BAL

What BAL does

BAL (legal name Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP) is a U.S. corporate immigration law firm founded in 1980 and organized as a California limited liability partnership, headquartered at 2400 N. Glenville Dr., Richardson, TX. It provides immigration legal services to enterprise corporate clients — including visa petition preparation and filing, employment authorization, permanent residency sponsorship, Form I-9 and E-Verify compliance, government site visit representation, and immigration program management around corporate events such as M&A, reorganizations, and expansions. The firm operates 13 U.S. offices and maintains a global network of partners in 170+ countries, serving 1,000+ immigration programs across 12 U.S. administrations with an average client NPS of 75 (twice the legal industry average). It has 101-250 employees and Chambers USA 2026 top-tier ranked attorneys, including partners drawn from USCIS, DHS, and DOJ.

The firm's service portfolio is organized around four practice areas: Employment Authorization and Work Visas, Program Support and Management (including compliance), Specialty Practices (sports and entertainment, agriculture, hospitality), and Government Strategies (regulatory and policy counsel). Underpinning the practice is Cobalt, BAL's proprietary case management platform that provides enterprise clients with real-time visibility into case status. The firm monetizes through professional services billings to corporate employers; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct via partner-led enterprise relationships, supplemented by a content and community ecosystem (BAL Community, Immigration Policy Tracker, USCIS Fee Calculator, Perspectives publication). Notable 2026 strategic activity includes the January 13 acquisition of Ladik Law Firm to build out a dedicated Sports and Entertainment practice ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026, and a January 30 Non-Convertible Debentures listing by wholly-owned Indian subsidiary BACL.

Name

BAL

Legal name

Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP

Website

https://www.bal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

BAL (Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP) is a U.S. corporate immigration law firm founded in 1980, serving enterprise employers through 13 U.S. offices and a 170-country partner network with visa petition, compliance, and program management services delivered via its proprietary Cobalt case management platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Immigration Law (BPAHAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Immigration Compliance & Employer Sponsorship (I-9/Right-to-Work, Policy, Audits) (THACAKAC), Immigration Legal Services & Representation (Law Firms) (THACAKAF), Immigration, Work Authorization & Global Mobility Compliance (THACALAF)

Keywords

• Corporate immigration law
• Visa petition services
• Immigration compliance advisory
• Immigration program management
• Global talent mobility

Headquarters

HQ city

Richardson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Corporate Immigration Law: BAL generates revenue through providing legal services to corporate clients for immigration matters including visa petition preparation and filing, compliance, permanent residency applications, and immigration program management. Revenue is generated through professional services billed to corporate employers sponsoring foreign workers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BAL (Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP) is a global corporate immigration law firm that delivers legal services to enterprise employers, including preparation and filing of visa petitions, employment authorization, green card sponsorship, Form I-9 and E-Verify compliance, and ongoing immigration program management. The firm operates through 13 U.S. offices and a network of partners in 170+ countries, supported by a proprietary case management platform (Cobalt) that provides real-time visibility into case status. Specialty practices extend to seasonal workers (agriculture, hospitality), athletes and entertainers, and government/policy strategy.

Product overview

BAL is a global immigration law firm (Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP) offering immigration legal services organized around a core proprietary case management platform and several integrated service offerings. The main products include: Employment Authorization and Work Visas (visa petition preparation and filing), Program Support and Management (compliance services including Form I-9 and E-Verify), a proprietary Case Management Platform (delivering real-time visibility into immigration status), Specialty Practices (agriculture, hospitality, athletes, entertainers), and Government Strategies (policy compliance and counsel). Services span 13 U.S. offices with network partners in 170+ countries, supporting 1,000+ immigration programs through 12 administrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employment Authorization and Work Visas Visa petition preparation and filing services supporting the immigration journey of skilled employees across industries and geographies for corporate employer clients.
• Program Support and Management Comprehensive immigration program services including Form I-9 and E-Verify compliance, government site visit support, and operational management of enterprise immigration programs.
• Cobalt Case Management Platform BAL's proprietary case management platform that simplifies and streamlines the immigration process, delivering real-time visibility into immigration status and clarifying next steps for corporate clients.
• Compliance Advisory Legal Services Dedicated Form I-9 employment verification, E-Verify compliance and program management services including internal audits, policy development, training, and government audit representation for enterprise employers.
• Specialty Practices (Agriculture, Hospitality, Athletes, Entertainers) Immigration expertise for seasonal worker programs (H-2A and similar) in agriculture and hospitality, and specialized immigration for athletes and entertainers.
• Sports and Entertainment Practice Specialized immigration services for professional and amateur athletes, teams, and leagues, including planning and compliance for training, competition, tours, and league play.
• Government Strategies Strategic counsel on corporate immigration program compliance, management, and policy engagement, including preparation for government policy changes.
• BAL Community Membership Paid membership program offering exclusive access to benchmarking, events, and networking for immigration professionals at corporate employers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average NPS of 75, twice the legal industry average
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ladik Law FirmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2026BAL acquired Ladik Law Firm, a sports and entertainment immigration specialized firm, adding sports and entertainment immigration specialist Steve Ladik and his team to BAL's Sports and Entertainment Practice. The acquisition enhances BAL's capabilities in athlete and team mobility matters including immigration planning and compliance for training, competition, tours, and league play. This is part of BAL's broader strategy of growth through acquisitions in 2026.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Foster LLP: Foster is a Texas-based corporate immigration law firm serving enterprise clients across employment-based visas, compliance, and litigation. It directly overlaps BAL's Houston/Dallas service lines and competes for similar corporate clients in the U.S. Southwest.
• Klasko Immigration Law Partners: Klasko is a U.S.-focused corporate immigration law firm serving employers, investors, and individuals. It directly competes with BAL on H-1B, PERM, green card, and compliance work for mid-market and enterprise clients, with overlapping service lines and Chambers-recognized attorneys.
• Vialto Partners: Vialto Partners (formerly KPMG's Global Mobility Services practice) provides integrated global immigration, tax, and social security mobility services to multinational employers. It competes with BAL on cross-border workforce mobility and offers the broader full-stack mobility positioning BAL approaches through partners.
• Fragomen: Fragomen is the world's largest dedicated corporate immigration law firm, with a global owned-office footprint across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. It is BAL's most direct competitor for enterprise visa petition, compliance, and global mobility work, and is the primary benchmark for scale in this category.

Broad incumbents

• Ogletree Deakins: Ogletree Deakins is a large U.S. labor and employment law firm with a substantial business immigration practice. It competes with BAL for enterprise immigration mandates as part of a broader employment law portfolio rather than as a pure-play immigration specialist.
• Mintz Levin: Mintz Levin is a full-service U.S. law firm with a well-regarded immigration practice serving corporate and life sciences clients. It competes with BAL on employment-based visas and compliance, particularly in the Boston and East Coast markets.
• Seyfarth Shaw: Seyfarth Shaw is a national full-service firm with an established immigration practice group. It competes with BAL for enterprise immigration mandates, particularly in I-9/employment compliance matters tied to its broader labor and employment footprint.
• Jackson Lewis: Jackson Lewis is a major U.S. employment-focused law firm with a dedicated immigration practice group. It overlaps BAL on I-9 compliance, worksite enforcement, and visa sponsorship matters for employer clients, though immigration is one of many practice areas.
• Wolters Kluwer Immigration Compliance: Wolters Kluwer provides immigration compliance software (e.g., I-9/E-Verify management tools) that competes with parts of BAL's compliance advisory and technology offerings. As an incumbent tech provider, it represents both a competitor and a potential technology partner for BAL's Cobalt platform.

Emerging players

• Envoy Global: Envoy Global is a tech-enabled immigration and global mobility platform combining attorney services with proprietary software. It is an emerging competitor to BAL's case management capabilities and targets the same enterprise HR buyers, increasingly commoditizing lower-margin case work.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BAL_Immigration
• Facebookfacebook.com/Berry-Appleman-Leiden-LLP-116459445144829
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berry-appleman-&-leiden-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BAL