Top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman today announced the appointment of Denise Gavica Perez as the Chair of the firm's Immigration Planning and Compliance Practice.

“With her experience, dedication to the firm and community, and leadership capabilities, Denise will build on our nationally ranked practice’s tremendous success and reputation to further enhance the client experience while creating new opportunities,” said Labor and Employment Practice Group Chair Eric Gordon. “Denise’s leadership will help guide our successful Immigration Planning and Compliance Practice to even higher levels.”

Gavica Perez has been a partner at Akerman since 2017. Based in Miami, she provides cutting-edge and creative legal counsel to domestic and multinational companies and institutions throughout the U.S., as well as individuals, families, and private investors. With over 24 years of extensive experience, Gavica Perez has managed a wide range of employment-based immigration cases for nonimmigrant and immigrant (green card) visas, and immigration planning and compliance matters for entities engaged in a multitude of industries, including: hospitals and healthcare institutions, recruitment, construction, technology, engineering, architecture, sports, entertainment, restaurants, manufacturer, hospitality, publishing, retail, education, financial services and banking, export and import, and other sectors. She also provides advanced and strategic advice to clients on a variety of U.S. visas, and labor certifications (PERM) for numerous occupations.  Highlights of her recent work includes:

• Successfully processing and winning over 1,500 cases in 2023.
• Successfully managing numerous high volume projects, including: short-term project of over 550+ Immigrant visa Petitions; yearly Nonimmigrant worker visas for medical residents and fellows selected by reputable teaching hospitals during a matching period; internal audits of Form I-9 for numerous employers; just to name a few.  
• Working with the firmwide team to achieve a 100% approval rate of J-1 waivers filed during the past 7 years.