Clark Hill grows immigration practice in San Francisco

Clark Hill announced today that Lisa Atkins and Christina Gonzaga have joined the firm as Members in the firm’s immigration practice in San Francisco.

In addition to Atkins and Gonzaga, Sandrine Dehaeze joins the firm’s immigration practice as a senior attorney, with 10 paralegals and support professionals having also joined to support the practice.

Atkins brings a new Global Immigration practice to Clark Hill, one that she has been developing for more than a decade.

“Lisa’s global practice allows us to service the immigration needs of our clients anywhere in the world, including point-to-point immigration beyond the United States,” said James Morrison, leader of Clark Hill’s Immigration Business Unit.

Centralized out of Clark Hill’s San Francisco office, Atkin’s global practice includes a team of professionals who coordinate immigration matters on a global scale including business visas, short- and long-term assignments, and permanent relocations.

“Clark Hill has a very entrepreneurial outlook, especially within the immigration group,” Atkins said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to come in and further develop my practice while having the backing of a full-service law firm.”

Gonzaga supports American corporations and foreign companies with U.S. operations in securing inbound high-skilled talent largely focused on the technology and entertainment industries.

“The breadth of experience and diversity of practices in the Clark Hill immigration group really stood out to us,” Gonzaga said. “We’re looking forward to making a great impact on the team while being able to offer a much more comprehensive service to our clients.”

Gonzaga is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and Atkins has held leadership positions in the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Paradigm, a global mobility community. Earlier in her career, Atkins also served as the Director of Immigration Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, lobbying for practical, commonsense U.S. immigration reform.