Immigration, Locally: How to Protect Your Business & Advocate for Workerson 2019-04-09
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; program from 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Colorado Mountain College | Edwards Campus
Since the start of the Trump administration, workplace enforcement actions have increased 5-fold. No longer is the focus merely on compliance within the frame of I-9 regulations, but the government is also focused on compliance surrounding the hiring of temporary seasonal workers. Now, coupled with a constricting visa processing system and aggressive removal practices, the constraints on foreign workers and the companies that employ them have never been more challenging. This practical panel will explore what employers can do to ensure compliance and help lobby for an expansive use of business based visas for low skilled workers.
Jonathan Grode serves as the practice director for the firm Green and Speigel. Grode has continuously worked in the U.S. business immigration law field since 1999 and has amassed considerable experience obtaining nonimmigrant and immigrant visas for new company start-ups, professional workers, artists and entertainers, athletes, physicians and scientific researchers. Grode also has significant experience dealing with Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security enforcement actions as well as with EB-5 Investor filings.
Grode has been a panelist and moderator on immigration law topics for numerous organizations including the American Bar Association, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, French Chamber for Commerce and Industry (Paris, France) and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He also writes regularly for industry publications and academic journals. Grode is also an adjunct faculty at Temple University Beasley School of Law where he teaches Business Immigration Law, Advising Global Corporations and Law Practice Management.
Notably, Grode has been listed as one of SuperLawyers' Rising Stars from 2012-2018. He has also been honored with the 2014 Pennsylvania Bar Association Special Achievement Award for "Dedication and Commitment to the High School Mock Trial Competition," for which he has served as Lead Author for the past 10 years. Grode graduated first in his class from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2008.
Amy Novak founded the Novak Law office in 2005. Focusing on employment and family immigration, her firm has built a reputation for working extensively with clients to deliver successful results.
Novak also heads up the Colorado office for the renowned law firm Green and Spiegel. As a leading national speaker and expert on temporary employment visas, she is responsible for their nationwide H-2B practice. Her extensive experience has benefited many clients throughout the country as she has skillfully maneuvered through multiple Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division audits.
She is active in her community on behalf of immigrant rights, with a steadfast commitment to helping domestic violence victims and DACA recipients. She also works closely with local law enforcement and other advocates on a variety of human rights issues. Having lived in the area for the past 20 years and worked as a ski instructor for Vail Resorts, she has been a "sought after" counsel and adviser to local businesses.
Novak is also a participant in both the American Immigration Lawyers Association's local Colorado chapter and the national organization where she frequently lectures, lobbies and writes on immigration-related topics.