Firm News - Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP

June 18, 2021

Gibney Celebrates Juneteenth

This Saturday is Juneteenth, a day celebrating the end of slavery in America. It commemorates June 19, 1865 when Union troops led by Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas two months after the end of the Civil War and let the enslaved people of Texas know that they had been freed. Even though the war was over in April 1865 and the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued two years prior, it was not until the arrival of Union troops in Galveston that the enslaved people of Texas learned of their freedom. If you want to learn more about Juneteenth, read here.

In honor of the day, Gibney is supporting legal organizations that are combatting racial injustice:

ACLU Racial Justice Program
Equal Justice Initiative
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Southern Poverty Law Center
Vera Institute of Justice

April 6, 2021

Immigration Partner Claire Razzolini Recognized as Top Immigration Attorney in JD Supra’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards

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Immigration Partner Claire Razzolini was recognized as the top author on the subject of immigration. The JD Supra Readers’ Choice Awards highlight top authors and firms who were read by C-suite executives, in-house counsel, media, and other professionals across the JD Supra platform during 2020.

Last year, more than 60,000 authors published their insights and commentary on JD Supra. The awards recognize 265 thought leaders for achieving the highest visibility and engagement among readers for their particular expertise.

About JD Supra

JD Supra delivers need-to-know legal and business content to professionals in all industries in daily email digests, via more than 100 proprietary social feeds, on mobile platforms, to partner websites, and as news across the web. Through the innovative use of technology and curated audiences, JD Supra connects over 58,000 professionals writing on important topics to C-suite executives, in-house counsel, and media members concerned with matters impacting business today.

March 15, 2021

Claire Razzolini to Join New York City Bar Association’s Immigration and Nationality Law Committee

Claire Razzolini has been invited to serve on the New York City Bar Association’s Immigration and Nationality Law Committee. It is a two-year appointment. The Committee undertakes initiatives to help shape immigration law and public policy. Members are involved in drafting reports, commenting and testifying on legislation, submitting briefs, sponsoring continuing legal education and other programs and participating in public service projects.

Recent Committee initiatives include submission of recommendations to the Biden-Harris Administration to restore civility and functionality to the U.S. immigration system and publication of a report addressing medical abuses of immigrant women in detention centers.

February 22, 2021

Brian Brokate Recognized in the World Trademark Review 1000 for IP Enforcement and Litigation Work

Brian Brokate was recognized in the 2021 World Trademark Review 1000 for enforcement and litigation work. WTR noted that Brian is “an enforcement ace named alongside just 12 others in the WTR 1000’s US national anti-counterfeiting rankings.”

As head of Gibney’s Intellectual Property Group, Brian assists companies in investigation and enforcement procedures to combat trademark and copyright infringement. With a niche focus on anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy, he handles all stages of civil anti-counterfeiting and infringement litigation as well as acting as support on behalf of clients for state and federal criminal actions.

About WTR 1000
Now in its eleventh year, the WTR 1000 shines a spotlight on the firms and individuals that are deemed outstanding in this critical area of practice. The WTR 1000 remains the only standalone publication to recommend individual practitioners and their firms exclusively in the trademark field, and identifies the leading players in over 80 key jurisdictions globally. Read More.

January 4, 2021

Stephen Maltby and Houman Afshar Recognized in 2021 Best Lawyers in America©

Gibney attorneys Stephen Maltby and Houman Afshar have been recognized in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of immigration law. Gibney was also recognized as a top firm for immigration in New York. Published in 1982, The Best Lawyers in America© is one of the oldest and most respected peer review publications in the legal profession. Recognition by Best Lawyers is based on a peer review process designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.

About Immigration

Dedicated to meeting the U.S. and global immigration needs of our clients around the world, our Immigration Group delivers strategic solutions specifically tailored to meet each client’s need. We partner with clients to help attract, support and retain the international talent essential to their business success. Learn more about who we are.

December 21, 2020

New Immigration Podcast Launch: Hasta La Visa, Baby

A new immigration podcast Hasta La Visa, Baby has launched. The podcast presents real world U.S. immigration law concepts in a fun and unique format. This series is a deep-dive into the relationship between U.S. immigration law and fictitious characters from popular television shows and films. Each episode focuses on a featured character from a well-known show or film and guides listeners through an in-depth and entertaining exploration into the possible U.S. visa status that the character may have held while in the U.S.

Listen to this podcast on:

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Amazon

December 2, 2020

IP Partner Angelo Mazza Joins CBP Working Group on Intellectual Property

IP Partner Angelo Mazza was asked by Customs & Border Protection (CBP) leadership to join the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Process Modernization Working Group. This working group is part of the larger Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC). The COAC advises the Secretaries of the Treasury and DHS on all matters involving the commercial operations of CBP, including advising on significant changes proposed to regulations, policies, or practices of CBP; provides recommendations to the Secretaries of the Treasury and DHS on improvements to the commercial operations of CBP; and perform such other functions relating to the commercial operations of CBP as prescribed by law or as the Secretaries of the Treasury and DHS jointly direct. The IPR Process Working Group is tasked with developing solid proposals which modernize the way CBP deals with volative goods entering the US.

September 10, 2020

Ellen Poreda, Stephen Maltby and Jake Paul Minster Author Chapter on US Immigration Outlook

Immigration attorneys Ellen Poreda, Stephen Maltby and Jake Paul Minster authored a chapter on US Immigration in The Corporate Immigration Review.

The chapter provides an overview of US immigration legislation and policy, recent legislative developments, employer sponsorship options, the impact of COVID-19 and an outlook on immigration trends.

Now in its 10^th edition, the purpose of The Corporate Immigration Review is to share information across borders, identify global trends and provide practical insights into immigration systems in various jurisdictions.

To view the full chapter on United States immigration, visit The Law Reviews site.

About the Authors
Ellen L. Poreda oversees the implementation of employment based immigration programs of institutional clients, with a specialization in the financial services industry. Stephen J.O. Maltby, head of Gibney’s Immigration Practice Group, was also a contributing author. Stephen handles the design and implementation of strategic immigration programs for businesses. Jake Paul Minster has experience advising clients on immigration case strategies and managing large, complex caseloads for multinational.

September 2, 2020

Gibney Immigration Attorney Violeta Petrova Promoted to Partner

Gibney is pleased to announce that Violeta Petrova was promoted to a Partner in our Immigration Group, effective July 1, 2020.

Violeta Petrova represents large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap clients in U.S. business immigration, including nonimmigrant and permanent residence matters. She also assists individual clients with family-based and employment-based visas. Her experience ranges across multiple sectors, including financial services, engineering, IT, biotech and pharmaceuticals and graphic/digital design. She contributes to program management and company policy development for frequent business travelers, rotational programs, summer intern programs and PERM programs.

“We are delighted to have Violeta as a Partner in the Immigration Group. She has been a valuable part of our team for many years. Her depth of experience, commitment to a high level of service and ability to develop comprehensive solutions, continue to provide significant value to our immigration clients,” said Stephen Maltby, Immigration Chair.

About Gibney

For over 70 years, we’ve been more than lawyers to our clients. We are consultants creating higher levels of value, which develops more relevant client relationships. This synergistic approach has empowered us to move ahead of the curve in our ability to be innovative in the design of solutions and programs. As a full-service commercial law firm with offices in New York and San Francisco, and associated offices in London, Geneva and Singapore, we provide turn-key solutions.

April 17, 2020

Angelo Mazza Quoted in Vox Media on Covid-19 Counterfeiters

IP Partner Angelo Mazza was quoted in the Vox Media article, “Coronavirus scammers are flooding social media with fake cures and tests.” The article explores the demand for products fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic such at-home testing kits and the new risk caused by online opportunists selling counterfeit products on social media platforms, e-commerce marketplaces and the dark web.

The article highlights Angelo’s recent brief on Covid-19 counterfeits. In the article, Angelo advises on best practices for recognizing counterfeits, noting that “weird spellings and formatting of words are a strong hint that a seller isn’t authorized. The apparent typos might actually be attempts to evade screening algorithms set up by the…platform.”