| poonam.gupta@bal.com |
| Direct |
| + 1 469 290 9325 |
| Office |
| + 1 929 335 9800 |
| Location |
| 11 Times Square 11th Floor New York, NY 10036 |
Poonam is a Senior Counsel with BAL and leads the New York office. She provides strategic and legal counsel to clients on all aspects of corporate and business immigration, working with organizations of all sizes in a wide variety of industries globally.
Her practice focuses on employment-based immigration matters, including assisting companies and their employees with all facets of non-immigrant and immigrant visa matters. Poonam also provides guidance to employers on immigration compliance and immigration strategies related to corporate reorganizations. She is a regular speaker at local and national conferences and events on corporate immigration and I-9 compliance.
Prior to joining Berry Appleman & Leiden, Poonam headed the immigration practice for a top-tier global law firm. Her practice focused on providing U.S. business immigration solutions to employers seeking to transfer employees to the U.S. She is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and enjoys helping people achieve their goals. She has worked with individuals and families to provide pro bono counsel.
As part of her pro bono practice, Poonam has volunteered for the City University of New York’s Citizenship Now annual event and assisted with the Special Immigrant Juvenile docket.
In addition, Poonam leads a team at BAL that works with the International Refugee Assistance Project to assist with their immigration matters and more recently provided guidance on the Afghan refugee situation.
Education & Admissions
Master of Laws, New York University School of Law
Honors: Engelberg Fellow
U.K. Master of Laws, Trinity College, University of Cambridge
Honors: ODASSS Scholarship
Bachelor of Laws, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
Bachelor of Science, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi
Admitted to:
District Court, Southern District of New York
District Court, Eastern District of New York
State Bar of New York
Bar Council of India
Memberships
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
Served on Verification & Documentation Liaison Committee for AILA National, 2018-2020
Active Member of Global Migration Section for AILA National, 2013-present
Annual Conference planning committee of the Global Migration Section, 2014
AILA New York Chapter
Co-Chair of the Cross-Practice Committee for AILA NY
Co-Chair, Government Liaison Committee for AILA NY
Co-Chair, Corporate Practice Committee for AILA NY
Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY)
Co-chair of the Immigration Committee at AABANY, 2016- present
National Association of Women Lawyers, served on the Immigration Committee (2017)
Recognition
Pro Bono Publico Award from The Legal Aid Society, 2019
Committee of the Year Award from the Asian American Bar Association of New York for serving as a Co-Chair of the Immigration Committee, 2018
Professional Accomplishments
Moderator, "The Intersection of Employment, Family, Tax and Immigration Issues," AILA New York Cross-Practice Continuing Legal Education Course, Jan. 10, 2022.
Speaker, “Immigration Policy Changes Under the Biden Administration: A Look Back and Overview,” Asian American Bar Association of New York, April 20, 2021.
Speaker, “First 100 Days of the Biden Administration,” American Immigration Lawyers Association, New York Chapter.
Moderator, “H-1B Cap Roundtable Discussions,” BAL webinar series, Jan-Feb 2021.
Speaker, “Immigration Policy Updates Under the Biden Administration,” Asian American Bar Association of New York, Jan. 21, 2021.
Speaker, “U.S. Immigration Updates,” Webinar with Deloitte Germany, Dec. 8, 2020.
Speaker, "Planning for End-of-Year Travel and Expiration of Travel Bans," Worldwide ERC, Dec. 3, 2020.
Speaker, “The Skilled Worker Rule Three Years Later,” AILA National Conference Virtual Session, July 20-23, 2020.
