ELA International Employment/Immigration Lawyers

Leigh Polk Cole, Esq.

I just attended the annual meeting of the Employment Law Alliance (ELA), a close association of U.S. and international employment and immigration lawyers.  It felt like the United Nations of employment and immigration lawyers.  The ELA has one member law firm from each U.S. State and Canadian province, and one member law firm from each of another 113 countries around the world.  ELA firms are chosen to represent the best in client service, so that together ELA firms can offer the best client service available around the world.  The group meets several times during the year so the attorneys can develop collegial working relationships and personal ties to bind the ELA network together as a cohesive unit.  With less than 200 member firms from around the globe, it's a close knit group.  At this particular ELA meeting I particularly enjoyed getting acquainted with employment and immigration lawyers from The Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Poland, Mexico, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Tanzania, Hong Kong, British Columbia and New Zealand.  Our ELA colleagues are an invaluable resource for our clients, because we can quickly and efficiently look to our ELA friends around the world for guidance and representation when our clients are expanding, hiring or doing business in other states or countries.  The ELA annual meeting was held in San Diego this year which was delightful.  San Diego is a spectacular city with lovely people, scenery and weather.   The city's seaside focus was brought into focus by our ELA colleague from Honolulu, HI who remarked to me that San Diego has a more "maritime" flavor than Honolulu.  As a sea, sailing, beach, boating and biking afficionado, I truly appreciate all San Diego has to offer.

Leigh Cole