Member Voices: Dustin O'Quinn

Briefly describe your role.

I'm a partner at Ballard Spahr, where I am the Practice Group Leader for our nationally-recognized immigration practice. We help organizations navigate complex business, workforce, and mobility challenges. While immigration is my core discipline, my role has evolved well beyond that. I work closely with clients as a broader business advisor, helping them think through talent strategy, risk management, and cross-border growth.

Internally, I strive to serve as a connector across practice groups, working with teams in corporate, employment, tax, and regulatory areas to deliver integrated solutions. This cross-disciplinary approach is especially important for clients in sectors where workforce strategy is inseparable from broader business objectives.

In the world of high-stakes immigration—especially for tech and healthcare—the rules change fast. Having just navigated a major firm merger yourself, has that firsthand experience of 'integration' changed how you advise your own clients on their global talent moves?

Absolutely. It’s given me a much more practical lens to balancing business requirements.

This combination occurred as local and national rules were changing almost daily. It reinforced that integration isn't only about aligning systems or policies, it’s about people, communication, and managing uncertainty in real time. This is exactly what our clients face when they're scaling globally, acquiring companies, or reorganizing their workforce across jurisdictions.

The firms planned and executed thousands of moving parts successfully. As a result, I’ve become more attuned to the operational side of immigration—how legal strategy intersects with HR, internal communications, strategic planning, budgeting, and business continuity. I'm not just advising on what's legally possible; I'm helping clients anticipate friction points, sequence decisions, and implement changes in a way that minimizes disruption to their teams and operations. 

It’s made my advice more holistic and, I think, more actionable.

You've seen WLG from multiple angles—attending regionals, speaking at events, and, most recently, moderating a panel in Seattle. How has your continued, active involvement with the network helped you grow your practice over the years?

WLG has been an invaluable community and resource – not just for referrals, but for perspective. I feel I've been able to develop an expanded, global approach to advising clients on their business decisions, which is why they call us.

Over time, I've built relationships with lawyers across jurisdictions who I can call when a client issue crosses borders. That ability to quickly connect with the right person in the right market adds real value for clients who are operating globally and need answers that are both legally sound and practical. Additionally, I directly benefit from new, firsthand experiences with corporate strategies across jurisdictions worldwide. 

Now that you have stepped into the Key Contact Partner (KCP) role, how do you plan to use your 'insider' knowledge of WLG to help your Ballard Spahr colleagues better leverage the network's global reach?

I am so excited about this new role. One of my main goals as KCP is to make WLG more accessible and actionable for my colleagues.

I understand where the value in WLG lies because I have been active for years. The value is not just in who the members are (and they are all amazing), but in how to engage them effectively. I plan to be a resource internally, helping Ballard colleagues identify the right contacts, make warm introductions, and think strategically about how WLG can support their clients' cross-border needs.

I also see an opportunity to be more proactive in my own practice and for internal teams. I can spot where our clients' business strategies intersect with international markets and connect them with WLG firms before an issue or ask arises.

As a leader with the Downtown Seattle Association, you know the city better than most. Since we just held a summit in your backyard, what’s the one 'locals-only' gem you wish we could have fit into the social programming—or the one spot you would take WLG colleagues to show them the real Seattle?

I think our WLG colleagues saw the best Seattle has to offer. It's a world-class city with unique charm, and we had a blast!

If I had more time, I would take visitors to Discovery Park. It's not always the first place visitors think of, but it captures what makes Seattle unique: a blend of natural beauty, water, and views of the mountains, all pretty central to the city. You can walk along the bluffs, head down to the beach, hike trails, and, on a clear day, see both the Olympics and Mount Rainier. I always joke that I'm "outdoorsy" because I like a cocktail on a patio. But I've had business meetings that were hikes on Discovery Park's trails. It is a great place to slow down and have real conversations, which is often where the most meaningful connections happen. For me, that’s what Seattle—and really WLG at its best—is all about: combining world-class work with authentic relationships.