Fieldfisher Birmingham appoints new Head of Immigration

European law firm Fieldfisher is delighted to announce the appointment of Rhona Azir as its new Head of Immigration.

Rhona has joined the firm's Birmingham office from Magrath Sheldrick in London, having previously worked as an immigration specialist for a number of UK law firms and in-house, including for a Big Four accountancy firm.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Rhona had a career in journalism, having worked as a news reporter and multimedia editor for the then Birmingham Post and Mail newspaper group.

Rhona's particular specialism is helping businesses attract key talent, ensuring they are compliant with all legal and regulatory obligations. Having worked in-house, she understands the various challenges businesses and HR departments face and provides bespoke compliance training, tailored to their needs.

Rhona also has experience in dealing with complex immigration applications for private clients, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

Rhona is taking over Fieldfisher's busy immigration practice which sits within the firm's international Employment, Pensions, Immigration and Compliance (EPIC) group.

Fieldfisher advises a number of large organisations on immigration, and the need for this advice has become particularly acute since Brexit, and in the context of the UK's wider skills and labour shortage.

Commenting on Rhona's appointment, Head of EPIC and Birmingham Office Leader Ranjit Dhindsa said: "We are delighted that Rhona is joining the firm to take over our Immigration practice. Being based in the Birmingham office, she will be perfectly placed to manage a team that is spread across Birmingham, London, Manchester and Belfast, and which regularly works closely with our international offices in 12 countries.

"Immigration advice is essential to much of the firm's work assisting large corporate clients on major deals and reorganisations as well as resourcing. Immigration expertise is also key to our Birmingham office's core focus on specialist litigation and business transformation.

"I look forward to working closely with Rhona in the future."