Fragomen Announces the Election of Six New Partners

Fragomen the world’s 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 six new Partners, effective July 1, 2017.  As immigration plays an increasingly important role in world affairs and continues to be integral to the success of our clients’ businesses, Fragomen continues to grow and strengthen the firm’s leadership on a global scale. This year, the firm has elected six new partners from four different countries.  Four of these new partners are women, which is reflective of Fragomen’s #1 ranking—for the sixth year in a row—in the National Law Journal’s Women in Law Scorecard. 

These new partners exemplify the firm’s dedication to excellent client service through their commitment to tight alignment with client business programs and immigration compliance in jurisdictions around the world. This commitment is essential to guiding our clients through the increasingly complex immigration and mobility landscape worldwide. Our six new partners are also recognized for their reputation in the legal community and for their leadership of the teams that drive the firm’s mission and success.

Rachel Beardsley, Partner (New York) –Rachel practices exclusively in the field of business immigration law and advises a diverse client base on a broad variety of corporate immigration matters, including nonimmigrant visas, consular processing, permanent residence and citizenship. Her clients range from global Fortune 500 companies to boutique clients in the financial services, media, fragrances/cosmetics and manufacturing sectors. Rachel advises clients regarding the immigration implications of corporate mergers and acquisitions, employees' maintenance of status and I-9 employment verification. Rachel speaks English and Spanish. She earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School in 2006 and Bachelor of Arts, with distinction, from Iowa State University in 2002. Rachel is admitted to the bar in New York. She joined Fragomen in 2008.

Jill Bloom, Partner (Phoenix) –Jill advises small, medium and large corporate clients in various industries on all aspects of business immigration law, including nonimmigrant visas, permanent residency with a focus on PERM, expatriate assignments, strategic compliance, and immigration support for corporate restructuring. She also advises on a wide range of family-based immigration issues. Jill speaks English and Spanish. She earned her Juris Doctor from Wayne State University in 1999 and Bachelor of Arts from University of Michigan in 1996. She is admitted to the bar in Arizona and Michigan. Jill first joined Fragomen as an Associate in the Troy office in 1999. She then continued her practice with the Global Mobility and Immigration division of a large U.S. law firm from 2003 until February 2008, when she rejoined Fragomen.

Leonor Echeverria, Partner (San Jose, Costa Rica) –Since 2007, Leonor has provided counsel to a wide variety of corporations and has supervised the firm's service delivery in Latin America and the Caribbean. She actively participated in the opening of Fragomen offices in Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico, and our Member Firm Network offices in Chile, Colombia, Panama and Peru. Leonor is currently in charge of client management, training and mentoring of client-facing staff, business development and government relations in Latin America. Leonor speaks English and Spanish. She earned her Master of Arts in International Relations from Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 2009 and her Juris Doctor, with Academic Honors, from University of Costa Rica in 2002. Leonor is admitted to the bar in Costa Rica. She joined Fragomen in 2005.

Jeffrey Kikuta, Partner (Los Angeles) –Jeffrey manages a legal team that provides corporate immigration counsel to multinational Fortune 500 companies, small and medium-sized organizations, start-ups and individual clients in a wide variety of industries. He also is the Managing Attorney of the Individual Case Unit (ICU) and principal point-of-contact in the firm's Los Angeles office for consultations and new client initiations. In addition, Jeffrey is the firm’s regional coordinator for appearances and inquiries with the local USCIS Field Offices and Customs and Border Protection/Deferred Inspection operations. He earned his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in 2001 and Bachelor of Arts from University of California, Irvine in 1997. He is admitted to the bar in California. Jeffrey joined Fragomen in 2007.

Kenneth Lau, Partner (Singapore) –Kenneth assists clients with their global immigration needs with a focus on the Asia region, advising on talent mobility programs and strategies. He has been serving as Director of the firm’s Asia Pacific Coordination Center (APCC) in Singapore since 2011, where he has been supervising a team of consultants, coordinating international personnel transfer programs into the Asia Pacific region, and overseeing the APCC's regional network of Local Advisors. In addition, Kenneth has experience within Fragomen as an Associate and Global Client Services Manager, previously based out of the Santa Clara and Phoenix offices. Kenneth earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 2006 and Bachelor of Arts, with High Distinction, from the University of California, Berkeley in 2003. Kenneth is admitted to the bar in California. He joined Fragomen in 2008.

Diana Quintas, Partner (São Paulo) – Diana has comprehensive experience in corporate and business immigration, with a focus on advising companies on immigration procedures, practice and policy in Brazil. She has assisted national and multinational companies with the preparation and filing of temporary visa applications for trainees, local hires, individuals on secondment, technicians and offshore workers. Diana actively liaises with government officials in Brasilia, Distrito Federal. She speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish. Diana earned her Master of Business Administration from FIAP in 2017. She graduated from the University of Oxford’s Oxford Program on Negotiation in 2012. She graduated as an Attorney at Law from Universidade Braz Cubas in 2003. Diana is admitted to the bar in Brazil. She joined Fragomen in 2012.