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DALLAS, Oct. 3, 2022 – Award-winning immigration law firm BAL is expanding its practice with the addition of celebrated immigration attorney and national expert Ashley Foret Dees, who will join the firm as a partner.
Ashley is the leading expert on H-2A and H-2B temporary work visas. She currently practices at the immigration firm she founded in Lake Charles, LA and will transition to BAL’s Houston office in 2023. “I’m thrilled to be joining a team of truly elite professionals practicing at the height of our field and to be at the cutting edge of immigration legal services,” she said. “BAL has the best tech tools in the industry, an unwavering commitment to client experience, and a dynamic team-minded environment that I can’t wait to join.”
Ashley is a member and former H-2 Visa Chair on the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Department of Labor Liaison Committee. She regularly speaks at the AILA Annual Conference and Mid-South Chapter on H-2 visa topics, and has served on the AILA National Pro Bono Committee. She is also the founder of the Louisiana State Bar Immigration Law Section, which she chairs.
“We’re excited to welcome Ashley to BAL,” said Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge. “She has the strongest H-2 visa practice in the country and not only brings a decade plus of experience, she also shares our passion for exceptional client service, our people-centered values, and our trailblazing mindset. As with every area we engage, we anticipate revolutionizing this practice area and setting the standard for all others.”
“As BAL continues to be the go-to firm for every aspect of corporate immigration, Ashley’s expertise in the growing area of H-2 work visas will add a significant benefit to our current and future clients, who need every option to fill skills gaps in this competitive global talent market,” said BAL Partner Rob Caballero who oversees the firm’s Houston office.
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 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 the three years running (2020-2022). BAL won The Best Company for Diversity, the Best HR Team, and the Best Company for Career Growth by Comparably, based solely on employee ratings. The Dallas Business Journal named BAL one of only a handful of the 2022 Best Places to Work based exclusively on employee feedback.
See website for details: https://www.bal.com
Media Contact: Emily Albrecht Senior Director — Marketing & Communications ealbrecht@bal.com 469-559-0174
Sept. 12, 2022 – BAL Partner Frieda Garcia has been honored with a 2022 Women, Influence & Power in Law Award by Corporate Counsel. Frieda was honored in the Thought Leadership category, an area where she has excelled throughout her two decades at BAL. Frieda heads the firm’s management committee and is key in influencing the direction of all legal and operational functions at BAL.
Frieda has been instrumental in shaping BAL’s innovative culture through her leadership and ability to create inclusive environments. The empathy and compassion with which she approaches her work has its roots in her own immigration experience. Frieda’s compelling story, from her childhood in war-torn El Salvador to her top leadership role at BAL, inspires the next generation of lawyers.
“I’m honored to accept this award and for the career guidance I received early on from BAL named partners, David Berry, Jeff Appleman and Warren Leiden.,” Frieda said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to pay it forward by providing mentorship to younger attorneys, discussing everything from law firm management to how working parents can succeed in the corporate world while feeling accomplished as parents.”
Frieda’s unique approach to leadership has nurtured an organizational model that incentivizes collaboration and teamwork instead of competition—a rare feat in the legal industry.
“Frieda has helped shape our ‘oneBAL’ culture that empowers us to collaborate across offices to grow and thrive,” said BAL Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge. “I’m thrilled that she is being honored for the incalculable ways she has led and inspired the 1,500 team members at BAL.”
Though Frieda has reached a career position with considerable influence, she encourages younger attorneys to dream bigger sooner. “I wish I had realized how much potential there is to grow and be a person of influence – no matter your title or role,” Frieda said. “The secret, at least at BAL, is to encourage innovation and fresh ideas from every corner of the firm and empower every individual to raise their hand if they have an idea to make things better.”
The awards dinner reception will take place Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, 7 p.m. at the JW Marriott, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in Washington, D.C.
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.
Dallas, Sept. 6, 2022 – Trailblazing global immigration firm BAL has been named one of the Best Places to Work by the Dallas Business Journal. The DBJ honored BAL as one of only 30 companies among 300 nominated Dallas employers to score the highest on an employee survey administered by a third party.
BAL received the honor in the DBJ’s “extra large” size category, for companies with 500 or more employees. BAL’s Richardson headquarters and Center of Excellence serves as home base for 886 of BAL’s 1,500 employees and provides the administrative hub for the firm’s coast-to-coast offices.
“We have achieved incredible results for thousands of companies and their employees because of the amazing team members that make up BAL,” said Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge. “The only way to attract and retain game-changing talent is by building a workplace that encourages teamwork, a growth mindset, and innovation. Our team recognizes all the ways in which BAL is a truly special place and ensure our oneBAL culture is lived out every day.”
BAL employees appreciate the firm’s laid-back, nontraditional culture and access to leadership. The firm inspires employees to grow professionally through mentorship and leadership development opportunities while providing the flexibility needed to balance demands outside of work. Much-appreciated employee benefits include unlimited vacation, hybrid work schedules, and affinity groups to share common challenges and triumphs.
“The pandemic and renewed focus on equity taught us all valuable lessons, personally and professionally. It changed how we all live and what Americans expect in their workplace ,” said BAL Partner Frieda Garcia. “In order for us to take care of our clients, we must take care of our employees. The past few years brought unprecedented external pressure upon us, but our ability to quickly adapt and change the ways in which we support our staff allowed us to continue to have a culture that collaborates, works hard and has fun as we provide exceptional service to our clients.”
BAL will be recognized at an awards lunch on Oct. 20 at 11:00 a.m. CT at the Renaissance Legacy West Hotel and in the DBJ’s Oct. 28 issue.
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 the past 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). In 2022, BAL won the “Best Company for Diversity,” the “Best HR Team” and the “Best Company for Career Growth” by Comparably, based solely on employee ratings. See website for details: https://www.bal.com
Leading immigration firm BAL’s Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge is named to an elite list of top employee-approved CEOs by Texas CEO Magazine.
“I’m honored to be selected for this recognition by Texas CEO,” said Jeremy. “It is especially gratifying to know that we’re not only succeeding in growth and other traditional metrics, but that our people – our greatest source of success — rate their BAL experience so highly.”
Texas CEO Magazine partnered with Comparably, a company that collects employee reviews for firms across the U.S., to find the most highly approved CEOs. Jeremy is among 22 CEOs rated “A+” by their employees, representing the top 5% of employee-rated CEOs of large companies in Texas.
The magazine recognized Jeremy for helming BAL’s aggressive nationwide growth in the middle of the pandemic—the firm has opened a new office every year for the past five years, most recently in Santa Clara, Calif., Denver and soon Los Angeles—and for leading the company to other key milestones, including strategic lateral hires and eminence in legal technology.
Along with these huge strides in dominating corporate immigration, Jeremy managed to keep a growing workforce engaged and innovating at a time when many companies experienced labor shortages. “My leadership philosophy is time-tested and true: be a servant leader,” Jeremy said, “Genuinely love your people and look for meaningful ways to serve them.”
This service mentality inspired Jeremy and the firm’s leadership to shape an empathetic workplace culture at BAL, offering perks such as unlimited vacation and hybrid work options. Employees appreciate Jeremy’s open-door policy, with one reviewer saying, “Jeremy Fudge is always willing to discuss your ideas with you to see if he can implement them or change policies that aren’t working.”
Learning and growing from conversations with his employees reflects Jeremy’s broader approach to life. When pointing to the best leadership advice he ever received, Jeremy responded, “Read widely and keep learning.” The approval rating by the firm’s 1,500 employees enthusiastically endorses this philosophy.
About Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (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.