Practice Areas & Industries: Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Practice/Industry Group Overview

One of the consequences of the globalization of world economies is the globalization of human resources. Barnes & Thornburg LLP's immigration practice complements our international and labor and employment practices and serves the needs of both corporate and individual clients by advising them on compliance with current immigration laws, U.S. Department of Labor regulations governing the employment of foreign nationals in the United States, and the movement of international personnel under the NAFTA. Individual clients who seek counsel from the firm's immigration services include, among others, multinational managers, professionals, investors, entrepreneurs, university faculty and research staff, medical professionals, foreign spouses of U.S. citizens, entertainers, and athletes. Barnes & Thornburg’s Immigration Practice Group can provide prompt and cost-effective immigration services to match your company or individual needs.

Employment-Based Immigration
Our immigration professionals provide assistance with all aspects of temporary and permanent employment-based immigration. This includes H, L, E, and TN visas, labor certification, outstanding researcher, extraordinary ability, and university faculty petitions.

We advise our corporate clients regarding Form I-9 compliance and audits, as well as Social Security “no match” letters.

Controls Over the Transfer of Technology to Foreign Nationals
The employment of foreign nationals in the United States and their potential access to sensitive biological, biochemical, and technological materials raises issues related to the unlawful transfer of technology to such individuals. Our attorneys assist corporate clients with the development and implementation of policies and procedures that comply with applicable laws that deem domestic access to controlled technologies by certain foreign nationals as exports. The Department of Commerce may require firms that employ foreign nationals working with sensitive technologies to obtain “deemed” export licenses. Attorneys located in our Washington, D.C., office provide assistance in these matters.

Emphasis on Client Service
Our style of practice is to emphasize personal service by providing and encouraging direct access to our legal staff, including attorneys, throughout our offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. We ensure performance standards by completing all work in-house and using technology without sacrificing personal contact with the client. Our legal staff has the ability to accommodate “rush” requests when employer needs or government agency deadlines make them necessary.

We view our clients as partners and routinely offer basic immigration training to corporate H.R. staff, recruiters, and legal staff.

Flat Fees
We offer a flat-fee structure and volume discounts without limiting services or direct access to our legal staff. The flat-fee structure enables clients to budget and easily track their immigration expenses.

Electronic Billing
Our accounting department can accommodate billing formats that best suit a particular client, including electronic billing.

Technology
The firm’s IT department is staffed by more than 30 professionals. We use technology developed specifically for immigration cases to provide electronic data collection and management, as well as real-time case tracking. This enables corporate H.R. staff, line management, and individual employees to monitor the progress of immigration cases.