Administrative Law

Throughout my 35 plus years of practice, I have represented individuals in all aspects of employment law in order to protect their jobs and families from the arbitrary actions of management who often view their employees as disposable. I have been proud to represent victims of discrimination of all types and effectively prosecuted their claims in either federal or state court. More recently my firm has advocated for an employee who has been harassed on the basis of their sex, age, or race. We have discovered that simply because an employer may have a procedure for reporting such harassment does not mean that the employee is protected or that the claims are fully investigated. The Law Offices of F. Benjamin Riek III has won significant victories for whistleblowers in both administrative and state court actions. We are proud to represent those few individuals who are willing to put aside the fears of retaliation and bring forth the illegal or dangerous actions of their employers -whether it is a pollution violation or misstating financial records. There are strong laws to protect employees in many areas who become aware of illegal activities at work. We are always willing to represent you before the proper agency or in court. In recent years, I have seen a significant increase in the number of cases of retaliation from employers for either reporting discrimination or harassment or cooperating in the company’s investigation of the claim. The employees targeted for retaliation are not just those who were victimized but also the witnesses who saw and heard what happened and told the truth, however inconvenient it might be to management. Don’t let the human resource department or a supervisor intimidate you! It is surprising that even today many companies try to cheat their employees out of the proper earnings through a variety of illegal activities. Some of the more obvious are forcing their workers to work off the clock, either before or after their shift, failing to pay overtime for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week, or telling you that you are an independent contractor when you have no control over your work hours. All of these actions violate the Fair Labor Standards Act which has been enforced since the 1930s. If you are classified as an independent contractor, not only does the company avoid withholding taxes, they also don’t pay their portion of social security and unemployment taxes that could affect you as you near retirement. I have a broad and diverse background representing employees and am always willing to meet with you to discuss your situation.

Thomas J. Giordano, Jr. joined the firm in October 2005 and currently heads the Social Security Disability department, where he focuses his practice solely on obtaining Social Security Disability benefits for disabled individuals. Mr. Giordano has represented individuals before Administrative Law Judges throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. He has been invited by labor and disability organizations as well as physicians throughout the tri-state area to lecture on Social Security Disability law. He is currently a sustaining member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR) as well as a member of the Social Security Disability law section of the American Association of Justice.Prior to joining the firm, he was an associate with a large Philadelphia defense firm where he represented self-insured and commercial insured businesses in a wide variety of industries, as well as to third-party administrators throughout Pennsylvania. He also served as a legal intern for the Philadelphia District Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.Mr. Giordano is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He earned his undergraduate degree, cum laude, in communications from Towson University in Maryland. He received his law degree from Rutgers University School of Law - Camden. He is an active member of the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations, the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Associations, and the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. He is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania.

Daniel J. Cooper is a California attorney and has been the sole shareholder of Daniel J. Cooper, a professional corporation, since 1980. Mr. Cooper’s practice emphasizes estate planning, trust administration, probate, Trust & Will controversies, and the representation of clients before the U.S. Tax Court, State Board of Equalization, Internal Revenue Service, and the California Franchise Tax Board in connection with federal, state and administrative tax disputes. He is an active member of the Orange County Bar Association and the State Bar of California and is currently Chairman of the Trust & Estate Section of the Orange County Bar Association. He is authorized by the Trust & Estate Section of the State Bar of California to make presentations on the subject of Elder Financial Abuse. Mr. Cooper is active in community affairs and has been a Parks & Recreation Commissioner for the City of Laguna Hills for more than 10 years. He is also active in with the Boys Scouts of America and is currently committee chairman of Troop 729 in Laguna Hills, California. All three of his sons are Eagle Scouts. Prior to entering the legal profession, Mr. Cooper was an income tax auditor for the Franchise Tax Board and a manager in the tax department of Arthur Young & Co., Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Cooper has lectured extensively on real estate taxes, state and local taxes, and federal income taxes at the graduate school level at the University of Southern California, the University of California at Irvine and Golden Gate University. Additionally, Mr. Cooper has participated as an instructor in the continuing professional education program for the California Certified Public Accountants Education Foundation and has lectured for various professional groups. Mr. Cooper is admitted to practice law in the State of California, before the United States District Court (Southern & Central Districts), United States Tax Court and the United States Supreme Court. As an undergraduate, Mr. Cooper attended California State University at Los Angeles and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Accounting. He received his Juris Doctorate from Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, California. During the Vietnam War, Mr. Cooper served as a military policeman in the United States Army and was stationed in Hawaii and Thailand. He was honorably discharged and attended college on the GI Bill.

I have been nominated in America’s Who’s Who twice, Lawyers of Distinction twice and Nations Top 100 Lawyers twice, for my contribution to the area and practice of Law. I have served as a mediator, arbitrator and administrative hearing officer over the course of my legal career and received recognition for those efforts.

I've been practicing law since 1995. I'm licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the District of Columbia, the State of Georgia, the Military Courts of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the Supreme Court of the United States. I served over 20 Years as a United States Marine both as an enlisted member (Amphibious Assault Crewman) and officer (Military Attorney and Judge Advocate). As a Military Attorney I provided legal assistance to members of the military and their families in areas of Family Law, Estate Planning, and Consumer Protection. As a Military Criminal Defense Attorney I represented members of the military at Court Martial and Administrative Discharge Board proceedings facing charges ranging from Capital Murder and Rape to simple Unauthorized Absence.

Creative Solutions to Immigration Problems A continuing commitment to justice for immigrants Our team of dedicated attorneys at Bretz & Coven, LLP are known throughout New York City for enthusiastically taking on the cases that other lawyers turn down. When we believe an injustice is being done, we are prepared to fight for our clients — in federal court, if necessary. Our firm is AV-Rated® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, and our team includes a former litigator for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Because of our reputation in immigration law, other immigration attorneys often refer difficult cases to us. Dedication to immigration justice in every venue Our work is not limited to the administrative process of immigration. While we eagerly help individuals and families understand the process of obtaining citizenship, New York residency or a green card, we consider complex cases to be the strongpoint of our practice. Our attorneys have argued immigration appeals in federal appellate courts and have had a statute declared unconstitutional. We are dedicated to comprehensive immigration reform and remain invested in the latest immigration legislation and rulemaking, including deferred action. This allows us to advise our clients in New York of the full range

Ken is one of the founding Partners and is responsible for both the management of the firm and is the head of the Workers’ Compensation practice. He is a member of the Workers’ Injury Law Group, W.I.L.G., which is a national organization dedicated to protecting the rights of injured persons throughout the country. Ken has represented both injured workers and employers at all levels of the administrative process, including dealing with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) as well as appearing before the Industrial Commission of Ohio (IC) since 1995. He has also been involved in litigation before the Common Pleas Courts throughout Ohio and has been involved in Mandamus Actions before the Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court. Ken is a graduate of Wittenberg University (Summa Cum Laude, 1991) and a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Law (1994). He has also taught a Business Law Class as an Adjunct Professor at Wittenberg University during 2010 and 2011 and has participated in the evaluation of Senior Business Majors final projects on several occasions at his alma mater.

Leslie focuses her advocacy on student disciplinary processes, specifically at the college administrative level. This includes advisement in university conduct proceedings from investigations through appeals; academic misconduct accusations; Title IX cases; student organization defense; and specific hazing education and risk management advice for Greek organizations, sports teams, and clubs. Prior to starting Albeit Masters, LLC, Leslie co-founded and grew an education specific law firm for almost a decade, practiced as defense counsel to a prominent Columbus insurance litigation firm, and served as a defense attorney on criminal and traffic matters, gaining valuable litigation and courtroom experience.

S. Michael Graham was born in Dallas County, Texas on November 4th, 1963, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson high school in 1982. He went on to receive his undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987. He earned his law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1991. In 1993, Mr. Graham received his Texas law license. From 1993 – 1996, Mr. Graham worked for several small law firms. In 1997 Mr. Graham started a solo law practice. Since 1997, Mr. Graham has devoted his efforts to representing injured workers at administrative hearings before the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation and on appeal. Mr. Graham also represents injured workers in trial by jury in both county and district courts.

Attorney Shaun Hodge has handled both state and federal cases throughout the State of Texas and the United States. He has also represented clients in administrative hearings, arbitrations, and mediations. Shaun has handled many types of cases, including first-party insurance claims, personal injury cases, maritime matters, commercial litigation, residential and construction litigation, as well as general litigation matters. He has handled numerous natural disaster litigation claims, including the litigation of hundreds of residential and large commercial insurance claims following Hurricane Ike. Following Hurricane Ike, which struck the Gulf Coast on September 13, 2008, Shaun was hired by numerous entities up and down the gulf coast to handle their insurance claims. These entities included cities, school districts, a college, as well as a county. Government entities across the gulf coast have selected Shaun as their lead attorney because of his proven results, as well as his leadership and experience in litigating large complex insurance claims. Shaun has also handled numerous insurance claims related to the Bastrop wildfires of 2011, as well as the Possum Kingdom wildfires of 2011. In addition to wildfire claims, Shaun has handled a large number of various claims related to a number of hailstorms, including the McAllen hail storms of 2012, as well as several other major damaging wind and hail storms throughout the region. Shaun Hodge is a Texan and has been a resident of Galveston County since 1995. He is happily married to Natalie Hodge and they are the proud parents of two precious children, Nessa, and Slade Hodge.