More than half of the startups in the QB3 network were founded by entrepreneurs not born in the US. And many startups hire foreign scientists because of their specialized skills. But the procedures for applying for visas, which have never been simple, have become more complicated of late. To learn more about how executive orders, and recent bills introduced in Congress, may affect your company’s hiring or your own employment prospects—and to get a refresher on the US immigration system—join us to hear from Atessa Chehrazi and Ilana Drummond of the San Francisco immigration law firm Jackson & Hertogs.
Where and When
Room 212, Byers Hall, UCSF Mission Bay (700 4th St., San Francisco)
Noon to 1:00 PM, Tuesday, October 9
About the Speakers
Atessa Chehrazi has been a partner at Jackson & Hertogs since April 2013 and an associate/senior associate since July 2000. She was previously an associate at Maggio & Kattar in Washington, D.C. from 1996 to 2000. She has held several volunteer roles within the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) during her career. For AILA’s Northern California Chapter, she has served as Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) liaison. On a national level, Atessa served on AILA’s USCIS Headquarters and Benefits, Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), and Department of Labor (DOL) liaison committee. In addition, Atessa has served on AILA’s Business Immigration Advocacy, Issues, and Due Process & Civil Liberties committees, as well as several conference committees. She has served on both a chapter level and national level as a Customs & Border Protection (CBP) liaison.
Atessa has authored articles published in AILA Handbooks and has presented at national and regional AILA conferences. Atessa has served as a board member of the Iranian American Bar Association Northern California chapter since 2009, served as President of the chapter 2014-2015, and was the chapter honoree at the Bar Association of San Francisco Minority Bar Council annual unity awards event in 2014. She is a member of the National Lawyers Guild and was the NLG Immigration Project’s honoree in 2013.
Ilana J. Drummond has been the firm’s managing partner since 2004. Having focused her practice exclusively on immigration matters for her entire career, Ilana has developed an expertise in helping large and small corporations address their immigration needs. Ilana has held a number of roles within the AILA organizations over the years, including roles within AILA’s California Service Center Liaison Committee, Distance Learning Committee, L-1 Visa Taskforce, and the USCIS Benefits Liaison Committee. Ilana has been an invited speaker to several national and regional conferences. She recently authored “Hiring International Workers in Today’s Economy: New Challenges and Strategies” to Aspatore’s 2010 edition of Employing International Workers. Ilana has received accolades from several directories to legal counsel, including Martindale-Hubbell® and Chambers USA.