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We are pleased to announce that L. Ruth Clark has been named a partner at Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. Ms. Clark joined BAL in 2010 and practices from the Houston office, where she concentrates on all U.S. employment-based corporate immigration matters, with a specialization in I-9 and compliance legal services. She currently oversees some of BAL’s most high-profile clients and is a key leader in support of the firm’s compliance practice. Ms. Clark is a subject matter expert in her field and is a frequent speaker at local and national continuing legal education courses, in addition to industry-related seminars and conferences.
Ms. Clark is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). She earned her Juris Doctorate at the University of Houston Law Center and her Bachelor of Arts in French from the University of Texas. She is admitted to the State Bar of Texas.
Media Contact: Emily Albrecht Senior Director — Marketing & Communications ealbrecht@bal.com 469-559-0174
We are pleased to announce that Stephanie Wolf has been named a partner at Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. Ms. Wolf joined BAL in 2007 and concentrates on U.S. business immigration matters. She counsels clients with respect to key changes in immigration law and she has helped clients re-strategize their immigration programs as government scrutiny and enforcement have increased. She regularly advises clients on petitions for O-1 individuals of Extraordinary Ability, L-1 Multinational Managers and Specialized Knowledge intracompany transfers, H-1B Specialty Occupation and TN workers. She also provides strategic guidance on STEM OPT requirements, E-Verify and I-9 compliance, and the immigration implications of mergers and acquisitions, and has presented at industry-related seminars on a variety of business immigration and compliance topics. Ms. Wolf is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and has served on the USCIS California Service Center Liaison Committee.
She earned her Juris Doctorate at the University of San Francisco School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Vermont.
Firm to move 300 local employees to larger location
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – December 11, 2017 – Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL), a leading global corporate immigration law firm with offices around the world, has moved to a new and expanded location at 555 Mission Street. BAL was established in San Francisco in 1980 and has strong ties to the technology industry.
The office will house about 300 BAL attorneys, paralegals and staff from the firm’s current Financial District location. The office is one of the firm’s largest worldwide.
“San Francisco remains an optimal location for BAL and is a key component of our dynamic growth strategy,” said Carol Mays, BAL’s COO. “Many of our clients in the Bay Area are multinational industry leaders in the tech sector. Expanding our presence enables us to continue supporting the business operations of leading companies around the globe for years to come, while delivering the highest level of service.”
BAL has locations in key international markets Dubai, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Maputo (Mozambique), Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney, and in major U.S. financial and commercial centers Dallas/Richardson, Austin, Boston, Houston, McLean (Virginia), San Francisco, Walnut Creek and Washington, D.C.
BAL offers a data-driven, globally seamless approach to its work, in order to maximize its practice and deliver greater efficiencies, resulting in a better client experience. Among the firm’s key points of differentiation are leadership in technology, artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning, and a consistent focus on cybersecurity knowledge and best practices. The firm also offers an industry-leading knowledge management team and services; an unrelenting commitment to customer service; a service delivery model and internal structure that are unique in the industry; and strong consultative and strategic advisory services at a programmatic level.
September 14, 2017 – Best Lawyers recognized eight Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP lawyers as “The Best Lawyers in America” for 2018. The BAL attorneys listed by Best Lawyers are:
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based on a peer review process designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
For 2017, U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers ranked BAL as a “Best Law Firm” nationally as well as in the metropolitan areas of Houston, Texas, and San Francisco, Calif. Firms included on the 2017 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be eligible for a ranking as a “Best Law Firm”, a law firm must have at least one lawyer listed on “The Best Lawyers in America” list for that particular location and specialty.
Copyright © 2017 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 — Berry Appleman & Leiden, one of the country’s largest corporate immigration law firms, today announced that its Chief Information Officer, Vince DiMascio, has been selected as the 2017 Bay Area CIO of the Year for a private company. The prestigious award is presented annually by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and the San Francisco Business Times.
“We are proud that Vince has been honored as the CIO of the Year,” said Berry Appleman & Leiden Managing Partner, Jeremy Fudge. “We have made IT a top priority at our firm and Vince has done a tremendous job leading the way. He’s a big reason why so many clients trust us with their business—they know we have the most advanced and most secure IT operation anywhere.”
DiMascio serves as the Global Chief Information Officer at Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. He is responsible for technology strategy worldwide. As CIO, DiMascio leads technology innovation and product development, data analytics, front office technology, IT for business operations, digital, infrastructure and security.
“I am honored to receive this award,” DiMascio said. “It recognizes our team’s determination to develop and deliver innovative technologies that are unparalleled in our industry. This is of paramount value to us, as the world’s most sophisticated immigration programs depend on BAL’s unwavering dedication to security and constant technological advancement.” He added, “It’s a privilege to be a part of this team’s success.”
Prior to joining BAL, DiMascio spent over eleven years at PwC in a variety of positions, including as the firm’s legal technology and e-discovery leader.
Berry Appleman & Leiden is a global immigration firm that helps corporate clients around the world meet immigration challenges. The firm has 18 offices around the world.
“Berry Appleman & Leiden believes in creating a diverse workforce. But more than simply talk about it, they are doing it.”
Congratulations to BAL, and partners Frieda Garcia, Kortney Gibson and Carla Tarazi for recognition in the Best Lawyers Spring Edition – Women in the Law!
Berry Appleman & Leiden (BAL) is pleased to announce that Kelli Duehning, a senior ranking lawyer at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has joined the firm. She will practice in the firm’s compliance and government strategies group and will be based in California.
Ms. Duehning most recently managed the Western Law Division of USCIS, where she was responsible for developing and coordinating legal strategies for the Western Region and the Asia/Pacific divisions of the agency. She worked closely with government investigators and federal law enforcement officials and was a close advisor to agency leadership on complex immigration issues.
Ms. Duehning was selected by the agency to serve as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she conducted oversight and drafted immigration legislation. Before the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, she served as an Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Trial Attorney.
“We are thrilled to have Kelli join our team,” said Jeremy Fudge, managing partner of the firm. “We are entering a dynamic time in immigration law, and Kelli’s deep understanding of how the agencies operate and conduct investigations will be a tremendous asset for our clients.”
For over thirty-five years, BAL has been at the forefront of immigration advocacy and has a track record of success representing companies during investigations and audits. Ms. Duehning joins other former government officials at the firm, including Lynden Melmed, former Chief Counsel of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Jeff Gorsky, former Chief of the Legal Advisory Section at the Department of State.
“It has been a privilege to work at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the professional opportunities have been incredible,” Ms. Duehning said. “But I couldn’t be more excited about joining a firm that is known for its service and integrity and I look forward to supporting the firm’s clients during an exciting time in immigration law.”
BAL is ranked as a top firm in the Global-wide category in the newly released Chambers Global Guide, an annual ranking of the best international law firms based on independent research and interviews with lawyers and clients worldwide.
Chambers recognizes BAL as a “highly respected firm specializing in corporate global mobility that offers clients the full spectrum of immigration services in addition to providing policy development and compliance advice. The firm is also particularly renowned for its work in the USA, especially in key jurisdictions such as Silicon Valley, and for its coverage of the UK, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.”
BAL is praised for its strong immigration practices, and Chambers sources stated that, “their immigration work is absolutely excellent,” adding, “They provide in-depth analysis on all jurisdictions and have a really high level of expertise.” Sources also noted BAL’s global reach, stating that the team has “a broad international practice and really strong expertise in the USA.”
Notable practitioners listed for BAL include Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge, Founding Partner David Berry, Europe Managing Director Emily King, Asia Managing Director Christina Karl, and Latin America Managing Director Daniela Lima.
About Chambers Global
Since 1990, Chambers has published an annual guide ranking the world’s best lawyers based on technical expertise, business acumen, prompt delivery, and value for money. A team of over 140 researchers conducts thousands of interviews worldwide to produce the rankings. Lawyers cannot buy their way into Chamber’s rankings; as a result, its annual directories are considered among the most accurate and reliable.
On the March 16th segment of the Fox News show Cavuto Coast to Coast, BAL Partner Lynden Melmed discusses his thoughts surrounding federal judges blocking President Trump’s revised Executive Order travel ban.
Please view the full interview here.
© 2017 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP Attorneys at Law
Founding Partner David Berry was named the Best Lawyers® 2017 Immigration “Lawyer of the Year” in San Francisco.
Mr. Berry’s nomination follows BAL’s recent ranking by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers as a “Best Law Firm.” BAL is also ranked as a “Best Law Firm” in the metropolitan areas of Houston and San Francisco.
Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer review evaluation. For the 2017 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, 7.3 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in almost 55,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.