Administrative Law

Carmen Jo Rejda-Ponce (“CJ”) is a Principal in Germer’s Houston office, but her practice takes her all across Texas. She regularly counsels and defends both private and public sector clients on matters involving employment issues and civil (constitutional) rights. She handles matters from the pre-claim and pre-suit stage, through litigation, and through appeal. She is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. CJ focuses on a broad range of labor and employment litigation, including, discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation, disability accommodation, workers’ compensation retaliation, on-the-job injuries, and wage and hour issues. She has represented private and public sector clients in employment-related disputes before federal and state courts, federal and state administrative agencies, and arbitrators. CJ counsels private and public sector employers on labor and employment concerns, including, addressing medical leave, developing and revising workplace policies and procedures, investigating and addressing employee complaints, conducting employee disciplines and terminations, drafting employment, separation, and other agreements, and determining proactive solutions to workplace problems while avoiding litigation. CJ also defends public sector clients —including counties, cities, and law enforcement officers— in a variety of civil rights matters, including defense of first amendment retaliation, excessive force, wrongful arrest, inmate medical care, and jail death matters. Many of these civil rights matters involve qualified immunity issues for law enforcement officers. Through her civil rights defense work, CJ has gained appellate experience. She has handled multiple federal and state appeals. She has successfully argued for her clients twice before the Fifth Circuit, and is looking forward to more opportunities. CJ also has experience with personal injury litigation, including on-the job-injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and negligence claims against public entities. CJ’s private practice experience includes Baker Botts LLP and Reed Smith LLP. CJ also previously served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Houston in Labor, Employment, and Civil Rights Division. She was also a registered lobbyist during the 2013 Regular Session of the Texas Legislature.

Julie DeWeese Curtis is a summa cum laude graduate of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English Writing and Rhetoric in 2009. She went on to receive her Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas in 2012. Julie recently joined Germer in 2016 and practices medical malpractice defense. She previously practiced in Dallas, Texas as a plaintiffs’ lawyer in the areas of medical malpractice and mass torts.

Jeffrey Rabin has been representing individuals with disabilities and medical/legal issues since 1980. He began this law firm in 1988 to focus his practice in the representation of disabled persons seeking Social Security disability benefits. He and his associates have successfully represented Claimants nationally at all levels of the Social Security Administration's administrative process, in the United States District Court and in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.Despite his law practice and family, Jeff has remained active in the community. He has served as a member of the Executive Council of the American Trial Lawyers Association's (ATLA) Social Security Disability committee, is a former chairperson of the Chicago Bar Association Social Security Disability committee and is a frequent lecturer nationwide on Social Security disability law issues. On a number of occasions he has spoken at national conferences for both the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR), and for ATLA.Jeff was appointed by Secretary of HHS Donna Shalala as a member of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Coordinating Committee for 2000-2001. He is a member of the Board of Directors of both the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Association of Illinois, and the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia & Chemical Sensitivities Coalition of Chicago (CFCCC). Jeff has also volunteered with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Northern Illinois as a member of both the Government/Advocacy Committee and the Professional Advisory Committee. Finally he has been elected twice as a member of the local School Board in Deerfield, IL.Jeff has monitored message boards on the Internet to provide general information for people struggling with the Social Security disability programs and does a monthly chat for the American Pain Foundation on their Pain Aide web site. He has also been asked to serve as a guest expert at other live Internet sites.Jeff graduated from DePaul University College of Law in 1980 and from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1977 with a Bachelor of Journalism degree.

The Law Offices of Scott F. Anderson provides criminal defense representation throughout Cook County, Lake County, McHenry County and DuPage County. With over 23 years of experience practicing criminal law both as a prosecutor and now as a criminal defense attorney, Scott Anderson knows what most people are up against when they are charged and arrested for a crime. Scott F. Anderson practices experienced criminal defense in the follow matters: DUI Felony DUI Multiple DUI Violent Crimes Sex Crimes Theft Crimes Drug Crimes All Felonies and Misdemeanors All Traffic Violations Suspended Driver’s License Driver’s License Reinstatement Expungement

Gregory Giles proudly serves Texarkana, AR and the neighboring communities in the areas of Social Security Disability and Workers' Compensation law.

Sam Blink is the Founder and Managing Member of Midtown Legal. He is a member in Midtown's Business Litigation and Dispute Resolution and Corporate and Business Transactions Practice Groups. Sam defends businesses and their owners, directors and officers in governmental investigations and related enforcement actions. He preserves his clients’ reputations and resources while representing them through all stages of disputes, from pre-litigation investigations through administrative proceedings, trial and appeal. Sam focuses this part of his practice on environmental, consumer protection and securities investigations. He also has extensive experience representing contractors in construction disputes in court and arbitration. He both defends contractors in mostly construction defect cases and pursues collection efforts on behalf of his contractor clients. Sam also regularly represents businesses in contract litigation and business owners in corporate and partnership disputes. Sam routinely guides companies in various corporate and commercial transactions, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, asset sales, capital raises and corporate governance matters. He represents businesses in connection with complex contract negotiations, including SaaS agreements, complex commercial real estate agreements, licensing agreements, distribution agreements, independent contractor and employment agreements, and technology agreements. Sam is a business owner, being the founder of Midtown Legal and is the owner and partner of multiple other business ventures. He uses this experience to practically represent his clients and provide what business owners actually want out of their legal representation. When Sam is not working he enjoys spending time with his wife and son. He enjoys golfing and watching all sports. He is an avid traveler, reader, hiker and a less avid fisherman and carpenter.

Stephen grew up in Casper, Wyoming and spent much of his childhood working on his family’s ranch. He attended the University of Wyoming and received three Bachelors Degrees while making the Dean’s List. He then attended the University of Wyoming College of Law and received his Juris Doctorate in 2002. After being inducted into the Wyoming Bar Association and Colorado Bar Association, he and his wife, Julie, moved to Pueblo, Colorado. Stephen and Julie have been married for 26 years and have six children. Stephen enjoys spending time with his family, camping, fishing, and coaching children’s soccer. He is the President of the pueblo Rangers Soccer Club, which provides access to soccer programs for children of all ages, skill levels and financial means, including programs for children with special needs. Stephen has been practicing law since 2002, with a primary practice on workers’ compensation, personal injury, and social security. In his 17 years of practicing workers’ compensation law, Stephen has represented injured workers in all stages of litigation. He has argued cases before the Colorado Office of Administrative Courts, the Colorado Industrial Appeals Panel, the Colorado Court of Appeals, the Colorado Supreme Court, and the 10th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals

Becoming an immigration attorney was a natural choice for Nicole. Having moved back and forth from the United States to Italy as a child, she relates intimately with the immigrant experience. As a result, she has always been drawn to helping others, fascinated by different languages and learning about different cultures around the world. Nicole began her career in the role of Judicial Law Clerk in the New York, New Jersey, and Arizona Immigration Courts through the Attorney General’s Honor Program, helping immigration judges draft decisions. This role gave her great insight into the judicial process and has proven beneficial to her clients. Subsequently, she worked in small and large boutique immigration firms, and volunteered at a nonprofit organization serving abused immigrant women. Nicole provides professional and compassionate representation in all aspects of removal defense, family-based, and employment-based immigration matters. She has assisted businesses in obtaining H-1B (temporary worker), L-1A (intra-company transferee), and O-1 (extraordinary ability). She has also worked with religious organizations to obtain R-1 (religious worker) non-immigrant visas for their ministers, nuns and other occupations such as choir directors. She has also assisted individuals seeking to create their own companies in the United States to obtain E-2 (investor) nonimmigrant visa. As for Permanent Residence employment cases, she has won cases for businesses seeking to hire professional employees through the Labor Certification (PERM) process, for religious organizations requiring permanent Religious Workers, as well as foreign nationals who self-petitioned based on Extraordinary Ability and Exceptional Ability where their services benefit the United States through a National Interest Waiver. In removal defense cases, Nicole has successfully represented clients in cancellation of removal, asylum, termination of proceedings and prosecutorial discretion. She is particularly passionate about asylum cases, as she believes in fighting for those who have been persecuted, whether for political or religious beliefs, race, nationality or sexual orientation. In addition to representing clients during their removal proceedings at the Immigration Court, Nicole has won numerous cases on appeal before the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Administrative Appeals Office, and U.S. Courts of Appeals. In family-based cases, Nicole helps U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents through the process to petition on behalf of their foreign national relatives to either adjust status in the United States through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), or to obtain Immigrant Visas through U.S. Embassies and U.S. Consulates. She also represents abused men, women and children in self-petitions for green cards under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). For clients who have been found ineligible for green cards based on a fraud or misrepresentation, unlawful presence, or criminal history, Nicole provides representation in waivers of inadmissibility, demonstrating that their inability to obtain a green card would result in extreme hardship to their U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident spouses or parents. Where the USCIS has unreasonably delayed processing regarding immigration petitions and applications, Nicole has succeeded in obtaining final adjudication on such cases through litigation in U.S. District Courts. In addition to tirelessly advocating for her clients, Nicole is a sought-after public speaker on immigration issues.

MARC STEPHEN RASPANTI is a seasoned trial lawyer with over 41 years of experience focusing on complex, high-stakes matters in Government Enforcement, Compliance, Internal Investigations, Federal and State White Collar Litigation; Federal and State Qui Tam Litigation; Criminal, Civil and Administrative Health Care Fraud Litigation; as well as Complex Commercial Litigation. Chambers USA has ranked Mr. Raspanti in Band 1 for his work in the area of Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations in Pennsylvania, as well as Band 1 for his work under the False Claims Act: Plaintiff in the USA- Nationwide. Mr. Raspanti is a longstanding Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation only fellowship of pre-eminent lawyers in the United States and Canada. He served as a former Assistant District Attorney at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office where he tried a wide range of criminal cases to verdict. Mr. Raspanti is the founder of the firm’s national Qui Tam & False Claims Act practice group and the firm’s national White Collar Criminal Defense practice group. Over his career, Mr. Raspanti has represented numerous executives, corporations, physicians, health care providers, pharmacists, surgeons, clinical laboratories, healthcare systems, manufacturers, distributors, medical device companies, entrepreneurs, clergy, accountants, lawyers, politicians, and professionals in numerous federal, state and regulatory investigations throughout the country and abroad.

James A. Tatem is a graduate of the University of Texas where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1989. He received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from South Texas College of Law in 1992. Tatem James A. is admitted to practice before Texas state courts and the United States District Court for the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas. Jim has served as a first-chair trial lawyer in a variety of personal injury and property damage cases as well commercial cases. Jim has extensive experience in products liability, premises liability, toxic torts, superfund and environmental litigation, construction litigation, real estate, civil litigation, class and collective actions, commercial litigation, insurance law, mediation/arbitration, and personal injury defense.