How I Randomly Became an Immigration Lawyer

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Hello everyone,

I never really chose to live in Charlotte. I had a list of 12 cities to choose from while waiting for my bar results, all for a role at an international trade consulting company. The founder, who remains a major part of my support system, left me a six-minute voicemail about how thrilled he was that I picked Charlotte, even though it was actually 7th on my list.

For me, as long as I could get out of Columbus (no offense) and avoid being sent to Detroit (again, no offense), I was content.

I had a blast learning the ropes of B2B sales by promoting specialized trade credit insurance products, mainly from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, to small and midsize exporters across the Southeast USA. A little side note: I got this job a month before a government spending freeze halted EXIM's operations.

I got into some hot water for taking it upon myself to drive to Washington, DC, and head to Capitol Hill to voice my concerns about the freeze. But the effort paid off—my letter was read on the House floor by Rep. Joyce Beatty. Here’s the full link to that letter.

The EXIM Bank faced a significant shutdown in 2015 due to Congress's decision not to renew its charter, leading to a massive reduction in its ability to support U.S. businesses. This shutdown caused a sharp decline in export financing, leaving many companies struggling to maintain their global sales. If you want to dive deeper into what happened and why it mattered so much, you can read more in this Vox article.

A few years later, the company was acquired by a large corporation, and I knew the days of working with smaller clients were numbered. So, I resigned and pivoted to attorney document review. The very next day, a partner walked in and asked who had a passport and could leave the next day. I raised my hand and was sent on a special project to the Channel Islands. It was there, over two weeks, that a law firm partner convinced me that there were B2B opportunities in immigration law.

I had no clue about immigration law—nor did I realize how tough it was to secure H-1B visas. Spoiler alert: we never got one.

In a future newsletter, I’ll share how I got my first P-1 visa opportunity (Athlete visa) and why I decided to stay away from family-based immigration cases (until I didn’t one time—and regretted it).

Stay tuned for more!

Thanks for reading,

Sherrod Seward

Managing Director

Innovative Global Talent Agency (IGTA)

#O1Visa #Entrepreneurship #ImmigrationLaw #BusinessOwnership #GlobalTalent #PetitionerServices #IGTA

Innovative Global Talent Agency: Bringing the Best Minds to the U.S.

Founded by an extraordinary ability visa lawyer, we specialize in identifying and bringing top international talent to the United States utilizing unique O-1 visa structures. We streamline the immigration process for high-skilled professionals, employers, and immigration law firm partners through our petitioner services, talent placement, and itinerary problem-solving.

Visit Website | Executive Placement | Employer Services | Petitioner Services | Talent Services