Damjan DeNoble

(919) 827-0918

Founder and Managing Partner

Damjan DeNoble is the founder and managing partner of Frontera Labor, established in 2016 as Denoble Law PLLC. With a robust academic background and extensive international experience, Attorney Damjan Denoble is a leading advocate in the field of H-2B visa services for family employers. His educational journey and professional expertise uniquely position him to assist families in navigating the complexities of securing H-2B visas for nannies and caregivers.

2024 Interview w/ the New Haven Independent

Academic Excellence

Damjan began his academic career at Duke University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2007. During his time at Duke, he was actively involved in various initiatives, including serving as a Sanford Institute Fellow and co-chairing the Duke-UNC-Bennett Millennium Villages Project. His dedication to addressing poverty in North Carolina led him to conduct an innovative GIS mapping project as part of an independent study, showcasing his ability to apply analytical skills to real-world challenges.

He furthered his education at the University of Michigan Law School, obtaining his Juris Doctor in 2014. At Michigan, Damjan served as Production Editor and Associate Editor for the Michigan Technology and Telecommunications Law Review, honing his expertise in complex legal frameworks and regulatory compliance. Concurrently, he pursued a Master of Arts in Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan's Rackham Graduate School. His thesis, “The History and Legal Identity of the Modern Hospital,” under the guidance of Professor Nicholas Howson, provided him with a deep understanding of international healthcare regulations and market dynamics.

Professional Experience

Before dedicating his career to H-2B visas, Damjan was a partner at Rubicon Strategy Group, a boutique consulting firm with offices in Shanghai and Seattle. At Rubicon, he led numerous high-impact projects for healthcare firms entering China and other Southeast Asian markets. His work involved turnkey projects and regulatory-based market analysis, ensuring seamless market entry and compliance for his clients. Notable achievements include:

China’s Senior Care Market Study: Orchestrated a six-month study involving on-the-ground interviews with stakeholders across 50 senior living sites and multiple home healthcare businesses, covering an estimated RMB 26 billion in investments and over 1 million square meters of senior living space.
Fortune 200 Agency Expansion: Led an eighteen-month engagement evaluating the market viability of Rx advertising expansion, culminating in a two-week client evaluation trip to China with five agency CEOs.
Vietnamese Market Strategies: Conducted interviews with MNC executives in Vietnam to aid a Fortune 1000 pharma and device distributor in developing value-added offerings, enhancing its hospital tender processes, and identifying compliance risks in sales channels.
Regulatory Compliance for U.S. Clients: Evaluated and overhauled home health operating licenses for Chinese business entities, ensuring compliance and operational efficiency.

Additionally, Damjan spearheaded HealthIntelAsia.com, a Google News syndicated website and event company for health market intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region. With over 4,000 subscribers, HealthIntelAsia.com provided valuable insights through podcasts, articles, and expert opinions, earning citations from prestigious publications such as Nikkei Asia Review, Reuters, The Atlantic, Harvard Asia Quarterly, and Forbes.

Specialized Focus on H-2B Visas

Transitioning from corporate and international consulting, Damjan now focuses his career on assisting family employers in securing H-2B visas for nannies and caregivers through Frontera Labor. His specialized expertise encompasses the entire H-2B visa process, including initial consultations, overcoming Department of Labor (DOL) Notices of Deficiency (NODs), and leveraging key case law to secure favorable outcomes.

Proven Success at BALCA

Damjan has a distinguished track record of winning pivotal appeals at the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA), including the notable MysticAngels, LLC (2023-TLN-00122) and HelpingHands II (2024-TLN-00066) cases. These victories demonstrate his ability to leverage key case law to overcome challenging deficiencies in H-2B visa applications for nannies and caregivers. His success in these cases underscores his proficiency in handling complex H-2B visa issues, making him a trusted advocate for family employers seeking to hire foreign caregivers.

Innovative Legal Solutions through Technology

In recognition of his innovative approach to legal assistance, Damjan won the prestigious Immigration Tech Incubator contest, securing nearly $500,000 in funding. This accolade enabled him to embark on a two-year project focused on developing cutting-edge legal technology tailored to assist with data collection challenges present in immigration defense. Information on this work can be found here:

Recognized Leader in Immigration Policy

Damjan's contributions to immigration law have been recognized by Duke University, where he was featured as a distinguished Public Policy alumnus. His commitment to advancing immigration policy and providing accessible legal resources has had a meaningful impact on families and caregivers alike. Through his YouTube channel, fronteraLabor, Damjan empowers immigrants with DIY guides and expert advice to successfully navigate the H-2B visa process.

Commitment to Family and Community

At Frontera Labor, Damjan is dedicated to fostering strong family units by ensuring that families have access to reliable and qualified caregivers. His personalized approach, combined with his extensive legal expertise, ensures that each client's unique needs are met with compassion and professionalism. Damjan’s commitment extends beyond individual cases, as he strives to create a supportive community where families and caregivers can thrive together.

Publications:

Publications

Alum Damjan DeNoble Combines Law, Technology to Help Immigrants

Apr 20, 2018, Duke Sanford School of Public Policy

Damjan Denoble PPS’07 is an immigration attorney, but he’s an immigration attorney who has had a diverse and circuitous career path.

While at Sanford, Denoble’s involvement in Professor Tony Brown’s courses and service-based activities, both of which contributed to his being awarded the William J. Griffith University Service Award as a senior, inspired him to enter the field of social entrepreneurship.

Read More »

American values are under attack. Here's how North Carolinians can stand up and fight back.

Jan 30, 2017, Scalawag Magazine

This article is about how engagement with the issues of the day doesn’t require a law degree or access to high-powered political officers. It’s just born of the power of thousands North Carolinians, in touch with their most hallowed sense of what they know society must be, acting every day.

Why Chinese drugmakers are looking overseas

Aug 31, 2016 Nikkei Asian Review

The truth, however, is that Chinese health care companies are operating from a place of weakness. Far from making strategic acquisitions to establish themselves as global pharmaceutical players, Chinese companies are making deals abroad in a short-term bid to stay relevant as the domestic drug development ecosystem has become increasingly unresponsive to the needs of local companies that wish to develop innovative health care products."

Online health care market proving tough pill to swallow

Jul 29, 2016, South China Morning Post

Quoted to illustrate some of the challenges of online drug retailing.

China's Life Science Quandary

Jun 15, 2016,Nikkei Asian Review

"Pharmaceutical companies in China are facing a severe downturn due to rising competition and a fall in consumer confidence, yet the authorities recently ordered dramatic cuts in the prices of three key drugs. The counterintuitive move can be seen as a cynical ploy by the government to exploit a moment of weakness in the industry, but China's actions may belie its intentions."

Vietnam's vaccine scandal calls for action

Apr 27, 2016, Nikkei Asian Review

In my latest column for Nikkei Asian Review I look at how a mix of dangerous transport and storage conditions and political apathy is setting the stage for a vaccine crisis in Vietnam. This article appeared in both the digital and print editions of the Nikkei.

Chinese investors see promise in US senior care

Mar 25, 2016, Nikkei Asian Review

"Major players in China's senior care industry have shown an increasing appetite to invest in the same area in the U.S. as they seek to diversify outside of the mainland. This includes real estate developers such as China Vanke, Greentown China Holdings and Sino-Ocean Land as well as insurers Anbang Insurance Group and Union Life Insurance."

China's Senior Care Industry

Jun 1, 2015, Rubicon Strategy Group

This research identified an estimated RMB 26 billion worth of investment and 1,052,630 square meters of senior living space. Rubicon has extracted and organized the information into a standard template that includes a summary analysis of how each particular project is to be viewed in the Chinese senior care space and what it may have to say about the current state of the market; a company overview that provides the background of the ownership group and, when available, the structure of the financing for each project and whether each project is profitable, losing money, or breaking even; and, a detailed summary of each project. Each detailed summary provides overview tables of key information that provides a quick-glance overview of project details, and long-form descriptions of each project, from phase build out plans and pricing details to lessons learned by management as well as insights on market positioning of the services in question.

China's Healthcare Revolution Goes Digital

May 6, 2015, CNBC

Zoe Alsop quotes my views on how China's digital companies are (or are not) poised to take China's healthcare economy into the digital domain.

从互联网到医疗保健：看张黎刚如何打造中国顶级连锁体检服务

Apr 19, 2015, Forbes China

I am quoted to provide some context on China's iKang company.

From Internet To Healthcare: Zhang Ligang Builds China's Top Medical Examination Chain

Apr 15, 2015, Forbes

I am quoted to provide some context on China's iKang company.

Foreign pharma losing ground in Vietnam

Mar 13, 2015, Nikkei Asian Review

"Vietnam has been a strong source of double-digit growth for foreign pharmaceutical and medical device companies over the past decade. However, fears are growing among European and American executives that the good times may be coming to an end."

Buying Chinese hospitals is a niche game

Dec 5, 2014, Nikkei Asian Review

While there is no doubt that investing in a sector that aligns with government objectives is generally a good strategy, most hospitals in China have yet to figure out how to make money.

Healthcare in Vietnam -- Part 1

Jul 31, 2014, Forbes

Benjamin Shobert quotes me on several issues pertaining to issues of overcrowding and physician workload in the Vietnamese market.

Understanding China’s Antimonopoly Investigations

May 29, 2014, China Business Review

Our study of how the AML has actually been enforced leads us to believe that while political motives are important to take into account, pharmaceutical and medical device companies need to understand that the government’s has a more practical, less threatening set of goals for its increased use of the AML.

Why Everything You Know About Health Care in China is Wrong

Mar 2, 2014, The Healthcare Blog

I discuss why the big story coming out of the acquisition of Chindex (the company that owns the United Family hospitals, in China) and, as of this writing, an announced, could-be merger between Evergrande and Harvard Brigham Women's Hospital, is that hospitals in China don't make money.

Compliance After China’s Healthcare Bribery Scandals

Oct 10, 2013, China Business Review: Official Journal of the US-China Business Council

The story of China compliance changed forever after this summer of bribery scandals including giants like GSK and Danone, but also other smaller players, domestic and international. Benjamin and I worked hard to coauthor a piece that was published today in the China Business Review, the journal of the US-China Business Council.

Private Healthcare Opportunity Grows in China

Oct 1, 2013, The Burrill Report

Michael Fitzhugh quotes me for a take on China's health insurance scheme.

Spotlight On: China's hospital bidding process – where pharma's challenge in China begins and ends?

Oct 2013, FirstWord Pharma

Pollution Causing Infertility to Rise in China?

Sep 9, 2013, The Atlantic

The Atlantic quotes an old blog post I wrote for the Asia Healthcare Blog.

China industry body quizzes medical device makers over pricing

Aug 21, 2013, Reuters

I am quoted talking about China's medical device industry.

China Moves Rapidly Toward International Harmonization

Aug 2013, Thompson Reuters' Bioworld

I am quoted to provide background on China's healthcare reform efforts.

China’s Ghost Hospitals: A Hard Landing Ahead for China’s Health Care Reforms

Apr 13, 2013, The Healthcare Blog

My article on the construction of empty hospitals in China.

China's Healthcare System

Mar 28, 2012, China Law Blog

One of the several articles I've contributed to the venerable China Law Blog. Here I talk about how public healthcare is perceived very positively in China.

Beijing Olympics 2008: Torch relay reaches Muslim west China

Jun 17, 2008, The Guardian

Immediately after college, while working at Kro's Nest, the iconic expat hangout, I was interviewed by the Guardian about how the Beijing Olympics preparations were impacting foreign businesses in and around the Olympic venues.

GREAT EXPATATIONS: Kromedy

Mar 27, 2008, City Weekend Beijing

A short profile of me as a young restaurant manager at the Kro's Nest, and how I was trying to establish a stand up comedy event.

Renowned comedians to make local impact

Feb 16, 2007, The Daily Tar Heel

Listing of 2007 Carolina Comedy Festival winners. After this I was lucky enough to open up for comedians Lewis Black, Kathleen Madigan and Alonzo Bodden.

Ending Extreme Poverty in Africa: Jeffrey Sachs' initiative is attracting students hoping to end a cycle of poverty

Mar 14, 2006, Duke Today

An interview in Duke Today magazine, where I talk about the Millennium Villages project.

Escaping Poverty and Becoming Poor in Thirteen Communities in Rural North Carolina

Mar 2006, Duke University, Sanford Institute of Public Policy

I was not an author of this paper, but I am credited as a key contributor of the team that carried out the research necessary for its completion. This report is part of a larger effort that used the Stages of Progress methodology, developed by Duke Professor Anirudh Krishna, in conjunction with household interviews to identify how families moved into and out of poverty, over the time period 1995-2005. The reasons associated with each household's economic movement were determined through individual interviews conducted by teams of Duke students and community partners. My team covered the Beaufort County and Vance County sample area. The whole sample consisted of 312 randomly selected households in 13 communities located in four geographically separate counties of North Carolina: Beaufort, Burke, Gates and Vance. A total of 81 percent of all selected residents agreed to participate in the interviews, helping reveal important reasons for households rising out of and falling into poverty. Several papers resulted from the research.

Duke students begin replica of Darfur suffering

Nov 13, 2004, Sudan Watch/News and Observer

My passion project in college was advocating for a better foreign policy in the Sudanese genocide conflict. One of my projects was covered by the News and Observer and this blog has a record of the article.

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