John Benjamin Moore, PartnerIn an interview with the editorial team at Manage HR, John Benjamin Moore, Partner at Villalobos & Moore, discusses how his company stands apart as a respectful, compassionate, and trustworthy legal partner and guides clients through the maze of U.S. immigration law.
Could you provide us with an overview of your company?
We are a bi-national law firm practicing immigration law in the U.S. and Mexico. Since graduating from Penn Law, my focus has been on immigration law. I have worked for the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) and clerked in the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. My partner, Martha Villalobos, graduated from and taught at Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, one of the most prestigious law schools in Mexico. She also led an office for one of the largest multinational law firms in the world. But we decided to forego the opportunity of working with large employers and form Villalobos & Moore to better focus on the personalized needs of the individual immigrants we serve. We represent people from nearly everywhere, but with special expertise for Mexican, the U.S., and Canadian clients.
Having graduated from an Ivy League law school and worked with multiple government agencies that deal with immigration, I had gathered extensive firsthand experience at the beginning of my career to set a strong foundation for my company. Our robust academic underpinning is what differentiates us from our competitors.
What are some of the existing pain points in the immigration sector today?
The pandemic has brought about several challenges in the industry, and we are looking forward to a complete vaccination that will allow us to return to normalcy. Even before the pandemic disrupted operations in all sectors, the policies set by the prior administration ushered in an era of skepticism toward all immigration with a broad-based, comprehensive attack on all forms of legal immigration. There were several attempts to prevent all types of legal immigrants from even applying for visas or processing applications under the law. We look forward to implementing the new administration's policies. Consulates and embassies are opening up worldwide, and visa application processing in the U.S has gained pace. However, the needs of employers run independent of the timeline of government agencies. Any delays from the government can have a significant impact on employers. Hence, it is essential for employers to understand the flexibilities granted under the law due to the pandemic as well as all of the options available to maintain proper immigration status moving forward.
Our clients invariably hire us because of our ability to serve the individualized needs of their key employees
At Villalobos & Moore, we believe in an individualized approach. Companies that require mass filings typically hire larger firms. On the other hand, our clients invariably hire us because of our ability to serve the individualized needs of their key employees. This is where my clerkship at the immigration courts and experience in family immigration and removal defense comes to bear. Our company has command over the entirety of the immigration law, which allows us to obtain visas in complex cases and come up with solutions through legal routes that the average immigration law firms would never even think to consider. We take pride in our ability to take over cases that other attorneys may label as problematic or non-viable. We focus on the individual and look more broadly at the solutions that are best for them, unlike attorneys who specialize in processing three or four specific types of visas. I have always hired and trained people with excellent credentials in an attempt to create a team of problem solvers who are creative and understand the unique needs of our clients.
What process do you follow when offering individualized services to your clients?
The process that we follow to identify creative solutions starts with understanding our client’s goal. We bring a broader vision to bear that helps us identify a better and quicker solution, especially in today's transforming landscape fueled by changing administrations and the pandemic. This is made possible by our team where every individual, from the person who answers the phone to the attorney, everybody is a degreed professional. Our paralegals in the business immigration section have practiced corporate law in their home countries before immigrating to the U.S. Every member of our team is capable of understanding the full complexity of the situation. In addition, our paralegals receive weekly formalized training to stay up to date with the latest developments in the field and understand how these changes fit together and their impact on the clients’ business processes when combined with the current economic situation.
Could you share a scenario where you were able to help your client achieve their goal?
On several occasions, we have been approached by clients who aren't fully aware of their legal options to handle the immigration requirements of their employees. In some cases, prior counsel had essentially tried to force each employee into the same process, and the HR professionals were not even made aware of the other options. Upon analyzing those scenarios, we identified that the other possible immigration options would require greater skills and dedicated personal attention on the part of the prior counsel. The recommended solution, on the other hand, was a burden on the employer, employee, and the employee's family members. When we consult with such clients, we assure them that we can obtain results through the more challenging yet the most befitting option.
In one scenario, we worked with a client in the renewable energy sector who was informed that a particular non-immigrant visa could not lead to permanent resident status as there was a conflict with non-immigrant intent. However, we were able to obtain a permanent resident status for the employee. We take pride in our ability to solve tough cases and make life easy for our clients and their employees. We try to understand the constraints for the client and work within those constraints, even if it means we have to tread on a challenging path.
What does the future hold for Villalobos & Moore?
We are keenly focused on promoting growth within the company. Several of our employees are pursuing their law degrees and law licenses. Since our inception, we have experienced remarkable year-over-year growth, but we are structured in a way that ensures every case gets our undivided attention. We left the big companies to stay small, and by doing so, we can dedicate more time and individualized attention to each case. We aim to stay nimble and help every member of our team gain more expertise.
