Kate Kalmykov is a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig, is a Law Journal Women Attorneys of the Year honoree. The below responses were lightly edited for style.
What are some of your proudest achievements of the past two years?
Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of serving as co-chair of Greenberg Traurig's global immigration and compliance practice, overseeing a team of 150 attorneys and immigration professionals worldwide. During that time, I believe we have really changed the landscape of EB-5 work by structuring over $12 billion in commercial real estate transactions, thereby creating thousands of jobs in the United States at no cost to taxpayers. (The EB-5 program enables foreign investors to apply for a green card and permanent residency through investments in U.S. business ventures.) During the past two decades, we have likewise worked with thousands of international investors to help them and their families achieve their American dream by successfully guiding them through the EB-5-based green card process.
"Making a difference" can have many meanings. What does it mean to you?
Making a difference is at the heart of my pro bono work for Ukrainian refugees escaping the ongoing conflict. Over the past two years, our Ukraine pro bono team assisted more than 400 Ukrainians in obtaining temporary protective status and humanitarian parole. Providing pro bono assistance to Ukrainian refugees is not only the right thing to do, it is the moral thing to do. I, too, came to this country as a refugee, and, if not for the helping hands of my fellow Americans, would not be able to turn around and help others. To do that, among other efforts, I organized Greenberg Traurig's “Let's Keep Ukraine Warm” initiative in winter 2023, in which 10 of our offices contributed warm clothing and supplies to charities helping children and the elderly in four major Ukrainian cities affected by power plant bombings. I am also fortunate enough to be a board member of Helping Hands for Ukraine, a nonprofit providing much-needed humanitarian aid and medical supplies to the war-torn country, Likewise, I also serve on the board of the Ukraine Habitat Fund, which helps newly arrived refugee families and wounded soldiers seeking medical treatment find housing in the New York City metropolitan area.
What advice would you offer to a new attorney looking to make an impact?
Work hard, be dedicated, and most of all, find your niche and give it everything you have. As long as new attorneys do not give up and put in the time and effort, every door will open to them. I'm proof of that. I also tell my team, most of whom are women, to make sure to pay it forward when they succeed, through mentorship. In addition, I encourage them to have empathy, because this is critical in how attorneys relate to their clients, and to be proactive and creative in finding solutions for them.
Originally published by New Jersey Law Journal .
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