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Mayer Brown announced today that Elizabeth Espín Stern and her four-lawyer global mobility and immigration team have joined the firm in Washington DC. Ms. Stern will spearhead Mayer Brown’s new global worksite management initiative. This “global people solution” will offer multinational clients a comprehensive compliance and risk management program in connection with their mobile workforce.
“Clients are demanding that law firms look for innovative ways to help navigate the complex set of regulatory requirements and legal risks associated with management of executives and professionals around the world,” said Maureen Gorman, partner and co-leader of Mayer Brown’s global Employment & Benefits practice. “The addition of a top-ranked mobility leader like Liz allows us now to provide a transformative solution. This initiative combines cost-efficient processing of routine visa and work permit matters with cutting edge technology and high level legal advice to manage and reduce risks in global migration, as well as related areas such as employment, tax, compensation and benefits, data privacy, export controls and anti-corruption regulations.”
Ms. Stern said, “Mayer Brown’s strong relationships with leading global companies, its presence in the world’s key business centers, and the strong quality of its people and practices make the firm a great fit for us. Most importantly, the firm’s top leadership is committed to partnering with clients and making the investments necessary to develop a customized solution that fills a major gap in the market for multinational companies that must manage a continuously migrating workforce.”
The global mobility team also includes partners Paul Virtue and Grace Shie and associate Timothy D’Arduini, as well as two highly-experienced legal and management professionals. Most of the group joins from the Washington DC office of Baker & McKenzie, where Ms. Stern served as managing partner and led that firm’s Global Immigration & Mobility practice. The team represents and advises multinational companies on global mobility issues in a variety of sectors including financial services, IT, defense, education, telecommunications and multimedia. In addition, the group has a proven record of assisting sports and entertainment celebrities with complex immigration needs.
“This is an exciting initiative for our firm,” said Daniel Masur, partner-in-charge of Mayer Brown’s Washington DC office. “For more than 25 years, Liz has been at the forefront of helping corporations solve the myriad legal issues that can arise when executives and professionals move from country to country, which is becoming increasingly common in today’s global economy. The deep knowledge and experience of Liz and her team will significantly expand our ability to serve client needs in this important area.”
Ms. Stern is top-ranked in Chambers, Best Lawyers, Legal 500, Who’s Who, and other global and national directories. Having grown up in the Latin American diplomatic corps, as her father is a retired Ecuadorian diplomat, she launched a business immigration practice in 1988 and became known early in her career as an innovative business partner to companies seeking to hire top talent from around the world.
Mr. Virtue is ranked as a senior statesman by Chambers in the field of immigration and is recognized across other major legal directories, and is renowned as a policy and practice leader in the field. Prior to entering private practice, he served for over 16 years at the US Department of Justice, where his positions included General Counsel and Executive Associate Commissioner of the US Immigration & Naturalization Service.
Ms. Shie, who is fluent in Mandarin, has held leading positions in both Washington DC and Hong Kong in global immigration, and also is Chambers-ranked. She will serve as a global leader in Mayer Brown’s global mobility practice, focusing on inbound and outbound Asian migration.
“Clients are demanding that law firms look for innovative ways to help navigate the complex set of regulatory requirements and legal risks associated with management of executives and professionals around the world,” said Maureen Gorman, partner and co-leader of Mayer Brown’s global Employment & Benefits practice. “The addition of a top-ranked mobility leader like Liz allows us now to provide a transformative solution. This initiative combines cost-efficient processing of routine visa and work permit matters with cutting edge technology and high level legal advice to manage and reduce risks in global migration, as well as related areas such as employment, tax, compensation and benefits, data privacy, export controls and anti-corruption regulations.”
Ms. Stern said, “Mayer Brown’s strong relationships with leading global companies, its presence in the world’s key business centers, and the strong quality of its people and practices make the firm a great fit for us. Most importantly, the firm’s top leadership is committed to partnering with clients and making the investments necessary to develop a customized solution that fills a major gap in the market for multinational companies that must manage a continuously migrating workforce.”
The global mobility team also includes partners Paul Virtue and Grace Shie and associate Timothy D’Arduini, as well as two highly-experienced legal and management professionals. Most of the group joins from the Washington DC office of Baker & McKenzie, where Ms. Stern served as managing partner and led that firm’s Global Immigration & Mobility practice. The team represents and advises multinational companies on global mobility issues in a variety of sectors including financial services, IT, defense, education, telecommunications and multimedia. In addition, the group has a proven record of assisting sports and entertainment celebrities with complex immigration needs.
“This is an exciting initiative for our firm,” said Daniel Masur, partner-in-charge of Mayer Brown’s Washington DC office. “For more than 25 years, Liz has been at the forefront of helping corporations solve the myriad legal issues that can arise when executives and professionals move from country to country, which is becoming increasingly common in today’s global economy. The deep knowledge and experience of Liz and her team will significantly expand our ability to serve client needs in this important area.”
Ms. Stern is top-ranked in Chambers, Best Lawyers, Legal 500, Who’s Who, and other global and national directories. Having grown up in the Latin American diplomatic corps, as her father is a retired Ecuadorian diplomat, she launched a business immigration practice in 1988 and became known early in her career as an innovative business partner to companies seeking to hire top talent from around the world.
Mr. Virtue is ranked as a senior statesman by Chambers in the field of immigration and is recognized across other major legal directories, and is renowned as a policy and practice leader in the field. Prior to entering private practice, he served for over 16 years at the US Department of Justice, where his positions included General Counsel and Executive Associate Commissioner of the US Immigration & Naturalization Service.
Ms. Shie, who is fluent in Mandarin, has held leading positions in both Washington DC and Hong Kong in global immigration, and also is Chambers-ranked. She will serve as a global leader in Mayer Brown’s global mobility practice, focusing on inbound and outbound Asian migration.
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January 262023
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