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June is Pride Month and we are proud to celebrate our LGBTQ+ employees, clients and the community –throughout this month and every day. We believe that every individual’s experience makes us stronger and that we can all learn from each other’s perspectives.
The first Pride Marches were held on June 28, 1970 to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising a year earlier. Pride marches and parades are held around the world every June.
BAL has devoted more than four decades to advocating for the equality of all immigrants. We fought and won the historic case, Hill v. INS, that struck down the policy of excluding gay and lesbian foreign nationals from entry and led to the elimination of that classification of inadmissibility.
We recently sat down with BAL Partner Rob Caballero, who oversees the firm’s Houston, Austin and New York operations, for a conversation about the meaning and significance of Pride month.
What does Pride Month mean to you?
For me, it’s a reflection of how far I have come in my own personal journey, and also how far we have come, and how far we still need to go, in our community’s journey. Time to celebrate life, community and friendship.
How do you observe Pride Month?
I tend to support local or national organizations by contributing time or resources. Sometimes there’s the parade, but it’s hot in Houston in June! With 110+ degrees and 80% humidity, I don’t always make it to the parade, but I do contribute in other, more air-conditioned, ways.
What would you tell your 20 year-old self, knowing what you know today?
To trust the journey and walk your path. Learn from days or times that are hard, and enjoy and relish the days that are not.
How has your background and your own journey inspired your work as an attorney in the immigration space?
As it relates to immigration, every immigrant brings something unique to this country. I’m probably one of the few people who knew I wanted to be a lawyer since I was a kid. But I didn’t know I would go into immigration law until later. Looking back, when my mom went to submit her application for naturalization, she just did it on her own with my dad who ultimately went with her to her appointment. I wondered if they even thought to go to an immigration attorney. I realized what we do is remarkable. We, BAL, are a key component that makes a profound mark on somebody’s personal life. It’s really critical and important and hopefully we leave a mark that is supportive, that is sympathetic, a mark that – as we say at BAL, and it’s true – makes a positive difference in someone’s life.
What LGBTQ+ issues would you like to see progress on?
As a firm helping immigrants, we know that immigration makes us stronger as a country. Diversity is a good thing. It’s a way of learning and relating to each other and understanding that not everyone is going to be the same. I would like to see us move in a direction that is more inclusive and understands that the more diverse we are, the stronger we are.
Dallas, June 23, 2022 – BAL remains the #1 law firm on the National Law Journal’s Women in Law Scorecard, the survey of the top 500 firms in the country. This is the fourth year in a row the trailblazing immigration law firm tops the rankings.
“We are pleased to be the industry leader once again and the law firm of choice for women,” said Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge. “Our success in this area reflects our deliberate efforts in fostering a culture and policies that attract and retain women attorneys and a supportive and thriving work environment at all stages of their careers.”
The firm’s leadership has adopted policies such as flexible schedules, remote work, expanded mental health support and unlimited vacation time that encourage work/life balance and resonate especially for female attorneys, who are disproportionately impacted by parenting and caregiving responsibilities.
These forward-looking policies and the firm’s inclusive, collaborative culture known as “oneBAL” empower all employees in their careers, noted Partner Frieda Garcia.
“For more than two decades, I’ve watched BAL progress by leaps and bounds, but the one constant has been our commitment to our core value of honoring every employee’s unique talents and contributions,” she said.
The firm’s innovation in client services, new practice areas and industry-leading technologies in immigration law are attracting top talent, both experienced lateral hires and new, young practitioners.
“BAL is a magnet for talented professionals who share our commitment to making a difference in people’s lives,” said COO and Partner Leslie C. Rohrbacker. “We attract people who seek that level of purpose and drive, who want to pursue a common vision and accomplish great things together.”
About Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL)
BAL, the world’s leading corporate immigration law firm, is singularly focused on meeting the immigration challenges of corporate clients around the world in ways that make immigration more strategic and enable businesses to be more successful. Established in 1980, BAL has consistently provided immigration expertise, people-centered client services, and leading technology innovation. In 2018, BAL entered into a first-of-its-kind strategic alliance with Deloitte U.K. to create the world’s first global immigration service delivery model.
BAL’s proprietary Cobalt® digital immigration services platform won the 2020 CODiE Award for Best Legal Tech Product, the prestigious CIO100 award for Innovative Use of Intelligent Automation in Immigration Services, and Legalweek‘s Most Innovative Law Firm Operations Team of 2021. BAL and its leaders are highly ranked in every major legal publication, including Best Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and Who’s Who Legal. BAL has ranked #1 on multiple industry rankings for diversity, equity and inclusion, including the #1 Law Firm for Women on the National Law Journal’s Women in Law Scorecard four years running (2019-2022), #1 on the Diversity Scorecard by The American Lawyer (2020 and 2021), and #1 on Law360’s Diversity Snapshot (2020 and 2021). BAL won The Best Company for Diversity in 2021 by Comparably, based solely on employee ratings.
DALLAS, June 21, 2022 – Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) is pleased to announced that three of its attorneys have been elected to leadership positions at the American Immigration Lawyers Association. AILA is the primary industry group that supports U.S. immigration attorneys and law firms of all sizes.
BAL Partner Jeff Joseph will serve as Second Vice President for the 2022-23 term and BAL Partner Maggie Murphy has been re-elected to AILA’s Board of Governors for a three-year term. Additionally, BAL Senior Associate Tiffany Martinez, of the firm’s San Francisco office, has been elected Chair of AILA’s Northern California chapter and as such will also serve on the Board of Governors for one year.
Jeff leads the firm’s Denver office and has over two decades of experience in immigration law, including an impressive litigation record. With deep roots in the Denver area, Jeff is well-known for his leadership in the immigration legal community, serving as a past Chair of the Colorado Chapter, as a past elected director on the AILA National Board of Governors, and on numerous national committees, most recently serving as AILA’s Treasurer last term.
“I’m thrilled to serve as Second Vice President and I’m ready to go to work for all our members by ensuring that we better utilize technology and reinvent how we prepare for changes so we can continue fighting for immigrants as we face new challenges in this complex environment,” Jeff said.
Maggie leads BAL’s Austin office and has been a member of AILA for over 18 years serving on various membership and conference planning committees, as former Chair of the Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma Chapter, and as the Board liaison to the Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office operations committees this past year. She will serve her second term as an elected director of AILA’s Board of Governors.
“I’m honored to serve this organization and to continue helping AILA members get access to resources that empower them to serve their clients, foster their own well-being, and grow their practices,” said Maggie.
“These attorneys are elite practitioners who will lend their considerable talents to AILA,” said BAL Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge. “Just as it is our mission as a firm to make a positive difference in people’s lives, Jeff, Maggie and Tiffany will make a positive difference for AILA members, their professional lives and the businesses and people they serve.”
Media Contact:
Emily Albrecht Senior Director — Marketing & Communications ealbrecht@bal.com 469-290-9158
BAL, the world’s leading corporate immigration law firm, is singularly focused on meeting the immigration challenges of corporate clients around the world in ways that make immigration more strategic and enable businesses to be more successful. Established in 1980, BAL has consistently provided immigration expertise, people-centered client services, and leading technology innovation. BAL’s Cobalt® digital immigration services platform won the 2020 CODiE Award for Best Legal Tech Product, the prestigious CIO100 award for Innovative Use of Intelligent Automation in Immigration Services, and Legalweek‘s Most Innovative Law Firm Operations Team of 2021. In 2018, BAL entered into a first-of-its-kind strategic alliance with Deloitte U.K. to create the world’s first global immigration service delivery model. BAL has ranked #1 on multiple industry rankings for diversity, equity and inclusion, including #1 on the Diversity Scorecard by The American Lawyer (2020 and 2021), Law360’s Diversity Snapshot (2020 and 2021), and the #1 Law Firm for Women according to the National Law Journal (2019, 2020 and 2021). BAL and its leaders are highly ranked in every major legal publication, including Best Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and Who’s Who Legal. See website for details: https://www.bal.com
Effective July 1, 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) adopted the Interim Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy allowing NCAA student-athletes the opportunity to benefit from their NIL. The NCAA provided clarifying guidance in May. In short, athletes can engage in NIL activities that are consistent with the law of the state where the school is located. College athletes who attend a school in a state without an NIL law can engage in NIL activity without violating NCAA rules.
The federal agencies that regulate foreign student activities have not yet issued guidance on whether, and to what extent, the 20,000 foreign college students on F-1 visas may benefit from their NIL. In this paper we:
Read BAL’s full report on the NCAA’s NIL rules here.
DALLAS (June 9, 2022) – Leading immigration firm BAL ranks in the highest Tier 1 category among all immigration law firms nationwide, according to the newly released rankings by The Legal 500.
BAL “remains a market leader” in immigration and “continues to advise leading names in the industry, including global blue-chip clients on complex business immigration matters,” declared The Legal 500, a pre-eminent publication that conducts comprehensive research of law firms worldwide.
“We are thrilled to be recognized as a top ranked firm once again,” said Jeremy Fudge, Managing Partner. “Every day, our nationwide team works through ever-evolving immigration obstacles to make a positive difference in lives all over the world. It’s personally and professionally meaningful for us to make such an impact, and we appreciate our clients who took the time to voice their appreciation to The Legal 500.”
BAL clients who were interviewed by The Legal 500 hailed the firm as “a leader in collaboration and technology innovation to address and meet new interpretations of regulatory requirements, more so than any other immigration law firm.”
Clients were particularly impressed with BAL legal team members “providing current, accurate and critical regulatory activity risks and advocacy support,” and credited BAL for achieving “approval rates for filings [that] are very high.”
Recent immigration challenges have proven the success of the firm’s “oneBAL” philosophy that incentivizes all BAL offices to work together as one unit to maintain agility and responsiveness to workload surges. Clients recognized the benefits of this structure and BAL’s collaborative spirit, saying, “They are always open to exploring new ways to partner together, maintain compliance, improve our program, and improve the immigration experience for our foreign national employees.”
Nine BAL attorneys are recognized for their standout contributions. Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge continues his honored position in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame. BAL Partner Lynden Melmed, who oversees the firm’s Government Strategies Team in the Washington D.C. office, was named a Leading Lawyer, with clients commenting, “The BAL government affairs team is exceptional. They proactively inform us of news developments that could impact our immigration program, and strategies to navigate any changes or challenges.”
Several BAL Partners ranked as Key Lawyers, including Frieda Garcia in San Francisco, Maggie Murphy in Austin, Delya Ghosh in San Francisco and Roberto Caballero, who heads the Houston, Austin and New York offices. Partner Nassim Mahzoon in Santa Clara was lauded as a “critical, valued thought partner.” Partner Kortney Gibson, who leads the Dallas Center of Excellence, is named a Next Generation Partner and called “the key name for non-immigrant visa applications.” The Legal 500 noted that BAL “further bolstered its practice” by hiring COO Leslie Rohrbacker, recognized as a Key Lawyer. Senior Associate Tiffany Martinez in San Francisco is recognized as a Rising Star.
A client summed up BAL’s extraordinary approach to corporate immigration: “What makes Berry Appleman & Leiden unique in the legal market is their collaborative approach and their firmwide pursuit of the exceptional.”
About The Legal 500
For 34 years, The Legal 500 has analyzed the capabilities of law firms across the world, with a comprehensive annual research program providing the most up-to-date vision of the global legal market. The Legal 500 assesses the strengths of law firms in over 150 jurisdictions. The rankings are based on a series of criteria, including feedback from 300,000 clients worldwide, but simply put, we highlight the practice area teams who are providing the most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel.
BAL, the world’s leading corporate immigration law firm, is singularly focused on meeting the immigration challenges of corporate clients around the world in ways that make immigration more strategic and enable businesses to be more successful. Established in 1980, BAL has consistently provided immigration expertise, people-centered client services, and leading technology innovation. BAL’s Cobalt® digital immigration services platform won the 2020 CODiE Award for Best Legal Tech Product, the prestigious CIO100 award for Innovative Use of Intelligent Automation in Immigration Services, and Legalweek‘s Most Innovative Law Firm Operations Team of 2021. In 2018, BAL entered into a first-of-its-kind strategic alliance with Deloitte U.K. to create the world’s first global immigration service delivery model. BAL has ranked #1 on multiple industry rankings for diversity, equity and inclusion, including #1 on the Diversity Scorecard by The American Lawyer (2020 and 2021), Law360’s Diversity Snapshot (2020 and 2021), and the #1 Law Firm for Women according to the National Law Journal (2019, 2020 and 2021). BAL and its leaders are highly ranked in every major legal publication, including Best Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and Who’s Who Legal. See website for details: https://www.bal.com.
Most people are aware of systemic problems with our immigration system and how it’s affecting the talent pipeline. But what people may not know is how immigration processing delays are impacting the kind of sports and entertainment stars the U.S. is able to attract and keep.
Immigration case backlogs have reached gargantuan levels in the past two years. An astounding 10 million immigration cases are bottlenecked in government caseloads—a 66% increase in pending cases since the end of fiscal year 2019. Delays have acutely impacted sports arenas and Hollywood—two fields where time is always of the essence and international travel comes with the territory.
Most international entertainers and athletes enter the U.S. on temporary work visas, typically “extraordinary ability” (O-1) or “internationally recognized level of performance” (P-1) visas. Those who are able to apply for U.S. permanent residence must remain in the U.S. throughout the adjudication process, unless they obtain a travel document permitting them to leave and return, known as “advance parole.” Before COVID, it only took two to three months for these accomplished stars to regain their ability to travel; now it can take as long as 15 months. Expedite requests are available, but approval is not guaranteed and could still take several months to process.
Asking a pro sports player or Hollywood producer not to travel for over a year is unreasonable and could be detrimental to their careers. Athletes in the NBA, NHL and MLS all travel internationally to face Canadian-based teams every season. Film and music are international industries, requiring entertainers to travel frequently for concerts, filming, awards and other events. The freeze on travel while their green card is being processed is a potentially career-ending suspension in highly competitive fields.
Entertainers who are unable to travel will have to give up lucrative to work in order to maintain their green card case. Recently, a Los Angeles-based British director filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government for delaying her immigration request, potentially hindering a film project in Greece and Bulgaria and costing her a $1 million contract. In that case, USCIS refused the director’s request for expedited processing of her advance parole application that would allow her to leave the U.S. for the months needed for filming without abandoning her green card application.
Athletes and entertainers have few alternate options to obtain a green card, other than staying put in the U.S. while they wait out the delay. Before the pandemic, they might return to their home country to apply for an immigrant visa at the U.S. Consulate as a faster processing route. However, backlogs at Consulates are also significantly delayed, taking away that option.
As a result of these delays, many of my clients are now putting off the green card process indefinitely. They simply cannot afford to be confined to one country for such extended and undefined periods of time. Antiquated immigration policies that fail to respond to highly-mobile 21st century life drive away world-class talent to seek careers in countries with less burdensome policies and a much quicker paths to permanent residency.
Instead of driving away exceptional talent, we should be welcoming the best athletes and artists into our country. Our economic recovery demands that we retain talent who have the potential to lift local economies and allow the U.S. to continue leading the world in sports and entertainment. Reallocation of resources and workloads will not solve the massive backlogs; we need common sense policy changes, such as expanding green card availability and fast-tracking certain categories, that enable leading sports and entertainment stars to flourish in the U.S.
Gabriel Castro is an Immigration Attorney with Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP and leads the firm’s Sports and Entertainment Practice Group in Los Angeles. Gabriel represents organizations, athletes, artists, entertainers, coaches and staff, helping them navigate the complexities of the U.S. immigration system.
DALLAS (June 2, 2022) – Immigration titan Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) is once again a top-ranked firm in the newly released Chambers USA Guide 2022.
Chambers rated BAL a Band 1 firm, saying, “The firm provides perfect client service and is superior in the field.”
In addition to earning the highest ranking for BAL’s USA Nationwide practice, the firm’s offices in California, Massachusetts, Texas, and Virginia earned Band 1 recognition, and its New York office is also cited by the esteemed Chambers rankings.
“We’re honored to be recognized by such an eminent publication,” said BAL Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge. “The Chambers rankings are particularly meaningful because they are based on client feedback—so this recognition is a testament to the exceptional relationships we have with clients all over the world. This is why we have the highest NPS score in the industry. We’re thrilled to be making such a positive difference in people’s lives.”
Jeremy is singled out as an Eminent Practitioner among the nine BAL attorneys who are ranked.
Clients interviewed by Chambers researchers hail BAL as a “strong firm which stands out in terms of the lawyers, client service and technology.” One impressed client notes, “The attorneys are extremely responsive and detailed, providing both a consultative and realistic approach,” and another client said, “The firm hires the brightest and best attorneys and takes client relationships seriously.”
Chambers praises BAL’s Texas office for its “expertise in the state’s dominant sectors, including energy and technology,” calls the California office a “commanding corporate immigration boutique composed of a high-caliber team of attorneys,” and says the Massachusetts office “excels at both US and global immigration for a client base that includes some of Massachusetts’ most high-profile businesses and employers.”
Referring to BAL’s Washington D.C. office, Chambers calls BAL an “industry leader in helping clients around the world understand, navigate, and shape immigration law and policy.” Partner Lynden Melmed, who leads the firm’s Government Strategies team and ranks in both the USA Nationwide category and D.C. region, is described as “a tremendous lawyer” and “excellent at strategy.”
Partners Edward Rios, who manages the firm’s Boston office, and Josiah Curtis, are both ranked in Chambers’ Massachusetts guide, where they are commended for working to “provide solid advice and resolution for unique and complex situations.”
Jeff Joseph, a Partner in the firm’s Colorado office is cited for his “longstanding expertise in the immigration space,” and is particularly noted for his accomplishments in litigating immigration matters.
Partner Maggie Murphy, in the Austin office, is recognized for leading compliance audits and a wide variety of visa filings, while Senior Counsel Poonam Gupta, in the New York office, is described as “thorough, understanding and empathetic.”
BAL’s Tysons, Va., office is recognized in Chambers’ inaugural Virginia immigration guide, with clients praising Partner Liane Cooney for being “extremely knowledgeable” and Partner Michelle Funk for being “unmatched in her knowledge of immigration law.”
About Chambers and Partners
Since 1990, Chambers and Partners has published an annual guide ranking the best lawyers on the basis of technical expertise, business acumen, prompt delivery and value for money. A team of over 200 researchers conducts thousands of interviews to produce the rankings. Lawyers cannot buy their way into Chambers rankings; as a result, its annual directories are considered among the most accurate and reliable.
Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) is once again ranked as one of the most diverse law firms in the country, ranking #1 among all firms for our percentage of Asian attorneys and #2 for Hispanic attorney representation, according to The American Lawyer’s 2022 Diversity Scorecard.
“We take pride in steering the legal industry toward greater diversity, and we’re thrilled to lead in the representation of Asian and Hispanic attorneys,” said BAL Partner Frieda Garcia, who manages the firm’s West Coast operations. “Our diverse legal team enables us to better serve clients from every corner of the globe. We look forward to continuing to grow our DE&I initiatives to provide even more leadership opportunities for legal professionals of color.”
More than half, 55%, of BAL’s 169 attorneys identify as people of color, and diversity is integral to the firm’s leadership—52% of attorneys in supervisory roles are minorities and 38% of the firm’s equity partners are minorities.
“We have always known that it’s our diverse cultures and experiences that make BAL such a phenomenal place to work,” said Jeremy Fudge, BAL’s Managing Partner. “We want to welcome more minority partners and promote diverse rising stars, which will expand all of our perspectives. We are redoubling our efforts in minority recruiting with specific and unique programs to increase and sustain opportunities for African American and Black lawyers. It’s an ongoing effort and we’re in this for the long haul – in the coming years, we fully expect to lead the industry in every DE&I metric.”
BAL’s ranking reflects the firm’s intentional efforts to create an inclusive workplace culture—leadership renewed its commitment to those efforts following the national racial reckoning in the summer of 2020. Through more than 40 DE&I initiatives such as creating a DE&I board, adding affinity groups, engaging in firmwide focus groups, and increasing minority and HBCU recruiting efforts, BAL has cultivated a culture where diverse employees feel welcomed and empowered to pursue career and personal growth.
BAL won The Best Company for Diversity in 2021 by Comparably, based solely on employee ratings. Minority employees at BAL give the firm an “A+” in rating their team, manager and compensation.
“When we recruit diverse employees, we ensure that our firm is greater than the sum of its very talented parts,” said Partner Rob Caballero, who manages BAL’s Houston and Austin operations. “Drawing from our unique backgrounds, we learn from and inspire each other as we make a positive difference in people’s lives around the world.”