Introducing Fragomen's New Partners and Of Counsel

Fragomen is pleased to announce the election of 13 new Partners and the promotion of three Of Counsel, effective July 1, 2019.

“We proudly welcome our new Partners and Of Counsel. These talented lawyers and professionals embody Fragomen’s dedication to exemplary client service and deep knowledge of complex immigration law,” said Austin T. Fragomen, Jr., Chairman of Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy. “This exceptional group, which includes eight women Partners and one Of Counsel, continues to honor Fragomen’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, which is fundamental to our core values and great success as a firm.”

Emily Allen, Partner (Los Angeles, CA) – Emily focuses her practice on managing immigration programs for technology companies as well as technology organizations within multinational corporations in industries such as e-commerce, entertainment and financial services. Emily also advises clients regarding immigration compliance matters and enterprise-wide immigration protocols, and she contributes to firm-wide data integrity and security initiatives. Emily previously served as a Supervisory Asylum Officer with the Department of Homeland Security’s Los Angeles Asylum Office and was an adjunct professor at the Pepperdine University School of Law, where she instructed courses on immigration law and appellate advocacy. Emily serves as a member of the Executive Committee (Immigration) for the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the LGBT Liaison to the Southern California Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She received her J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2005 and her B.A. from The University of the South (Sewanee) in 2002.

Sapna Annicelli, Partner (Boston, MA) – Sapna has represented a wide range of large and small multinational clients on various immigration matters, including family- and employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications. Sapna also has extensive experience guiding clients on various immigration compliance issues. Sapna received her J.D. from New England School of Law in 2009 and her B.A. from New York University in 2006.

Aaron Blumberg, Partner (Miami, FL) – Aaron advises a diverse client base, including investors and entrepreneurs, colleges and universities and multinational companies, on U.S. immigration law. Aaron has deep experience advising on the distinctive immigration requirements of colleges and universities and speaks frequently on this topic. He works on behalf of professors and researchers to secure EB-1 Outstanding Professor/Researcher Visas and, when appropriate, National Interest Waivers. He also assists large state universities seeking to become designated as J-1 sponsor schools, and he works with colleges and universities that have established J-1 programs to make sure they remain compliant. Aaron also advises international students on their visa options upon graduation. Additionally, Aaron represents a growing number of small businesses, start-ups, investors and entrepreneurs who are working to expand their business footprint in the United States. Aaron received his J.D., magna cum laude, from University of Miami School of Law in 2008 and his B.A. from Emory University in 2004.

Ryan Freel, Partner (Houston, TX) – Ryan leverages the experience he has gained in various roles throughout the firm to provide clients with comprehensive worldwide immigration solutions. Ryan began his career with Fragomen as an Associate in 1999 and has since served as a Senior Client Services Manager within the Asia Pacific region and Director of International Alliances and Client Services. In these roles, he has managed the firm’s U.S.-based global business visa, passport, document services and consular teams; managed the inception and ongoing operational development of our Singapore office; and led the firm’s Local Advisor network and its expansion efforts in EMEA. He also undertook a secondment to a leading oil field services company as the Immigration Program Lead, where he successfully implemented and co-managed a comprehensive global immigration program. Ryan has also served as the Director of Global Immigration Services at a well-known relocation company and Vice President of Global Operations at a global immigration consulting firm. Ryan is currently based in the firm’s Houston office, where he successfully manages client relationships in the oil and gas as well as technology industries. Ryan received his J.D. from University of Miami School of Law in 1999 and his B.A., cum laude, from Salve Regina University in 1996.

Louise Haycock, Partner (London, UK) – Louise focuses her practice on UK inbound immigration. She manages a large team that provides strategic, compliance and transactional immigration advice to a variety of sectors, including technology and software, oil and gas, engineering, legal and professional services. Louise leverages 13-plus years of immigration experience on all aspects of UK immigration, including advising companies on immigration issues arising out of mergers and acquisitions and changes to group structures. She has been heavily involved in assisting clients with the implications of Brexit on their EU/British workers and works closely with Fragomen's European offices to deliver a truly cross-border strategy. Louise regularly works with clients to devise change management plans and ensure that they are suitably prepared for the UK to leave the EU with or without a deal. She is working with clients to prepare for a new immigration regime in the UK and ensure that they remain employers of choice for a migrant workforce. Louise completed the Legal Practice Course at College of Law, Chester in 2005 and received her Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from College of Law, Chester in 2004. She received her B.A. from the University of Nottingham in 2003.

Haider Hussain, Partner (Dubai, UAE) – Haider has a wide and extensive array of experience within the Middle East and North Africa region with a primary focus on the immigration regulations and procedures in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco. Haider is responsible for developing and implementing sustainable immigration programs for start-ups, small and medium enterprises, and large multinational corporations across various industries, including information technology, hospitality, education, power generation, engineering, and manufacturing, within the ever-changing immigration landscape in the Middle East and North Africa region. Prior to joining Fragomen in 2012, he worked as a Legal and Financial Analyst for a global financial institution in London. Haider received his B.A. (Hons) from the University of Durham, England in 2009.

Kathy Khol, Partner (San Francisco, CA) – Kathy practices U.S. corporate immigration law and provides counsel to clients in the high-technology sector, ranging from large public companies to start-up businesses. She advises clients on all aspects of employment-based immigration, including the impact of evolving government policies on a company’s immigration program. Kathy has a passion for partnering with businesses to develop programmatic and legal strategies that fit their dynamic needs. Kathy received her J.D. from University of Hastings College of the Law in 2008 and her B.A. from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2004.

Raquel Liberman, Partner (New York, NY) – Raquel represents multinational corporate clients and start-ups on a wide variety of corporate immigration matters, including nonimmigrant visas, permanent residence and citizenship. She also works with companies to develop strategic plans for the movement of personnel around the world and has extensive experience handling the full range of immigration matters, including advising on I-9 compliance. Prior to joining Fragomen, Raquel worked as an Associate in the global mobility group of a large, international law firm, where she counseled multinational corporate clients in the technology and financial services industries, government contractors and individual clients on a variety of immigration compliance issues and cross-border immigration processes. Raquel received her J.D., cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School in 2009, M.A. from New York University in 2006 and BFA, with honors, from New York University in 2002.

Blake Miller, Partner (Irvine, CA) – Blake works with clients across a range of industries, including engineering, real estate, financial services, construction procurement, manufacturing, entertainment and the arts. He has partnered with multiple hypergrowth companies to develop efficient, compliant and sustainable immigration programs. Prior to joining Fragomen, Blake worked for a boutique business and entertainment immigration firm in Los Angeles, where he provided immigration counsel to individuals, tech start-ups, entertainment production companies and multinational media conglomerates. Blake is a former Chair of the Southern California Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and regular speaker on U.S. immigration panels. Blake received his J.D. from the University of San Diego in 2009 and his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2006.

Yael Mizrahi, Partner (New York, NY) – Yael represents multinational corporate clients on all aspects of corporate U.S. immigration, including nonimmigrant visas, permanent residence and citizenship. She provides counsel on all major employment-based temporary and permanent visa categories and family-based permanent resident applications. She has experience representing individual clients, start-ups and small, medium and large-sized organizations in a variety of industries, including finance, law, manufacturing, information technology consulting, software development, multimedia services and fashion. Yael earned her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2004 and her B.Sc. from Washington University in St. Louis in 2001.

Siobhan Owers, Partner (London, UK) – Siobhan is the lead solicitor for several major corporate clients, providing strategic immigration and compliance support. As a relationship manager, Siobhan has built an extensive network of both corporate and private clients across a diverse range of industry sectors. Siobhan counsels clients on the full range of applications covered by the Immigration Rules. She conducts audit checks and provides tactical advice on immigration sponsor obligations and compliance concerns. Siobhan has a lengthy history sitting on several working groups with the UKVI, where she represented the interests of clients and is now fully involved with the Home Office and various groups regarding the implications of Brexit. Siobhan also advises clients on social security requirements in the context of immigration. Siobhan completed the Legal Practice Course at College of Law, London in 2002 and received her Graduate Diploma in Law from College of Law, London in 2001. She received her M.A. from University of Reading in 1997 and B.A. from Leicester University in 1996.

Daniel Pierce, Partner (Washington, DC) – As a member of the firm’s Government Strategies and Compliance Group, Daniel develops and implements offensive and defensive strategies to help corporate and individual clients with their most complex immigration challenges. Daniel leads federal litigation against the U.S. immigration agencies, including through filing mandamus suits to force agency adjudication and through substantive challenges to adverse agency decisions. He advises individual clients on issues like asylum and criminal impacts on immigration options. Daniel also advises corporate, nonprofit, trade association and other clients on immigration related matters such as government investigations, compliance programs and public policy. Daniel received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Vanderbilt University. 

Dalia Wong, Partner (Singapore) – Dalia manages the inbound practice of Fragomen in Singapore, leading a large team of managers and consultants in providing a wide range of Singapore immigration services to multinational, regional and local corporations. She is responsible for overseeing inbound visa and employment authorization matters as well as permanent resident and citizenship applications. Dalia has experience devising practical and compliant immigration solutions for clients on mergers and acquisitions, short-term assignments and projects to Singapore. She also provides strategic support and immigration training and updates to client HR and global mobility teams, to keep them abreast of changes in Singapore’s work authorization regime, including implementation of Singapore’s Fair Consideration Framework. Dalia joined Fragomen in 2007 as a Consultant assisting with the immigration process for international transfers into other Southeast Asia countries. Dalia received her Honours Degree of Bachelor of Business Studies (Business with Law) from the National University of Ireland in 2016.

Rómulo E. Guevara, Of Counsel (Phoenix, AZ) – Rómulo represents large, global corporate clients in all areas of U.S. business immigration law. He regularly counsels clients regarding temporary work visas and permanent residence sponsorship and analyzes the immigration consequences of mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining Fragomen in 2008, Rómulo was an Associate in a global employment law firm. Rómulo received his J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law in 1996 and his B.A. from Long Island University in 1993.

Stacy Hong, Of Counsel (New York, NY) – Stacy has more than 14 years of immigration experience. She is responsible for account and team management, working closely with corporate clients and foreign nationals at all levels and overseeing the work of both direct and indirect reports. Following law school, Stacy served as Attorney Advisor for the Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Department of Labor Committee and a member of the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York. Stacy received her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2004 and her B.S. from St. John's University in 1998.

Kevin O'Sullivan, Of Counsel (New York, NY) – Kevin focuses his practice on corporate immigration law and partners with businesses to manage their international assignments and their temporary and permanent employment of professionals in the United States. Prior to joining the firm, Kevin was an Associate in the immigration practice of a national labor and employment law firm and assisted corporate clients in the procurement of temporary, permanent and training visas for foreign national employees. Kevin received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2002 and his B.A. from Lafayette College in 1996.