Silvia Frasson has been training under the IACC’s J-1 visa sponsorship within the corporate and business law department of Herzfeld & Rubin LLP in Manhattan since November of last year. Silvia is learning about corporate, business, employment, labor, and contract law under the supervision of attorney Gisella Levi Caroti.

Over the past ten months, Silvia has been able to observe client conferences and interact with the firm’s clients as she explored different aspects of international corporate law. Originally from Cittadella, a province of Padova in northern Italy, Silvia was excited to be in the fast-paced cosmopolitan center of Manhattan. Living and training in the United States has pushed Silvia to adapt to different behavior patterns, languages, accents, customs, and corporate business needs that she would never have had the opportunity to encounter in Italy. Life training in New York “cannot be described as routine. Every day there is something different. Starting with your commute to work, meeting new people from all over the world, the city allows different kinds of people to co-exist and live together and you can see and smell the different religions and cultures walking down the street,” says Silvia.

Silvia has meet with clients and companies from across the United States, which has, in turn, exposed her to the state-by-state nature of the American legal system. Of course, the lack of uniformity in state law has proven to be quite challenging in her training program. In Silvia’s previous experiences, she trained within Italy’s civil law system as opposed to the common law system utilized in the U.S. However, under the guidance of her colleagues at Herzfeld & Rubin, Silvia has learned how to work with and pull information from different sources, including judicial decisions.

Like many businesses in the current climate, Herzfeld & Rubin has had to adapt to remote operations very quickly. Luckily, the company’s transition has been a swift one, enabling them to continue to provide excellent service to their clients, while simultaneously ensuring the safety of their employees. As part of adapting to remote training, Silvia has been able to improve her professional and legal writing skills as in-person meetings have moved to email correspondence. This unexpected twist to her training program, while certainly challenging, has afforded her an opportunity to build close working relationships with Herzfeld & Rubin’s clients. Silvia has benefitted immensely from the opportunity to work closely with highly-skilled attorneys, allowing her to improve her soft skills in addition to her knowledge of the U.S. legal system.

When asked if she would recommend the J-1 visa program to future exchange visitors, Silvia said she would because it is a lasting experience, important for any young professional hoping to face the world in a more “open minded” manner. Silvia believes that while this is a difficult time to consider training overseas, especially with travel bans and restrictions prohibiting trips home, training in the United States is a worthwhile experience, and she would encourage young professionals to explore venturing outside of their comfort zones, even when it feels challenging.

The IACC would like to thank Silvia for her time and willingness to share her experience, as well as her host company Herzfeld & Rubin, for their membership and dedication to the J-1 visa Exchange Visitor program.