Longtime colleagues form a new law firm in Knoxville
Carrasco | Trump PLLC is focused on entrepreneurs, employers, and immigrants.
Two attorneys who worked together at another local law firm have joined forces to open a new practice focusing on entrepreneurs and the challenges that they face.
“We are lawyers that think like entrepreneurs,” says Melissa Carrasco, one-half of the team at the new Carrasco | Trump PLLC firm. The other half is Chris Trump. Both are graduates of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s College of Law who now offer distinct but complementary services.
Trump’s focus is on early-stage companies to include everything from forming the business to raising capital and exiting through a merger or acquisition. Carrasco’s practice focuses on working with businesses to build a strong workforce by navigating employment law and immigration issues.
They left their previous firm and founded the new law firm on March 1. Trump has been an attorney for 23 years, while Carrasco has more than 13 years of experience.
They describe their focus as on providing “legal services (that) are tailored to entrepreneurs, early-stage companies and established employers. We provide experienced legal counsel for growing businesses navigating the legal and practical complexities of formation, financing, workforce development, and eventually exit. We also provide a comprehensive package of business immigration services for companies seeking to attract and retain international talent.”
Carrasco | Trump’s support for the entrepreneurial community is also expressed through its active support of the local ecosystem. For instance, Trump has served as a mentor and speaker for various accelerator programs, such as the “Spark Cleantech Accelerator” and Knoxville Entrepreneur Center’s (KEC) “The Works.” Within months of launching, the firm has sponsored multiple events serving local entrepreneurs, including KEC’s “What’s the Big Idea” and the upcoming Innov865 Alliance’s “Start-Up Day” in early October.
While their respective areas of practice might seem divergent on the surface, both Carrasco and Trump emphasize that what they can offer their clients is synergistic. For example, the Firm’s areas of emphasis include:
- Human Resources Advisory Services: Supporting employers with day-to-day decision-making, planning, and training so employers can better anticipate and reduce legal risks, address employee issues as they arise, and build a successful workforce.
- Business Immigration: Offering a comprehensive package of business immigration services to employers seeking to hire international talent and international entrepreneurs seeking to build their own version of the American Dream by starting or investing in a U.S.-based business.
- Entrepreneur and Emerging Company Support Services: Guiding start-up and emerging enterprises through the complexities of formation, financing, growth, and exit by offering innovative solutions to the challenges of innovation.
- Outside General Counsel: Providing legal support with day-to-day decision-making, risk management, transactional planning, contract review, financing, and more so your company can focus on success.
“I’ve always represented early-stage companies,” Trump told us. As a member of the Board of Directors of the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, he gets to see their challenges and opportunities in an up close and personal way.
“I love the energy of entrepreneurs, so I decided to double down on their needs,” he explained.
Recognized as one of the top immigration attorneys in Knoxville, Carrasco says that the ideal client for their new firm is an individual who has a goal and is willing to fight for it.
“Entrepreneurs must continue to be agile thinkers that don’t take no for an answer,” she says.
Noting that her husband is an immigrant, Carrasco explains that immigration and employment laws are constantly changing, making it what she describes as a “rollercoaster.” In the case of many start-ups, the founders don’t have the bandwidth to keep up with those changes, but they need technically qualified employees to help them grow the new venture.
“We work with good people, (providing) good work for good people,” Carrasco says, adding that their practice is “deeply relational.”
“We practice law in an entrepreneurial way,” Trump explains. “What a client wants is a ‘how,” not a ‘no.’ We bring out-of-the-box thinking, creative problem solving, and finding the right path to our clients.”
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