Diversity & Inclusion 2024: Fatima Khan

Attorney, Thompson Coburn

Fatima Khan has practiced exclusively in the area of immigration and nationality law for nearly two decades, now serving as a partner at Thompson Coburn. Khan has helped employers in a broad range of sectors address the immigration status of foreign national employees and strives to provide highly personalized service to meet the unique needs of her clients.

Immigration law resonates deeply with Khan as she grew up hearing conversations about sponsoring relatives, visas and green cards. She said her pathway to practice immigration law was intuitive and is proud to use her South Asian heritage to resonate with her diverse clients.

What goal remains unfulfilled for you as an attorney and advocate for Diversity & Inclusion?

What I would love to see in the legal profession is for firms to continue improving their diversity efforts by increasing mentorship and support services. This means focusing efforts beyond the initial hire and committing to continued investment in your diverse team members. Mentoring and providing high-quality work experiences are important parts of that, and I’ve seen those efforts paying off at my firm.

How do you give back to your community?

I have had the honor of serving as president of the South Asian Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, which champions causes I care deeply about. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to the needs, concerns and interests of the South Asian American legal community across the region. We support the professional development and advancement of diverse attorney and law student members through networking, educational events, mentoring and advocacy. This organization is essential to protecting the rights and liberties of South Asians, furthering economic and cultural initiatives, and improving the quality of legal services in our community.

Tell us something that most people don’t know about you:

On another note, after law school, I was selected for a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship, a prestigious paid transatlantic program with work placement in the German Ministry of Justice in Berlin and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sub-Office in Nuremburg. This was a unique experience that gave me further depth in my understanding of international and trans- Atlantic relations.