Best Lawyers® honors dozens of BAL attorneys as “Best Lawyers in America,” “Ones to Watch”

DALLAS (Aug. 17, 2023) — Nearly four dozen BAL attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers^®, shattering the firm’s previous record. A notable 20 attorneys were named “The Best Lawyers in America” for immigration and 27 were named “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.”

“To be featured in this prestigious publication means our attorneys’ expertise in service to clients stands out among their peers in their own practice area and geographic location,” said Managing Partner Frieda Garcia. “Recognition of so many of our attorneys as ‘Ones to Watch’ speaks to the success of our commitment to recruit and nurture the best and brightest of rising legal talent.”

The attorneys will be featured in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^®, the only purely peer-review guide to the legal profession.

“This honor reflects not only our attorneys’ individual excellence but also BAL’s firmwide commitment to pursue the exceptional,” said CEO Jeremy Fudge.

The following BAL attorneys were recognized as “Best Lawyers”:

• Rob Caballero, Partner, Houston
• Shehryar Chaudhry, Partner, San Francisco
• Ruth Clark, Partner, Houston
• Josiah Curtis, Partner, Boston
• Maria DeLapp, Partner, Chicago
• Kelli Duehning, Partner, San Francisco
• Jeremy Fudge, CEO, Dallas
• Michelle Funk, Partner, Tysons, Va.
• Frieda Garcia, Managing Partner, San Francisco
• Delya Ghosh, Partner, San Francisco
• Kortney Gibson, Partner, Dallas
• Jeff Joseph, Partner, Denver
• Tiffany Lam-Bentley, Senior Associate, Dallas
• Lynden Melmed, Partner, Washington, D.C.
• Edward Rios, Partner, Boston
• Petra Tang, Partner, San Francisco
• Carla Tarazi, Partner, San Francisco
• Susan Wehrer, Partner, Dallas
• Stephanie Wolf, Partner, San Francisco
• Mark Yelich, Partner, Dallas

These up-and-coming senior associates were recognized as “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” in immigration law for 2024:

• Nazish Ali, Dallas
• Peter Alphonso, Dallas
• Shane Andrews, Dallas
• Christopher Barnett, Dallas
• Lynn Bonnello, Santa Clara
• Edwing Bustamante, Dallas
• Gabriel Castro, Los Angeles
• Taylor Chapman, Houston
• Michael Dubitzky, New York
• Melle Fabian, Austin
• Keith Jensen, Dallas
• Cheryl Kilborn, Chicago
• Susan Kivuvani, Dallas
• Kyle Klaudt, Dallas
• Chad Li, Dallas
• Gloria Luan, San Francisco
• Jonathan Nagel, Boston
• Heather Oh, New York
• Guillermo Ortiz, Dallas
• Steven Plastrik, Washington, D.C.
• Brittney Quezada, Houston
• Steven Quezada, Dallas
• Melissa Saldivar, Austin
• Adam Smith, Houston
• Ashley Tseung, Dallas
• Claudia Villaseñor-Sanchez, Dallas
• Emily Yao, San Francisco

About BAL 
Established in 1980, Berry Appleman & Leiden (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