"Littler Global" formed as U.S. cracks down on work visas
Phoenix, AZ/ June 30, 2004 -- With multinational companies facing delays and other problems in securing U.S. visas for foreign workers, the immigration law firm of Littler Mendelson Bacon & Dear is launching the legal industry's first centralized service specializing in importing and exporting workers worldwide.
LMB&D is a Phoenix-based affiliate of Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest employment and labor law firm.
“As a result of tightened security in the post-September 11 environment, multinational companies are having great difficulty importing foreign workers into the United States,” said LMB&D managing partner Roxana Bacon. “Visas are being delayed and very frequently denied, so companies are now moving workers to facilities in other countries, creating complex immigration issues.”
The problem is especially acute among companies in need of science and technology professionals, the category of foreign worker in highest demand in the United States.
“Migration between foreign countries has increased,” Bacon said. “No U.S. immigration law firm has tackled that in the context of the employment arena. We're the only law firm in the United States that understands migration law as a component of employment law.”
LMB&D's new Littler Global division will provide “one-stop shopping for any company working internationally, guaranteeing excellence in quality, consistency in information going to any government agency in the world, and a response time that meets the company's requirements,” Bacon said.
Leading the new division is multilingual immigration attorney Andréa Elliott, one of the few specialists in non-U.S. global migration law in the country. She is joined by several other immigration experts, including attorney David Asser, as well as a seasoned crew of Internet Technology (IT) professionals and experienced paralegals. Elliott's division also can draw upon a network of more than 300 international lawyers and support staff located around the world. This global team counsels employers and employees and works with foreign governments when necessary.
“There has never been such a great movement of people globally as there is now,” Elliott said. “More people than ever are crossing borders. The new division has enabled us to develop a practice that facilitates the global movement of people. No matter the country, when a border is crossed an immigration lawyer is needed to obtain employment authorization.”
The partnership with Littler Mendelson will provide “more breadth, depth and stability for our clients, bringing the firm's extensive resources to bear on interrelated employment and immigration issues and to the development of a global immigration center,” Elliott said.
Littler Global will offer clients personalized legal counsel and access to LMB&D's unique interactive information database. This database allows clients to send information to the firm electronically over the Internet, then monitor the progress of each migrating employee's case throughout the immigration process regardless of where in the world the employee is heading. A sophisticated security system guarantees confidentiality and the integrity of core client information ensures consistency in information given to any government's immigration agencies.
Littler Mendelson Bacon & Dear PLLC focuses exclusively on employment-based immigration law. Its clients, including several Fortune 500 companies, are high-volume, sophisticated users of immigration law services around the world. LMB&D offers a wide range of services, from strategic advice at the highest levels to the preparation of individual immigration petitions/applications/visas and everything in between, including related employment law advice.
With more than 400 attorneys and 28 offices in major metropolitan areas nationwide, Littler Mendelson is the largest law firm in the United States devoted exclusively to representing management in employment, employee benefits and labor law matters. The firm's client base ranges from Fortune 500 companies to small-business owners. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential cases and labor contracts in the nation's history. For more information, visit www.littler.com.