Practice groups led by Brigitte Hocking and Dustin J. O’Quinn join the firm’s Dallas and Houston offices

Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) announced today that recognized immigration attorneys Brigitte Hocking and Dustin J. O’Quinn are joining the firm. Ms. Hocking joins the firm’s Dallas office as a partner, after leading an immigration group at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP for over a decade. Mr. O’Quinn, who led the immigration practice at Gardere Wynne & Sewell, LLP, will join the BAL leadership team in the firm’s Houston office. The law firm now has approximately 400 employees worldwide and is one of the fastest growing corporate immigration law firms in the country.

A well-respected leader in the field, Ms. Hocking brings more than 15 years of corporate immigration experience to the firm. She has represented a wide range of Fortune 500 and smaller corporations in all aspects of U.S. business immigration, including due diligence considerations for mergers and acquisitions affecting large numbers of foreign national employees. A bilingual speaker on immigration topics, she was the keynote speaker at the seminar on U.S. Business Immigration Law sponsored by The National Association of Corporate Attorneys in Mexico City in September 2013. She graduated from Southern Methodist University Law School.

“Brigitte and her team bring new capabilities and expertise to our growing Texas practice,” said Jeremy Fudge, Managing Partner of BAL. “Brigitte has an exceptional reputation within the immigration community and she will fit right in at our firm with her focus on exceptional client service.”

Mr. O’Quinn, who most recently ran the immigration practice at Gardere Wynne & Sewell, LLP, will help lead the firm’s Houston office. A noted bilingual speaker on a range of U.S. immigration topics, he serves as the Vice President of the Immigration and Nationality Law Section (Employment-Based Issues) of the State Bar of Texas and also sits on the Board of Directors of the Human Rights Initiative. His experience includes I-9 audits and compliance and he frequently advises multinational corporations on the immigration consequences of mergers and acquisitions. He graduated from the University of Texas Law School and served as Editor-In-Chief of the Texas Review of Entertainment and Sports Law.

“With offices in six countries and the industry’s leading technology platform, we can attract the best immigration attorneys in the field,” said Partner Lynden Melmed, who served as Chief Counsel of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and now runs the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. “We are confident that Ms. Hocking and Mr. O’Quinn will strengthen our service capabilities and allow us to continue to meet our client needs worldwide.”<br/ >

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