Scott Wright is the group leader for the Faegre Baker Daniels labor and employment group. 

With 24 years of experience in the immigration law field, Scott advises and represents businesses across the country on I-9 and immigration compliance matters. He works with clients in industries such as manufacturing, health care, agri-business, meat packing, food services, construction, energy, information technology, retail, restaurants, hotels, hospitality, engineering, finance and other fields.

In addition to advising employers on the full spectrum of global visa and work permit issues, Scott provides counsel on immigration law issues that arise in employment decisions, mergers and acquisitions, government audits and investigations, and labor law disputes.

Scott represents businesses before a variety of federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Department of State (DOS), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel (OSC).

To assist corporate clients with maintaining I-9 and immigration compliance, Scott conducts internal audits, provides I-9 and corrective action training sessions, and implements best practices and procedures for company managers and human resources professionals. In association with providing these services, Scott has developed and co-authored resources for human resources professionals charged with managing global mobility and I-9 functions for their companies. His publications include the recently updated Summary Guide to Business Immigration Law and the new I-9 Legal Quick-Sheet.

Scott is recognized for his knowledge and experience related to I-9 and immigration compliance in the following areas.

Training. Scott trains corporate clients across the country in establishing I-9 recordkeeping and immigration compliance procedures. He and his team provide on-site, telephone and video conference-based training sessions on I-9 and immigration compliance for corporate clients' human resources and administrative personnel. This includes detailed support for clients converting to electronic I-9 record-keeping and evaluating the use of E-Verify and other federal employment verification programs.

Human resources support and employee relations counseling. Members of the Faegre Baker Daniels immigration team strive for same-day response times in advising clients on I-9, hiring, re-verification and termination issues. In this manner, our corporate clients' human resources personnel have immediate access to legal support when questions arise in the hiring and re-verification processes. Clients regularly leverage Scott's immigration law expertise in effectively managing investigations and company responses to reports of possible illegal alien employment, identity theft in the workplace, and reports of Social Security no-matches.

Audits and investigations. Along with Faegre Baker Daniels litigation attorneys, Scott is available to represent employers who are subject to I-9 audits and investigations. The firm's lawyers have extensive experience in aggressively representing corporate clients throughout the country whose I-9s or immigration-related hiring practices are subject to review or audit before federal agencies, including ICE, DOL, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other agencies. Scott has successfully defended corporate clients across the country against charges of Unfair Immigration Related Employment Practices filed with the U.S. Department of Justice OSC.

Worksite enforcement actions. Scott represents clients in enforcement actions brought by ICE and U.S. attorneys' offices around the country. ICE is increasing using threat of federal criminal prosecution against company owners, managers, supervisors and human resources personnel in its immigration compliance and enforcement actions. In light of this expanding government strategy of worksite enforcement, our immigration lawyers coordinate their advice and strategy with that of experienced litigators—including those with experience in working for the U.S. Attorney's Office. Faegre Baker Daniels aggressively represents the interests of corporate clients subject to subpoenas or search warrants related to I-9 practices or immigration compliance.

Mergers and acquisitions. Scott regularly collaborates with Faegre Baker Daniels M&A attorneys to conduct immigration compliance due diligence on a variety of corporate transactions. For example, Scott and his team have developed auditing tools that help buyers more effectively assess and address immigration compliance risks both pre- and post-closing.

National security-related compliance. Increasingly, corporate clients face federal and state rules that impact hiring practices. Scott advises employers when those rules relate to the citizenship status of workers and employment eligibility verification. This includes support for clients whose contracts or services require compliance with the DOS's International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the new Transportation Security Administration's Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) requirements, and assorted security clearance issues related to U.S. visa processing for foreign employees.

State immigration laws. Keeping clients informed about state and local laws related to employment eligibility and immigration compliance issues is a priority for Scott. Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee and several other states have immigration laws in effect. The firm's immigration team tracks legislative developments across the country and keeps clients informed about issues that affect them.

Scott is a frequent author and speaker on employment-related immigration topics.

Honors

• Nation's Top 20 Immigration Lawyers
  Human Resources Executive magazine and Lawdragon.com, 2011
• Nation's Top 100 Corporate Labor & Employment Lawyers
  Human Resources Executive magazine and Lawdragon.com, 2010
• The Best Lawyers in America, Immigration Law, 2007-12
• Super Lawyers, Immigration

Professional Associations

Presentations

• Lawyer, Interrupted: A Lawyer's View of Life and the Practice of Law after Being Hit by the Proverbial Bus
  Keynote speaker, Minnesota State Bar Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota CLE (2012)
• Immigration Compliance and Employment Verification
  Greater St. Paul Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA), St. Paul, Minnesota(2012)
• The Top Business Immigration Issues for 2011
  Upper-Midwest Employment Law Institute St. Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota CLE (2011)
• The Land of RFEs: Expert Advice in Responding USCIS Challenges to H and L Visa Petitions
  Upper-Midwest American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), St. Paul, Minnesota (2011)
• Comparative Review:  U.S. & U.K. Business and Work Visa Requirements
  U.K. Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA), London, England (2011)
• Nonimmigrant Visa Developments and Strategies
  Minnesota State Bar Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota CLE (2010)
• Immigration Compliance and the International Workforce
  Food, Agriculture & Biofuels 2010 National Conference, Minneapolis (2010)
• I-9 Compliance and E-Verify
  Upper-Midwest Employment Law Institute St. Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota CLE (2010)
• New Image of ICE: Overview of Worksite Enforcement Program
  Upper-Midwest American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Bloomington, Minnesota (2010)
• Immigration Law & Employer Compliance: Sanctions for Employing Illegal Aliens
  Minnesota State Bar Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota CLE (2009)
• Impact of Economic Downturn on Business Immigration Cases
  Upper-Midwest Employment Law Institute, St. Paul, Minnesota CLE (2009)
• New Developments in Immigration Recordkeeping: The New I-9, E-Verify & SSN No-Match Rule
  Upper-Midwest Employment Law Institute, St. Paul, Minnesota CLE (2009)
• Immigration Compliance in the ICE Age: I-9s, Worksite Enforcement, E-Verify & SSN No-Match
  Society for Human Resource Management, Minnesota State Convention (2008)
• Worksite Enforcement of Immigration Law
  Upper-Midwest Employment Law Institute, St. Paul, Minnesota CLE (2008)
• Immigration Recordkeeping
  Upper-Midwest Employment Law Institute, St. Paul, Minnesota CLE (2008)
• Business Immigration Law Update
  Upper-Midwest Employment Law Institute, St. Paul, Minnesota CLE (2008)
• The New Era of Worksite Enforcement (panel)
  American Immigration Lawyers Association, Midwest Regional Immigration Conference (2008)

Legal Updates

• Supreme Court Decides Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting
  Faegre & Benson, (2011)
• Worksite Enforcement of U.S. Immigration Law
  Employee Relations Law Journal (2008)
• AILA's Guide to Worksite Enforcement & Corporate Compliance, Employment Eligibility Verification (contributing author)
  American Immigration Lawyers Association Publications (2008)