Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP

Klasko Immigration Law Partners is thrilled to acknowledge and celebrate its 20th anniversary since its formation as a firm in 2004! Read the full release here: https://ow.ly/OUNz50SzZEK Ron Klasko, William Stock #20thanniversary #immigrationlaw #celebrating

October's Newsletter is now available! You can view at https://lnkd.in/e4Ubg4u2 Don't forget to subscribe to our monthly immigration updates at the following link: https://ow.ly/YVVL50SRpBB

New Blog! Alison X. Li discusses three issues that often arise with condition removal (I-829) applications and how Klasko EB-5 attorneys have successfully addressed these issues. Read here: https://ow.ly/T2PH50TCj4K

Meet Cortney Jackson! How long have you been at the firm? I started with the firm in 2011 as a temporary employee. In June of 2012, Klasko offered me a full-time position with the firm. I eagerly accepted the offer. As of September 27, 2024, it will be 13 years since I stepped foot inside of the Klasko Immigration Law Firm office. What is your current role? My current role at the firm is a Legal Assistant II. My day-to-day entails providing administrative assistance to attorneys and paralegals. How has your job changed over the years? My job has changed tremendously over the years I have been with Klasko. I started as a file clerk, and I have been promoted three times. Technology has also changed over the years because before COVID, our day-to-day jobs used hard copies for mostly everything and now all work is on the computer. Transitioning from one position to the next has helped me grow in my personal and professional life. What is your favorite memory from your early days at the firm? My favorite memories from the early days will always be the infamous Christmas parties that allowed the employees to have a DJ and dance floor to have so much fun. Also, I cannot forget the outdoor summer outings, especially the scavenger hunt around Center City that I participated in. What do you value most about working at KILP? The most valuable thing to me is the family environment that Klasko has always demonstrated. I also value the friendships that I formed with my coworkers. Collaborating with such great people over the years will be something I always value because I have never experienced this before. What has been one of the more challenging times? One of the most challenging times I had while working at Klasko was when COVID hit and shut down the world. The transition happened so suddenly, and no one was prepared. During this time, I was still grieving my father who passed away in 2019 and I was also trying to finish my bachelor’s program. The support I received from my colleagues helped me to get through that trying time.

Statutes of Liberty Podcast is back with a new episode! Klasko EB-1 attorneys Anu Nair, Allie Dempsey, and Nigel James discuss how they would advise clients on strengthening their cases for success when applying for an EB-1B Outstanding Researcher or Professor. Listen here: https://ow.ly/qERE50TuLse

Meet Rose Ellis! How long have you been at the firm? I have been a part of the Klasko family for 15 years and I plan to stay here until I retire. What is your current role? I am a Legal Assistant II. I assist with preparing various administrative and paralegal tasks. How has your job changed over the years? Prior to the pandemic, our petitions were printed, scanned, filed, and mailed out, now all of our petitions are done digitally. You could see how busy everyone was by looking at their desks, now everything is on our computers. We used to have phones on our desks as well, now the phone line is connected to our computer, which is still strange to me. What is your favorite memory from your early days at the firm? One of our administrative assistants, Rita, who has since retired, thought that it would be a great idea (she had many) to bake chocolate chip cookies in the office, so all day long, we got to smell and enjoyed eating warm delicious cookies 😊. We had a lot of fun days (still do) at Klasko, from Throwback Thursday 80’s game day, which included jacks, board games, and Ker-Bangers, Firmsgiving, hot chocolate day, ice cream day, at times order us lunch for no reason, as well as the summer/winter events. What do you value most about working at KILP? The family feel and respect. Everyone is respected no matter what title you hold. What has been one of the more challenging times? The pandemic was a challenge for me, one day we were in the office, and by the end of the day, we were packing up to work from home. Klasko did everything to make it as easy as possible, they even allowed us to order equipment to make our home office as equipped as the work office. We now have a hybrid schedule, but working from home was not for me, I missed the office environment. If I have a question, I would rather go and ask it in person. I choose to go into the office 5 days a week. It is good for me physically and mentally. Anything else you want to share? Around 2 years ago, we participated in an office Shark Tank. My group talked about PTO and how life events impact us, I spoke briefly about my experience of losing my mother and brother seven weeks apart, needless to say, I could not finish my story. After that, the firm implemented 2 Mental Health days per employee, per calendar year. Klasko really cares about their employees, and I am so glad that I get to enjoy my work life at Klasko. I have told many of the partners that they are stuck with me until I retire. 😊 Klasko is an amazing place to work, not many people can say that they love their job and the people they work with. I am happy to wake up each morning and head into the office.

Meet Elise Fialkowski! What is your current role? I’m a member of the firm’s Management Committee as well as the Co-Chair of our Corporate Practice. I also lead our Compliance Team. How has your job changed over the years? I joined the firm as a Partner focusing on corporate work in many sectors, including for example, finance, biotech, engineering, and pharma. I also led our Compliance Team. As our firm and its corporate practice have grown, we recently restructured, and I assumed the position of Corporate Practice Co-Chair. In the many years I have been at the firm, I have also developed niche areas and expanded clients including work with universities, research institutions, startups and entrepreneurs. I also love working with artists and art institutions. What is your favorite memory from your early days at the firm? In the early days of the firm, when we could all fit into a large tour bus, we took our Philadelphia employees to New York City to see our New York office and the beautiful Rockefeller Center decorations, followed by a gourmet lunch and white elephant gift swap. It was a wonderful holiday event and get-together. What do you value most about working at KILP? We have a fantastic team of employees at every level. Not only do we have attorneys who are true leaders in the field of immigration, but our employees truly care about the firm, its clients, and their coworkers. It is truly a team effort to produce the highest quality immigration advice, guidance and support to companies and clients from around the globe. We look forward to working with each other day in and day out to serve our clients. What has been one of the more challenging times? In September 2020, the government announced that the Visa Bulletin was going to move forward dramatically allowing many long-delayed applicants to file the adjustment of status, the last step in the green card process. Our team quickly mobilized to obtain the needed information and prepare the many hundreds of cases necessary for our clients. In true KILP fashion, the entire team came together to do what was needed to help our clients, literally working around the clock to meet the deadline. I still remember the final hours in the office, with a huge team of attorneys, paralegals, and administrative support all working together to finalize the filings to meet the deadline. Anything else you want to share? I am so proud of our firm and the work we do. We have built a very varied practice, and our firm is known as a leader in many areas of immigration, often on the cutting edge of new developments, working creatively to meet client needs and ensuring compliance. We literally work to help bring the best and the brightest from around the world to the United States, including healthcare researchers, doctors, professors, leaders in AI, entrepreneurs, business founders, athletes, and artists.

Meet Gina D. McCray-White! What is your current role? Presently, I hold the position of Senior Legal Assistant, providing support to numerous attorneys and paralegals across our Philadelphia and Washington D.C. offices. How has your job changed over the years? I held various roles, beginning as a secretary handling administrative duties, then moving to office scheduling coordinator where I managed the firm’s scheduling, and now serving as legal assistant performing a mix of administrative and paralegal tasks. What is your favorite memory from your early days at the firm? My fondest memories from the firm’s early days were the Christmas parties, particularly those featuring a dance floor and DJ, which revealed who possessed impressive dance skills. I won’t mention a particular PARTNER! 😊 What do you value most about working at KILP? I am thankful for the friendships and family-like culture at our workplace, particularly the support we offer each other during challenging and joyful times. The support I received after my mother’s passing in 2008 remains deeply appreciated. Despite being a new employee with limited leave, my colleagues generously donated their time and provided financial assistance during my absence. Notably, my KILP family stood by me during my most difficult times. I am forever grateful. I value working with empathetic and caring people. What has been one of the more challenging times? At first, I found it challenging to adjust to remote work because of my role’s hands-on nature and my resistance to significant changes in my work environment. Nonetheless, with the firm’s guidance and resources, I rapidly adapted and now value the advantages of working from home, such as lower travel costs and more time with my family. Anything else you want to share? KILP has been a steady source of support for me and my family throughout the pandemic, providing stability in the face of business closures and layoffs. I am proud to have been affiliated with the firm for so long and to have witnessed its continued growth.

Meet Lisa Stefanelli! How long have you been at the firm? This November will mark 20 years. I interviewed with the firm the first year it was formed, and while they wanted to hire me, they were cautious about over hiring, so there was not yet an opening. Later, when they did have a position, I was in a commitment with my current job and not available. Eventually, the stars aligned, the firm had a spot, and I was available. I have not looked back since. What is your current role? Currently, a Supervisory Paralegal serving our hospital/healthcare clients with a great team of paralegals. How has your job changed over the years? I started out as a Senior Paralegal. In the very early days, I worked very closely with both Ron Klasko and Bill Stock and was the sole paralegal on the hospital/healthcare team. Eventually, as the client base grew, so did the hospital/healthcare team, and we now have an entire team focused on meeting the needs of our hospital clients, which I manage. What is your favorite memory from your early days at the firm? As the first firm employee to get pregnant, the firm planned a surprise baby shower to be held in the office conference room. However, I ended up going into labor early, and having my son the day before the baby shower was scheduled! The firm went on with the baby shower and called me at the hospital via speakerphone during the party to offer congratulations. My son will be 18 on his next birthday! What do you value most about working at KILP? It is very rewarding when your day-to-day involves helping people navigate the immigration system along with their career goals. I have been able to see through entire life cycles of clients first coming to U.S. to finally achieving their dreams of getting their green cards (some after having to wait for over 10+ years!). What has been one of the more challenging times? As it was for many organizations, I would have to say March 2020 and the COVID pandemic. To have your everyday upended with little notice (i.e. commuting, going into the office, seeing your colleagues, working with paper to working alone in your home with just your computer) was a huge challenge to navigate. However, the firm did a great job quickly adapting to remote work, and it has now been a change for the better, allowing us to hire talent from across the country, and providing a great work/life balance while being equally as productive as before. Anything else you want to share? It has been great working at a place where everyone comes together as a team. Each one of us has an important role to play, from the lawyers, billing department, human resources, mailroom staff, paralegals, administrative assistants, etc. and we all work together to support our clients to achieve great results.