Garfinkel Immigration staff spotlight: Knowledge Manager Tess Pacheco

Welcome to the Garfinkel Immigration staff spotlight series, where we will conduct a bimonthly Q&A with one of the Firm’s team members. In this edition, we spoke with Knowledge Manager Tess Pacheco.

What drew you to the immigration law field?

I came into the field of immigration kind of by accident. I was working at a nonprofit organization that focused on economic development of a particular neighborhood in California.

Many residents of the neighborhood needed assistance with their immigration paperwork, so I partnered with a local attorney to start providing “low bono” immigration legal services. I started assisting residents with preparation of the paperwork and really enjoyed it, so I took a paralegal certificate course and applied to work at an immigration law firm.

What have you found most rewarding about working in immigration law?

I love helping individuals accomplish their American Dream. Whether it’s a temporary stay or a permanent move, I enjoy serving those who come to the U.S. to achieve their goals.

What do you consider your most significant professional accomplishment?

I love that my role within the firm as Knowledge Manager allows me to implement many projects that help staff more effectively serve our clients. Some of the projects I am proud of are:

I created a knowledge base compiling all training material and staff resources from various sources into one place to provide a comprehensive and useful self-serve library for new and existing employees to ensure all firm knowledge is captured and utilized.
I created a unified document management system and organized over 20 years’ worth of digital client files.
I have perfected and maintain more than 100 custom workflows in our Customer Relationship Management platform to help staff correctly and efficiently prepare their cases. These workflows automate tasks for paralegals and enforce quality control in our work.
Led a cost-benefit analysis regarding updates to IT architecture. This analysis has led to investments in cloud-based solutions that provide the firm with a strategic advantage in integrating and automating various processes to improve the speed, accuracy, security, and quality of the legal services we provide.

What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?

I enjoy salsa dancing and listening to true crime documentaries/podcasts.

What is your favorite movie or TV show? Why?

I love “30 Rock” because it is silly and hilarious.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?

I worked in the Dominican Republic for a summer at a nonprofit organization that distributed microloans to entrepreneurs.