Corp America March 2017

36 CORP AMERICA / MARCH 2017 , Neera Bahl & Associates, LLC is a lawfirm specialising in all areas of immigration law. We invited associate attorney Shilpa Jadwani, Esq. to tell us more about the firm, following their achievement of the Lawyers of the Year – Georgia award. Going Through the ‘Immigration Maze’ Neera Bahl & Associates assists individuals and corporations in immigrating to the United States lawfully. I joined the firm in 2013 as an associate attorney, immediately after taking and passing the bar exam. I am originally from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India but raised in New Jersey. I gained my Bachelor’s Degree from the reputable Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ and went on to obtain a Degree in Paralegal Studies from the Fairleigh Dickenson University also in New Jersey. I graduated in 2012 with a Juris Doctorate from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. I handle all aspects of the firm, from marketing, to client retention, to administrative and managerial tasks, as well as complete representation of clients. I specialise in representing corporate clients in Employment Based Visas (H-1, L-1, O-1, R-1, P-3, TN, etc.), PERM Labor Certifications, I-140 Immigrant Petitions, Employment Based Greencard (I-485) applications and other miscellaneous corporate work such as contract drafting and review. I also represent individuals and families in filing for immigrant and non-immigrant visas, such as Family Based Greencard applications, I-751 Removal of Conditions, Citizenship, Fiancée Visas, F-1 Student Visas, B-1/B-2 Visitor Visas, Dependent Visas for Non-Immigrant Spouses, Employment Authorization, Advance Parole as well as Victim Based Applications such as U-Visas, VAWA Petitions, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Cancellation of Removal and Asylum/Refugee applications. Lawyers of the Year – Georgia I am delighted to receive the Lawyers of the Year – Georgia award. It’s wonderful to be appreciated for what you do. This is just yet another example of when hard work and dedication pays off! I absolutely love doing what I do – helping others navigate through the complex maze of immigration law! I can understand how frustrating, stressful and scary as my family and I have also been through several of these processes. I immigrated to the United States in 1994, when my father entered on an H1B Visa, and my mother, brother and I entered as H-4 dependents. We went through the series of processes such as the PERM Labor Certification and I-140 Immigrant Petition for my father - and then ultimately filing to become Legal Permanent Residents (Greencard Holders) almost ten years later. Similarly, my husband, Dhiraj Jadwani, entered on an F-1 Student Visa, and I processed the his Greencard application, I-751 application and citizenship application myself. I feel this is one of the most valued assets I have – because I have gone through the processes myself - I can relate to the fears and frustrations that my clients feel. Knowing that you have an attorney that understands what you are feeling, and takes the time to explain the processes and procedures to you in laymen terms, ensures that my clients go through the ‘immigration maze’ without any stress, frustration or fear of the ‘unknown.’ Another thing that sets us apart from many others is that we are a small to mid-size law firm; this means that I can dedicate meaningful time to my clients whenever they need it without just worrying about money all the time. I often hear from my clients that they went to another firm and the first and last time they spoke to the attorney was when they hired the firm and made the payment. From there on out – they only dealt with assistants and paralegals, and no matter how important or urgent were not able to speak to the attorney directly. Although I understand and know the importance of supporting staff in a law firm, many times clients just want to hear the information from the attorney themselves. There have been countless situations where I began speaking with the client to answer one question, but discovered other aspects of the case there were pertinent and may have been missed by an assistant or paralegal. Our motto is that when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like ‘work’ but rather a passion that you are pursuing. So, that is what immigration law and my clients are to me – they are my passion and I absolutely love doing what I do! The look of joy on a client’s face when they ultimately receive their permanent residency after countless applications, processes and often times years of waiting is simply priceless. That joy of being able to help others, especially those that cannot help themselves such as certain victims (children, domestic violence and abuse victims, asylees/refugees, etc.) and giving back to the community is what me going and keeps me positive. Sometimes we encounter individuals and companies who do not qualify for the relief that they seek or any type of relief at all to remain in the United States lawfully, and unfortunately as much as we want to help, all we can do is provide zealous representation. It’s heart- breaking to not be able to help those, but in order to remain successful and help others that we can assist, we must stay positive! Knowing that you have made such a significant impact 1703CA38