Page 94 - NYLJ Professional Excellence 2021
P. 94

INNOVATION AWARDS



                                            more than 430 and all from a work-from-  So instead of just throwing every
                                            home environment.                idea you have out there, you’re offer-
                                              We put our heads down, did our jobs,   ing up critical changes that are inspired
                                            met every deadline. It was pure survival   by what adds the most value for your
                                            mode, but we pushed through know-  clients and your team. It’s a great way
                                            ing that our clients have been waiting   to generate ideas that are innovative
                                            several years to file these applications.   and practical—that stand a chance of
                                            We were motivated to help them realize   being executed.
                                            their goals.

                                            What, if any, obstacles stood in the
                                            way of your innovation, and how did
                                            you overcome them? As we began to
                                            develop an integrated process and tech-
                   Isha Atassi              nology for the client, there were basic
                                            technical problems, of course. This
                                            included getting the different data types
            PARTNER AT FRAGOMEN, DEL REY,
                                            from the collaborators to ‘talk’ with one
                  BERNSEN & LOEWY
                                            another—matching up date formats, for
                                            instance, and labeling corresponding
           Q&A     What are some of your    pieces of data in a uniform way.
                                              More significantly, I think we’re help-
                   proudest  achievements
           from the past year? This year? My   ing our client adjust culturally.
           greatest achievement would be sur-  Financial institutions have stringent
           vival.Immigration lawyers like me and   control requirements and expecta-
           my colleagues at Fragomen were hit   tions. The new data-sharing platform   Lisa Bebchick
           hard by the pandemic because inter-  is all about easing communication and
           national travel and immigration suf-  cooperation; however, building in con-  PARTNER AT
           fered profound and incessant turmoil.   trol and review capabilities that make a
           Presidential proclamations and travel   big institution comfortable might slow   ROPES & GRAY
           bans with little advance notice made it   things down. So we’ve been using analy-
           difficult to navigate an already complex   sis and other tools to help them squeeze   Q&A  What are some of your
           landscape. Each change required a fresh   more efficiency from the process.  proudest achievements
           examination and re-calibration of our                             from the past year? I am most proud
           efforts—how do we protect our clients’   What is the best advice for younger   that we stayed connected over the past
           employees abroad? How do we get them   attorneys looking to advance their own   year and that our women attorneys con-
           home? Is there any creative way to bring   innovative ideas or visions? Review your   tinued to pursue growth opportunities
           them back, or do they remain abroad? If   work regularly and comprehensively.  and leverage the training and support
           they remain, how do we set up remote   Each year, I look back and ask myself:   that we offer at the Women’s Forum. Our
           work arrangements and all the attendant   “What could I have done differently?   goal this past year was to continue our
           practical needs?                 What can I do better this year? How do I   programming for our women attorneys
             The last 12 months have been the   change the way I experience my job and   despite the remote working environ-
           most chaotic year for immigration   my profession—how do I shake things   ment and we were largely able to do
           law in my memory—maybe ever. And   up, push further, keep from becoming   that without skipping a beat given the
           to complicate matters, the volume of   complacent?”               strong foundation that we had in place.
           work was unprecedented as well. Late   This annual process ties innovation   We have been constantly evolving our
           last year, the government advanced the   to the actual circumstances of your job.   programming each year so when the
           green card filing dates, which resulted   People often think about innovation as   pandemic hit, it was fairly easy to pivot
           in a significant number of individuals   inspiration—something that just hits   to the virtual environment. Our use of
           becoming eligible to file their applica-  you out of the blue. But I think that it   technology, including our internal social
           tions. In a normal quarter, we represent   comes from knowing your work and your   media platform, WF Connect, helped us
           employees in a dozen of these requests;   profession intimately, in all its practi-  remain connected, and we sought feed-
           in the last quarter of 2020, we handled   cal detail.             back from our women attorneys at all


        92   October 2021   |                                                          Photos: Fragomen; Ropes & Gray
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