Fragomen Announces 2016 Class of New Partners

The new group of partners reflects the growing importance and complexity of immigration to business around the world and the continued growth of the firm.

Fragomen, the leading provider of immigration services worldwide and a member of both the Am Law 100 and the Am Law Global 100, announces the addition of fourteen (14) new Partners, effective July 1, 2016. As immigration becomes increasingly more complex and integral to the success of business, Fragomen continues to invest in growing and strengthening the Firm’s leadership on a global scale. As such, the Firm is increasing its Partnership numbers by more than 10% with a set of individuals that reflect the Firm’s talent and global reach. The newly elected Partners hail from six countries worldwide. The Firm is also pleased to announce the appointment of two new Of Counsel attorneys. Eight of these promotions are women, which is reflective of Fragomen’s #1 ranking by the National Law Journal for female attorneys.

These Partners and Of Counsel exemplify the Firm’s dedication to excellence in client service and show a commitment to the Firm’s focus on tight integration and alignment with client business programs, immigration compliance and pro bono services. This commitment is required to support and guide clients worldwide through the increasingly complex immigration and mobility landscape.

PARTNERS:

Jo Antoons, Partner (Brussels) – Jo joined the Firm in 2012 and has more than 15 years of experience managing global engagements. She is responsible for managing the Firm’s corporate immigration compliance and advisory work for Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, as well as the coordination work for France. Jo supports multinational and medium-sized corporations, as well as individuals, with a multitude of immigration planning solutions. She leads Fragomen’s Government Strategies initiatives in relation to European institutions. She is a frequent speaker at immigration conferences, has authored many publications, and is a member of several immigration industry organizations. Jo speaks English, Dutch, French, and Spanish. She earned her Master of Laws from the Catholic University of Leuven in 1992 and is admitted to the Brussels bar.

Isha Atassi, Partner (New York) – Isha began working at Fragomen in 2001 while attending law school and joined the Firm as an Associate in 2006. She represents multinational corporate clients in a variety of industries including financial services, legal and consulting, and provides guidance on all aspects of corporate immigration, including nonimmigrant visas, permanent residence and citizenship. Her pro bono work has included filing permanent residence applications for U nonimmigrants and obtaining Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for unaccompanied minors. Isha earned her Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School in 2006 and Bachelor of Science from Florida State University in 2000. She is admitted to the New York bar and New Jersey bars.

Nadine K. Bahnan, Partner (San Francisco) – Nadine joined the Firm in 2000. She advises companies of all sizes from small and medium-sized organizations to large multinational Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries. Nadine provides counsel on the full range of U.S. immigration matters, including advising clients on all matters of U.S. immigration and nationality law, regulation, policy, compliance and overall immigration program management. Nadine earned her Juris Doctor in 1996 from the Santa Clara University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in 1992 from Duke University. She is admitted to the bar in California.

Dr. Axel Boysen, Partner (Frankfurt) – Axel joined Fragomen as a Partner in the Firm’s Frankfurt location in 2016. An internationally experienced attorney, he has extensive experience assisting clients from a broad range of organizations with immigration and international labor law matters. He also has in-depth knowledge of immigration-related aspects of compliance, risk management and project management support. Axel is a regular lecturer about topics in the field of international labor law and immigration law. He speaks German and English. Axel is a graduate of Christian-Albrechts-University zu Kiel, where he completed his First State Exam and Second State Exam in 1995 and 2000, respectively, and earned his Doctor of Law in 1997. He is admitted to the Rechtsanwaltskammer Frankfurt am Main.

Molly Carey, Partner (Boston) – Molly joined the Firm’s Boston office in 2011 and currently assists corporate clients of all sizes with every aspect of U.S. employment-based immigration. She provides guidance on a variety of issues, including the immigration consequences of corporate mergers and acquisitions, I-9 employment verification, and employees’ maintenance of status, travel and portability. Molly also provides pro bono services including the preparation of VAWA and U Visa applications through a Boston domestic violence agency. She is a graduate of DePaul College of Law, earning her Juris Doctor in 2005, and of Georgetown University, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts in 1999. Molly is admitted to the bar in Massachusetts and Illinois.

Natasha Catterson, Partner (London) – Natasha has been with the Firm since 2011 and has worked in UK immigration law for over ten years. She represents multinational corporate clients across a range of industries, with a particular focus on the financial services, advertising and oil and gas sectors. Natasha provides advice on all aspects of UK corporate immigration, including mergers and acquisitions and other corporate restructures. She also advises private clients on issues relating to settlement, nationality and European law. She is a regular contributor to immigration articles and a frequent speaker at various seminars and events in the UK. Among other recognition, she has been named an “Associate to Watch” in the Chambers and Partners UK Guide for the last four years. Natasha is a graduate of the College of Law, London, earning her Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course in 2004 and 2005, respectively. She also holds a Master of Arts from the University of London (2003) and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kent at Canterbury (2002). She is a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales.

Jeffrey Crusha, Partner (San Francisco) – Jeff joined Fragomen in 2004. He practices U.S. employment-based immigration law and counsels multinational clients in diverse industries on immigration compliance. He has published articles in the fields of immigration and commercial law, and has been invited to speak at national conferences about immigration topics. Jeff is a member of the pro bono committee and has represented pro bono clients in a wide range of legal matters. He was recognized in 2010 for his contribution to Immigration Equality for pro bono support to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990 to recognize sponsorship rights for same sex couples. Jeff earned his Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 2004, and Bachelor of Science (2000) and Bachelor of Arts (2000) degrees from Santa Clara University in Political Science and Spanish Studies, magna cum laude. Jeff is admitted to the New York bar and is a member of the San Francisco chapter of AILA and BALIF.

Cindy P. Jen, Partner (Silicon Valley) – Cindy has been with Fragomen since 2000 and has extensive experience advising companies of all sizes—from large Fortune 100 corporations to start-up businesses—on developing compliant immigration programs. Cindy is also a lead on the EB-5 team in the Firm’s northern California practice. From 2012 to 2013, Cindy worked in the Firm’s Beijing office, where she managed the China outbound visa practice and provided local support for investor visa applications. Cindy speaks English and Mandarin Chinese. She holds a Juris Doctor (1999) from the University of California, Hastings College of Law and Bachelor of Arts (1995) from the University of California. Cindy is admitted to the California bar.

Sasko Markovski, Partner (Sydney) – Sasko joined the Firm in 2001 and has practiced in immigration law for nearly twenty years. He has provided Australian immigration advice and assistance to Australian and international businesses across a wide range of industry sectors. He was responsible for establishing the corporate compliance practice within the Australian practice, and more recently held the role of Special Counsel within the Sydney office. He has extensive experience advising clients on complex immigration matters, and providing strategic immigration program advice. Sasko speaks English and Macedonian. Sasko earned his Diploma in Law from the Legal Practitioner Admission Board in 1994 and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales in 1990. He is a Registered Migration Agent (MARN 9687325) and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

Ramesh Nair, Partner (Kuala Lumpur) – Ramesh joined Fragomen in 2002 and has worked in the Firm’s Singapore, Hong Kong and U.S. offices, prior to joining the Malaysia office in 2015. He oversees and directs operations in the Firm’s Kuala Lumpur office as it relates to overall immigration service delivery, administration, human resources, financial and infrastructure management. He has managed the immigration needs of multinational corporate clients across a diverse range of industries and operational jurisdictions. He is fluent in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Malay, Malayalam and Tamil. Ramesh earned his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland in 2002 and Diploma in Banking & Finance from Singapore Polytechnic in 1997.

Timothy Nelson, Partner (Matawan) – Timothy began working at Fragomen as a summer intern in 1999, and then served as a paralegal in the New Jersey and Washington D.C. offices. He also worked as a Summer Law Clerk and Summer Associate in the New Jersey office before becoming an Associate in the Washington D.C. office. Timothy supports clients in the energy, information technology, medical imaging equipment, medical diagnostic equipment and aeronautic industries. Timothy has assisted clients of all sizes ranging from large, multinational corporations to individual clients. He earned his Juris Doctor in 2006 from the Case Western Reserve School of Law and Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from Trinity College. He is admitted to the bar in New York, New Jersey and the District of Colombia.

Ian Robinson, Partner (London) – Ian has worked in immigration for almost fourteen years, including four years with Fragomen. He manages a large UK immigration team that supports businesses across a range of sectors, and oversees Fragomen's UK Government Strategies Practice. He also works with Fragomen's Strategic Migration Forum to ensure that messages to the government are consistent and compelling. Prior to joining the Firm, Ian served as an Assistant Director at the UK's Home Office and was a principle architect of the UK’s Points Based System. Ian earned his Bachelor of Laws in 2000 from the University of Central England.

Daniel Schwarz, Partner (New York) – Dan joined Fragomen in 2005 and became an Associate in 2006. He handles all types of U.S. immigration and nationality law, including complex matters associated with criminal issues and prior immigration violations. Dan practices in the fields of corporate, investor (E-2 and EB-5) and family immigration law, representing employers and individuals within a variety of industries. He also specializes in the representation of sports leagues, teams and individual athletes, and has extensive experience representing employers in government investigations and I-9 audits. Dan is a graduate of St. John’s University, School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2006 and of Fordham University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2003. He is admitted to the New York bar.

Hugh W. Thistlethwaite III, Partner (New York) – Hugh began working at Fragomen as a Law Clerk in 2004 and joined the Firm as an Associate from 2005 until 2007. After briefly working as an Associate in the immigration department of a multi-practice Manhattan law firm, Hugh returned to Fragomen in 2008. Hugh currently advises a diverse client base on a wide variety of issues involving U.S. immigration and nationality law, including employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa petitions, consular processing, family-based permanent residency applications, U.S. citizenship applications, and a host of policy and compliance matters. Hugh's clients range from multinational Fortune 500 companies to small start-up companies in the insurance, IT services, finance and banking, consumer products, market research, luxury goods, consulting, real estate, healthcare, energy and power, advertising, performing arts, architecture and design, transportation and infrastructure, and music industries. He also works closely with non-profits, museums, and renowned musicians and actors. He earned his Juris Doctor from New York Law School in 2005 and Bachelor of Arts from New York University in 1999. He is admitted to the bar in New York.

OF COUNSEL

Sophia Michelle Goring-Piard, Of Counsel (New York) – Sophia initially joined the Firm in 1998, serving as a Law Clerk, and transitioned in 2000 to serve as an Associate for seven years, where she represented Fortune 500 companies throughout various industry sectors on all aspects of corporate U.S. immigration. After spending several years as a solo practitioner where she represented individuals before the Executive Office for Immigration Review in removal proceedings, as well as before the USCIS in family and employment-based immigration, Special Immigrant Juvenile and VAWA self-petitions, she returned to Fragomen where she assists individual, multinational and corporate clients. Sophia has provided pro bono services to the Harlem, Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx communities in New York City and in Westchester County, New York throughout her career. She currently serves as co-chair of the Immigration Litigation Committee of the New York State Bar Association's Commercial and Federal Litigation Section. She earned her Juris Doctor from the Fordham University School of Law in 2000, as a Stein Scholar in Public Interest Law and Ethics, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French from Washington University in St. Louis in 1994. Sophia is admitted to the bar in New York and Massachusetts.

Jocelyne J. Kim Lew, Of Counsel (Silicon Valley) – Jocelyne joined Fragomen as Of Counsel in 2016. She has over 35 years of experience practicing U.S. immigration law, with a special emphasis in the employment-based immigration matters. Prior to joining Fragomen, Jocelyne was the principal attorney at a boutique single-practice immigration firm based in Northern California. She has been a speaker at industry-based conferences, including for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), where she is also a member and past chair of their CSC Liaison and Department Of Labor Liaison Committees for the Santa Clara Chapter. Jocelyne speaks English and French. She is a graduate of the University of Alberta where she earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts. She also earned a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Manitoba. Jocelyn is admitted in California and the U.S. Northern and Central District Circuit Courts.