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President Biden announces a policy to protect undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens.
The administration moves toward streamlined work visa processes for some DACA beneficiaries.
And we sit down with the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s new president-elect, BAL’s Jeff Joseph, to survey the immigration landscape and discuss AILA’s focus on becoming more inclusive.
Get this news and more in the latest episode of BAL’s podcast, the BAL Immigration Report, available on Apple, Spotify and the BAL news site.
This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.
Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.
SAN FRANCISCO and DALLAS, September 13, 2023 — BAL, the global corporate immigration law firm helping businesses and individuals navigate complex immigration issues, announces today the appointment of Frieda Garcia as Managing Partner. Frieda is the first woman and Latina to serve in this role and the third managing partner in BAL’s 43-year history. In her new role, Frieda oversees all aspects of the firm’s legal operations and ensures that teams across the firm’s 13 offices are working together seamlessly to deliver best-in-class immigration services while building on the firm’s oneBAL culture. She continues to lead efforts to attract new clients and deliver exceptional service to the firm’s clients.
“This achievement is a significant personal and professional milestone for me. I knew early on that the foundation of the open-door policy set by BAL’s s founding partners would allow me to grow and shine as long as I kept asking questions, raising my hand to help manage complex issues and finding creative ways to enhance our firm’s culture,” said Frieda. “My journey to reach this position has been defined by cultivating meaningful relationships, hard work and sacrifice, as well as unique challenges that working mothers face while building their careers. With my position, I hope to inspire and pave the way for others like me to continue BAL’s legacy of powering human achievement.”
“For over two decades, Frieda has been a distinguished leader and mentor at BAL, and she has truly exemplified our commitment to pursue the exceptional,” said Jeremy Fudge, CEO at BAL. “Frieda’s strong character, incredible legal acumen, steady presence and grace will enable BAL to continue to make a positive difference in people’s lives.”
Additionally, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, BAL is putting a spotlight on Frieda’s 22-year career at the firm. Her integrity and energy became vital to its growth and culture, and she has been instrumental in spearheading the firm’s most prominent immigration programs in the technology, finance and travel service industries. Since she started at BAL in 2001, BAL has grown from two offices to 13, a testament to her contributions to the firm’s growth and success.
Frieda’s life and career have been profoundly shaped by her family’s personal immigration journey. She was born in the U.S., but at a very young age, moved back to El Salvador with her parents. After losing her mother to cancer at the age of four and spending several years in a war-torn country, Frieda’s father obtained a work visa and moved the family back to the U.S. when she was eight. Driven by her experiences, Frieda pursued higher education at the University of California, Davis, and the University of San Francisco School of Law. It was during this time that she discovered her passion for immigration law, and she began her career assisting asylum applicants and defending deportation cases.
Among her many awards and honors, Frieda has been recognized by Best Lawyers every year since 2016. Last year, she won a Corporate Counsel’s 2022 Women, Influence & Power in Law Award for Thought Leadership. Frieda and her two daughters are members of the National Charity League, a group of mothers and daughters committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences. Their hands-on philanthropic engagement spans 200 hours per year, and in recognition of their dedication and time, her daughters have both earned The President’s Volunteer Service Award.
Frieda’s appointment is a significant achievement for Latinas in the legal field, showcasing BAL’s unwavering commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion within the industry. The NALP reports Black and Hispanic women are the most underrepresented in partner ranks, and in 2022, Latina women accounted for less than 1% of all law partners. BAL takes immense pride in its commitment to diversity and understands that it’s a key strength that enables the firm to deliver exceptional service to clients. Recognized as the most diverse law firm, people of color at BAL represent 63% of employees and 54% of attorneys. Notably, 62% of BAL’s equity partners are people of color.
About BAL
Established in 1980, BAL powers human achievement through immigration expertise, people-centered client services and innovative technology. BAL, with 13 offices across the United States and global coverage in more than 185 countries around the world, operates as a single entity through its oneBAL culture — a uniquely holistic approach, intentionally structured as one team, one brand, one P&L, one standard of excellence and one unifying technology. This united approach enables the firm to deliver the highest level of knowledge, insights and resources from across the entire organization. At BAL, we pursue the exceptional. To learn more, visit bal.com.
Media Contact: Emily Albrecht Senior Director — Marketing & Communications ealbrecht@bal.com 469-559-0174
DALLAS (Jan. 26, 2023) — Pacesetting global immigration firm BAL was lauded last night by the mayor of the city of Richardson, Texas, in the annual State of the City address. The environmentally minded law firm set a record by providing the largest group of volunteers to partake in the city’s Community and Corporate Environmental Cleanup program.
Applauding BAL for its “tremendous showing of community spirit,” three-term Mayor Paul Voelker, who has overseen the cleanup since 2017, invited BAL Partner Kortney Gibson to attend his address in person and stand for official recognition by the audience.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the mayor and the city for our volunteer work,” said Kortney, who manages BAL’s local operations and Center of Excellence. “We pride ourselves on extending our time and efforts and compassion into initiatives that support the environment and our local community.”
In July, 500 BAL team members from the firm’s Richardson headquarters gathered at the nearby Spring Creek Nature Area preserve to clean up sections of heavily wooded terrain. The earth-conscious BAL team was the largest cadre of volunteers to partner with the city’s Environmental Cleanup program outside of the city’s annual Trash Bash initiative. The city facilitates the cleanup initiative to maintain the popular 100-acre nature destination, which is nestled within a thriving urban environment.
BAL Partner Stephanie Pimentel coordinated the volunteer effort as part of the annual firm-wide volunteer “Service Day,” in which teams from BAL’s 14 offices around the country volunteer for a project of their choosing to help their local communities.
“Coordinating the Service Day was one of the highlights of my year,” said Stephanie, who also attended the mayor’s address. “Joining with 500 colleagues to beautify the nature area and preserve our local environment was an inspiring reminder that the work BAL does to make a positive difference in people’s lives doesn’t stop with our clients and teams, but extends beyond the front door to the communities we are a part of.”
About 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 by the National Law Journal four years in a row (2019-2022), #1 on the Diversity Scorecard by The American Lawyer (2020 and 2021), and #1 on Law360’s Diversity Snapshot for three years running (2020-2022). BAL won in seven of Comparably’s Best Company categories, including Diversity, Women, Career Growth, and Perks & Benefits. The Dallas Business Journal named BAL one of only a handful of the 2022 Best Places to Work based exclusively on employee feedback. US News & World Report–Best Lawyers named BAL the 2023 Immigration Law Firm of the Year.
Dallas (Jan. 6, 2023) — BAL, the world’s leading corporate immigration law firm, promoted five of its attorneys to Partner this month: Shehryar Chaudhry, Haesung Kim, Amy Lighter, Stephanie Pimentel and Michael Sela.
Shehryar Chaudhry provides strategic counsel to companies from BAL’s San Francisco office, managing immigration programs for companies in the technology sector and providing guidance on compliance, program management and corporate restructuring.
“As an immigrant myself, I get a lot of joy out of working with corporate clients in shaping their immigration program and in helping their foreign national employees,” Shehryar said. “It’s a win-win, and I’m honored to step into a new leadership role at a firm that values those relationships.”
In the firm’s Tysons, Virginia, office, Haesung Kim has extensive experience representing Fortune 500 companies on all aspects of employment and family-based immigration matters. Her practice focuses on managing PERM labor certification and green card processes for large corporations.
Amy Lighter, who practices in the firm’s Santa Clara, California, office, works with companies to craft immigration solutions that facilitate the mobility of executives, managers and specialized workers, with a particular interest in securing extraordinary ability visas for leading scientists and researchers.
“I have lived abroad as a ‘trailing spouse’ without work authorization and have walked in my clients’ shoes,” said Amy, who has a background in science and technology. “I’m excited for my new role at BAL — a tech-forward firm that empowers my passion for leveraging technology to improve the quality and delivery of legal services.”
Practicing at BAL’s headquarters in Dallas, Stephanie Pimentel represents companies across diverse industries, including pharmaceutical, IT and consulting. She manages immigration programs for large multinational corporations as well as startups, and previously served as Liaison to Customs and Border Protection at Boston’s Logan Airport through the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Michael Sela, who practices in BAL’s San Francisco office, has expertise in all facets of business immigration matters having represented clients of all sizes in industries such as healthcare, entertainment and technology. Michael advises global companies and their employees on both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas processes.
“Our new partners represent BAL’s continuing pursuit of the exceptional for our clients, DE&I in our firm and innovation in our industry,” explains BAL Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge. “This year, we are resetting our own benchmark for high-quality, people-centered services powered by technology, and these elite professionals will help us meet those goals and our clients achieve success.”
Trailblazing immigration law firm BAL has been recognized by Texas Lawyer for its tech-forward legal practice and for its next-generation attorneys.
BAL’s Chief Technology Officer Chanille Juneau is honored with the Legal Innovator Award. The publication’s Texas Legal Awards recognize legal professionals who have introduced game-changing ideas and turned those ideas into reality.
Under Chanille’s leadership, the firm’s in-house tech products team has developed industry-leading, award-winning tech tools, including BAL’s proprietary immigration case management software and mobile app, Cobalt,® that are making a positive difference for multinational companies and their employees and families around the world.
“Innovation means overcoming real-world challenges people are facing, then leveraging legal knowledge and technical skills synergistically to come up with practical solutions,” Chanille explained. “The most successful innovations spring from a people-centered purpose, and that is a core value of our culture and our approach.”
BAL Senior Associate Tiffany Lam-Bentley was also recognized by Texas Lawyer as an attorney “On the Rise.” Tiffany was recognized for her accomplishments and expertise as an immigration attorney, her strong leadership and mentoring skills, as well as her initiative in organizing pro bono events to benefit local communities in need of legal services.
Chanille and Tiffany will be honored at a ceremony Sept. 14 at the Arts District Mansion in Dallas.
About BAL Established in 1980, BAL powers human achievement through immigration expertise, people-centered client services and innovative technology. BAL, with 13 offices across the United States and global coverage in more than 185 countries around the world, operates as a single entity through its oneBAL culture — a uniquely holistic approach, intentionally structured as one team, one brand, one P&L, one standard of excellence and one unifying technology. This united approach enables the firm to deliver the highest level of knowledge, insights and resources from across the entire organization.
At BAL, we pursue the exceptional. To learn more visit bal.com.
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 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
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. 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
DALLAS, March 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — BAL Partner Lynden Melmed testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, in the hearing “Removing Barriers to Legal Migration to Strengthen our Communities and Economy.” Lynden leads BAL’s Government Strategies Team and previously served as Chief Counsel for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Lynden’s testimony sounded the alarm that the wait time for employment-based immigrants to get a green card is at a tipping point. “If you ask any company in any industry what the single biggest problem is with the U.S. high-skilled immigration system, you will encounter something rare in the immigration debate: consensus,” Lynden said. “All agree that the lengthy green card backlog is the central problem.”
Pointing to systemic factors contributing to years-long wait times – from outdated manual processing to burdensome policies – he warned that the growing backlog cannot be solved by staffing or resource allocation. Further, he emphasized that improvements to the immigration system would boost the economy, saying, “Expanding legal immigration would increase the pace of economic growth, lower the budget deficit by nearly $3 trillion over 10 years, and boost per capita income by $1,700 over 10 years.”
Lynden stressed the demand for global talent to fill roles in STEM and other fields in order for the U.S. to remain competitive, and noted that the U.S. is losing talent to other countries like Canada that offer a streamlined permanent residency process. He concluded his testimony by offering practical solutions that focus on U.S. competitiveness and job creation. Pointing to proposals such as increasing the number of employment-based visa numbers available to skilled immigrants, recapturing unused green card numbers, and streamlining filing requirements, he urged Congress to take action.
“By doing nothing, the U.S. is going backwards,” he said.
“We’re glad to see Congress’ interest in addressing problems in the U.S. immigration system, and there’s no one better informed on this issue than Lynden,” said BAL Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge. “He and our Government Strategies team are well-connected with key policymakers, advocate for businesses and high-skilled immigration in Washington, and keep our clients and industry leaders informed about anticipated policy changes and how they will impact their businesses. He is the preeminent expert on U.S. immigration policy, and we are hopeful that Congress is persuaded to act.”
Watch the full hearing.Read Lynden’s testimony.
About Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL)BAL, the world’s leading corporate immigration law firm, ranks #1 on the Diversity Scorecard by The American Lawyer (2020 and 2021), #1 on 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’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. BAL is singularly focused on meeting the immigration challenges of corporate clients around the world in ways that make immigration more strategic and enable clients to be more successful. Established in 1980, BAL has consistently provided immigration expertise, top-notch information security and leading technology innovation. The firm entered into a strategic alliance with Deloitte UK to create the world’s first global immigration service delivery model. 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
SOURCE Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP
DALLAS (Feb. 28, 2022) – Jeremy Fudge, Managing Partner of the award-winning immigration law firm BAL, has been named a 2022 Outstanding Director by the Dallas Business Journal. Jeremy is recognized for his excellence in governance and his role in the success, growth and development of BAL.
“I’m honored by this recognition from our leading local business publication,” Jeremy said. “I’m proud to help lead the amazing people at BAL as we continue to attract the top professionals in the industry, pave new ways of serving clients through our proprietary tech tools, and provide platinum-level service to our clients.”
Jeremy has overseen tremendous expansion of the firm, nationally and in the Dallas area. In just the past two years, the firm has hired over 600 employees, including 60% diversity hires. The firm’s Center of Excellence and national headquarters in Richardson grew by 18.5 percent in 2021, and is set to add another 100,000 square feet of space this summer. BAL has opened a new office every year for the past five years, including two during the pandemic (Denver and Austin), and the firm continues to expand into new markets.
As Managing Partner, Jeremy embodies the firm’s people-centric approach, not only in his unique management style, but also in his relentless support of industry-leading technology innovations and investment in people. These twin priorities enable BAL to offer exceptional client services to some of the largest multinational companies around the world, while attracting and retaining top legal talent at BAL, even in these challenging times.
Under Jeremy’s management and leadership, BAL has weathered the pandemic as well as the ensuing Great Resignation. Jeremy personally recruited several of the top immigration professionals in the country to BAL in 2021. The firm also added unlimited vacation as a benefit, developed a proprietary tool to measure and balance workloads, and automated document processing that liberates employees from mundane tasks—initiatives that make BAL the destination for the industry’s top talent.
“Jeremy embodies the firm’s mission to make a positive difference in people’s lives, whether he’s serving our corporate clients, their employees, or his own colleagues and every BAL employee,” said Partner Kortney Gibson, who oversees the Center of Excellence in Richardson.
Jeremy takes his coaching and pursuit of the exceptional beyond his professional role. A competitive runner and marathoner, he most recently coached 14 BAL attorneys and staff from couch to completion of the 2021 BMW Dallas Marathon.
A member of the Texas bar, Jeremy earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from The University of Texas School of Law and his Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, in Journalism and Political Science from Baylor University.
About Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) BAL, one of the world’s leading corporate immigration law firms, is the Most Diverse Law Firm in America (2020 and 2021) and the Best Law Firm for Women (2019 and 2020). BAL’s Cobalt® digital immigration services platform won the 2020 CODiE Award for Best Legal Tech Product and the prestigious CIO100 award for Innovative Use of Intelligent Automation in Immigration Services. The firm won Legalweek’s Most Innovative Law Firm Operations Team of the Year in 2021. BAL is singularly focused on meeting the immigration challenges of corporate clients around the world in ways that make immigration more strategic and enable clients to be more successful. Established in 1980, BAL has consistently provided immigration expertise, top-notch information security and leading technology innovation. The firm entered into a strategic alliance with Deloitte UK to create the world’s first global immigration service delivery model. 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.