Partner
Lisa Ryan
Country / Territory
Get in touch
Languages
- English
- Italian
Contact information
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP
555 Montgomery St, 4th Floor
San Francisco CA 94111
United States
With nearly three decades of immigration law experience and a current leader of Fragomen’s West Coast global operations, Lisa understands the importance of asking her clients a seemingly simple question that is too often overlooked or forgotten: “What support do you need?” She provides thoughtful, strategic counsel to clients by understanding the bigger picture: their broader business objectives.
Lisa manages worldwide immigration and mobility programs for a wide array of clients, ranging from companies in the beginning stages of development to some of the world’s largest multinational corporations. This includes helping companies centralize their worldwide programs, allowing them to be more strategic, cost-effective, compliant and competitive, as well as understanding the immigration nuances of new markets so they can get their talent where they need it, when they need it there—all while providing a positive employee experience and achieving business goals.
Founding and serving as Chair of the firm’s Semiconductor Industry Group, she represents corporate clients in areas including semiconductors, manufacturing, automotive, commercial aviation, oil and gas, information technology and telecommunications, gaming, financial services, insurance/reinsurance, human resources and management consulting, accounting, marketing/advertising, beverages and pharmaceuticals.
Education
- Tulane University School of Law, J.D., 1994
- Cornell University, A.B., 1991
More from Lisa
Admissions
Bar Admissions: New York, Illinois (Inactive)
Practice Limited to Federal Immigration & Nationality Law
Awards
Named to San Francisco Business Times’ Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business, 2025
Named to 2025 Tulane Law School Hall of Fame
Named to Forbes’ America’s Top 200 Lawyers, 2024
Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers – Corporate Counsel Edition
Metropolitan Who's Who
Who's Who in American Law
EMMA Award for Best Vendor Partnership in APAC, 2015
Professional accomplishments
President, Humane Society of Sonoma County, Board of Directors
Former Chair, American Bar Association, Section of International Law
Member, American Bar Association, Law Practice Management Section
Member, American Bar Association, Women Rainmakers Committee
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Tulane Journal of International and Comparative Law
Experience
Provided counsel to numerous startups looking to open offices in the U.S. or launch elsewhere in the world
Provided counsel to numerous multinational organizations seeking to implement a global immigration program, including implementing a worldwide immigration program across more than 80 jurisdictions
Managed the immigration practice for small, mid-cap and large multinational organizations, utilizing all work permit categories for the temporary and permanent employment of foreign professionals around the world
Provided counsel to small and mid-cap companies to establish corporate immigration programs, best practices and policies
Provided counsel, training and tailored programs to an international telecommunications firm seeking to restructure its immigration program, and to review and revise their established internal best practices and immigration policies
Provided counsel to a commercial greenhouse under federal investigation for immigration-related compliance issues. Assisted the company in obtaining H-2A certification for temporary or seasonal agricultural work
Conducted an internal audit of a division of a multinational financial services firm’s cross-border immigration practices in several countries around the world to ensure compliance with local immigration requirements
Publications and lectures
Lisa is a frequent speaker on business immigration and law practice topics. She also makes numerous presentations to corporate clients on immigration compliance, training and program development.
Speaker, “The Future of Managing Foreign Talent in the Global Semiconductor Ecosystem.” Fragomen, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 10 April 2025.
Speaker, “Building Lasting Relationships.” Fragomen Mastery Series, Webinar, 31 May 2024.
Moderator, “Talent Management Fireside Chat - Beyond Moore’s Law: Solving the People Problem in Semiconductors.” Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) 2024 Tech Summit, San Jose, California, 30 April 2024.
Moderator, “The CHIPS Act and Immigration: Where Do They Meet?” Fragomen Semiconductor Industry Discussion with Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Webinar, 13 June 2023.
Moderator, Global Mobility Executive Leaders Exchange VX | USA East Coast, Webinar, 6 June 2023.
Speaker, “The Customer Experience.” Fragomen Global Academy, Webinar, 10 March 2022.
Moderator, “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Worldwide Economy and the Corporate Workforce.” American Bar Association, Webinar, 17 June 2020.
Speaker, “The Art of the Pitch.” American Bar Association Section of International Law Virtual Annual Meeting, Webinar, 16 June 2020.
Speaker, “AI and the Future of the Legal Profession.” Barcelona Bar Association Festivity/Sant Raimon de Penyafort, Barcelona, Spain, 31 January 2020.
Speaker, “Other Countries, Other Ways – Due Diligence in Cross-Border Transactions.” American Bar Association Asia-Pacific Forum: Navigating the Life Cycle of a Deal, Hong Kong, 24 October 2019.
Speaker, “Building a World Class 21stCentury Talent Organization from the Ground Up.” American Bar Association International Startup and Emerging Growth Companies Forum: Pushing the Boundaries,” San Francisco, California, 12 September 2019.
Moderator, “Leadership and Legitimacy in Government.” American Bar Association Section of International Law Leadership in Law and Practice Conference, Oxford, England, July 2, 2019.
Speaker, “Going Global: Recruiting & Deploying Talent in International Practice.” A’19 AIA Conference on Architecture 2019, Las Vegas, Nevada, June 8, 2019.
Panel Chair, “CLE Program: Immigration Law and Pro Bono.” American Bar Association Annual Conference of the Section of International Law, Washington, DC, April 11, 2019.
Speaker, “Protectionism on Internationals Markets: Effects in Commerce and Immigration.” Barra Mexicana de Abogados, Mexico City, Mexico, November 6, 2018.
Speaker, “Changes, Protectionism, and Brexit: Updates in Global Immigration.” Worldwide ERC: 2018 Global Workforce Symposium, Seattle, Washington, October 18, 2018.
Interviewee, "Going global: Sourcing creative talent across borders." American Institute of Architects Journal, 25 July 2018.
Speaker, “Keys to Immigration Success – What Every Employer Needs to Know.” Worldwide ERC: The Master Series, Los Angeles, California, June 28, 2018.
Speaker, “Managing the ‘New’ Business Travelers – Are You Keeping Them on Track?” Forum for Expatriate Management: Americas Summit 2018, San Diego, California, May 24, 2018.
Speaker, “Global Immigration Trends in the Era of Increased Protectionism: What Companies Needs to Know.” Forum for Expatriate Management: Americas Summit 2018, San Diego, California, May 23, 2018.
Lisa’s insights
April 10, 2025 | Forum
February 27, 2025 | Awards
