the planning for the transfer of senior management into the US as part of a corporate affiliation with two other major international airlines. The firm also represented the Institute of Internal Auditors Inc with respect to non-immigrant (H-1B) petitions and labor certification/immigrant visa petitions for professional positions and general immigration counsel provided to its human resources personnel. Barry Gleen left the firm to join Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Greenberg, Formato & Einiger, LLP.

Fisher & Phillips provides complete end-to-end case management to ensure that global expatriate and non-local staff maintain proper immigration status throughout the duration of their employment. It does this by utilizing specifically designed software for case initiation, data-intake, case-tracking, and calendaring of expiration dates. This software allows the firm to track immigration processes for any country in the world. The firm specializes in advising employers on all areas of US business immigration law. It assists employers in obtaining nonimmigrant visas for professionals, intra-company transferees, research scholars, traders and investors, trainees and agricultural workers. It also assists employers seeking to sponsor employees for permanent residence, guiding them through the process from labor certification through adjustment of status or immigrant visa processing at a US Consulate or Embassy. The firm has extensive experience with Priority Worker permanent residence petitions and National Interest Waiver cases, and advises clients on possible avenues to avoid the cost, time and risks associated with labor certification. The firm also provides assistance to clients with respect to their global immigration needs, including obtaining visas for US workers being transferred abroad, as well as assisting in the transfer of key personnel from one country to another anywhere in the world. The firm also offers to review clients’ practices for verifying the work authorization of employees. This includes precautionary I-9 audits, representing clients in audits by the Department of Labor, and defending claims of immigration-related discrimination. Kim Kiel Thompson is chair of the firm’s global immigration practice group. Sarah Hawk is also a key contact at the firm.

Ford & Harrison LLP is another large labor and employment law boutique that has 19 offices across the US. The firm’s immigration practice group is dedicated to advising clients on the hiring or transferring of foreign employees in compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act. Its immigration lawyers provide a full range of services to clients, including start-up immigration and employment law advice for new companies; volume immigration management; temporary employment visas; permanent residence; citizenship and naturalization; consular processing; international visa services, visa revalidation and reentry permits; consulting with tax and employee benefits specialists on expatriate issues; I-9 compliance training and audits; and administrative appeals and litigation. The firm recently registered a British-owned multinational derivatives trading company at the American Embassy in London for issuance of E-2 Treaty Investor visas. The firm also recently provided immigration advice to a multinational industrial company and its tax advisors to develop a policy for implications of US departure tax on long-time permanent residents, who would relinquish green cards upon repatriation or retirement overseas. It also developed strategy and exposure analysis for an IT staffing company to remedy noncompliance with USCIS and DOL H-1B regulations. Key clients include Imerys Pigments Inc, Balfour Beatty plc, Mitsubishi Power Systems and Votorantim Cimentos North America. Atlanta-based Joycelyn Fleming and Charles Roach in Minneapolis are both highly experienced immigration practitioners, and are recommended.

On an annual basis Alston & Bird LLP’s immigration team, ably led by Eileen Schofield handles over 1,000 immigration cases for 120 companies and nationals from over 40 countries. The firm provides immigration-related counsel for multinational corporations, medical, financial and academic institutions, information technology providers and users, foreign investors, performers, professional athletes, manufacturers and individuals from many countries. It regularly establishes corporate policies and procedures in ongoing, restructuring and transactional situations, to both comply with the law and prepare for sensitive internal and external investigations related to hiring procedures, I-9 compliance, employment of foreign nationals, IRCA compliance and Office of Special Counsel national origin discrimination issues. It also addresses issues of philosophy, record keeping, documentation, compliance, documented use, penalties and enforcement. Representative recent experience includes handling over 30 workplace raids by the Department of Homeland Security and providing immediate and hands-on advice during actual raids, as well as follow-up, and managing over 15 Social Security Administration audits within the last two years. On national and state levels, the firm provides legislative advice and drafting expertise on proposed legislation related to employers, employer compliance and employer sanction issues. Clients include K Mart, UPS, Itron, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Duke Energy.

Arnall Golden Gregory LLP now has offices in both Atlanta and Washington DC. The firm’s immigration practice focuses on the representation of foreign owned corporations in the US, both immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for businesses and families (temporary work visas and green cards), EB-5 Investor Visa Processing, the immigration consequences of mergers and acquisitions, and immigration reform and control act compliance. The firm’s immigration group collectively speaks Cantonese Chinese, English, French, German, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish, so is able to offer effective multilingual service in support of its immigration law expertise. The firm’s global client list includes Heidelberg, a solutions provider for the print media industry with nearly 25,000 employees in 170 countries, and Porsche Cars North America, the exclusive importer, marketer and distributor of Porsche automobiles for the United States. Teri Simmons and of counsel Stephen Pocalyko are highly regarded.

Duane Morris LLP is a full service law firm that has 24 offices across the US and internationally. In Washington DC, Denyse Sabagh has an enviable reputation for her immigration and nationality law and litigation expertise. Her team helps corporate clients manage both inbound and outbound employment immigration and she is a recognized leader in developing strategic business immigration programs and policies. The firm’s immigration practice group serves a diverse group of clients including multinational and Fortune 500 publicly-traded corporations, medium-sized privately-held companies, and smaller sized start-up ventures. Its attorneys have experience in a wide range of industries, including information technology, biotechnology, security, telecommunications, manufacturing, retail, market research, banking, shipping, healthcare, entertainment and food and beverage. In addition, it represents numerous universities, embassies, religious organizations, and other non-profit entities, as well as individuals, with their immigration needs. It also handles immigration-related litigation and government compliance matters. In 2010, four partners joined the firm’s Miami office from Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., including immigration specialist Hector Chichoni, who has considerable experience representing healthcare organizations, Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, multinational corporations and universities, doctors, professors, researchers and students. Chichoni handles international matters relating to export controls, customs, and global corporate compliance and business transactions.

McDermott Will & Emery LLP’s immigration practice provides a highly effective business immigration service, much of it related to corporate transactions with an immigration dimension, as well as ongoing counseling and compliance. ‘The overall service is excellent, knowledge is outstanding and response time is rapid. It is a complicated and constantly changing field and I feel it gives us great advice and offers a great service and is always on top of the issues’. The firm’s approach to client service emphasizes the efficient and flexible handling of matters while working cooperatively with its clients’ human resources and legal staff. Practice leader Joan-Elisse Carpenter ‘is always personally available and has always done an excellent job’. She is available and accessible for every client and makes a point of reviewing every document. Recently, on behalf of Studio Daniel Libeskind, the firm successfully obtained an extraordinary ability immigrant visa petition approval for a leading architect who had struggled to obtain US Citizenship & Immigration Services approval. Other clients include CBS Corporation, The Clinton Foundation, CVT Productions, HSH Nordbank, Petroleum Industry Research Associates and the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute in Florida.

Troutman Sanders assists with the transfer of international business personnel for US and foreign companies, the defense of corporations charged with employer sanction violations, training of HR personnel, the acquisition of work visas, labor certification, permanent resident status, and citizenship in the United States, as well as the representation of corporate clients and individuals before various administrative agencies and in the federal courts. Clients include WorldSpan, Holiday Inn, Takahashi Works, TRAX and Mitsubishi. Mark Newman heads the team from Atlanta. He served as lead counsel in the federal class action proceedings to acquire lawful permanent residence for more than 100,000 Cubans. Newman is a member of the AILA, where he served as chairman of the Atlanta district director’s liaison committee. In New York, Susie Kim represents members of the multinational business community in bringing employees into the US and establishing new business enterprises in the US. Virginia Beach-based partner Thomas Klein specializes in government agency law and relations, including general immigration matters. He formerly served as general counsel to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and has specific and in-depth knowledge of consular processing and State Department procedures.