Civil & Human Rights

Sexual Harassment and Employment Discrimination Attorney in New York, Philadelphia & New Jersey. Derek Smith is proud to have obtained several multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts on behalf of employees like you, who have been discriminated, tormented, and humiliated at work. Attorney Smith and his firm have obtained a $2.5 Million verdict on behalf of a woman sexual harassed by a restaurant owner. He also obtained a $1.6 Million verdict on behalf of a woman who was subject to a hostile work environment while working as a chef. He believes in becoming emotionally invested in every one of his clients, and it shows in his results.

The Law Office of John A. Tatoian Esq. is a solo firm defined by the highest of ethical standards and personal attention. John A. Tatoian Esq. concentrates primarily on sophisticated business finance & negotiations, entertainment law, consumer rights & collections. Each client deals directly with Attorney Tatoian, not paralegals or assistants. Attorney Tatoian also writes on various ethical issues and provides commentary on legal topics of current interest. Attorney Tatoian is admitted to the state bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the federal bar of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts and the federal bar of the U.S. District Court of Connecticut. Whether you need a strategic business structure designed to maximize tax benefits and protect the assets accumulated, or a litigator for business disputes, Attorney Tatoian will act on your behalf, aggressively and competently, to get you the results needed for future success. Just read what clients have said about him.

Debra Wabnik is a partner at Stagg Wabnik Law Group. She represents clients in federal and state courts in New York and New Jersey, as well as federal courts in Connecticut. She also represents clients in administrative forums such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the New York State Division of Human Rights, and the New York State Education Department. Debra has handled numerous appellate matters before the Appellate Division, First and Second Departments. Her practice areas include general litigation, labor and employment and banking and credit card litigation. She achieved an "AV" Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating, has been named a New York Metro Super Lawyer since 2013, and was voted the 2014 Top Legal Eagle in Employment Law for Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Debra is a graduate of Hofstra University of Law, where she was a member of the Labor Law Journal and Editor of the Entertainment Law Digest. She received her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where she graduated with honors.

I focus my practice on immigration and citizenship law and have handled every type of immigration case, from family immigration matters to business and investor cases and citizenship applications. I am a nationally known expert on immigration and national security laws, and have testified regularly before Congressional committees on immigration, homeland security, and military matters. As a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Military Police, U.S. Army Reserve, I have extensive experience with U.S. military issues. I have also worked as a professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and have served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Alaska. I was a member of the American Bar Association Commission on Immigration from 2008-2012. I regularly author articles on military-related immigration issues, and am well-versed on “parole in place” for military family members and the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (“MAVNI”) Program. I authored the book Immigration Law & the Military, which was published by the American Immigration Lawyers Association in 2012. On September 25, 2013, I was named a 2013 MacArthur Fellow by the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Bringing years of experience and a distinguished career, David F. Nelson joined Hendrickson & Long, PLLC in 2013. David’s busy career as a WV civil litigation attorney has earned him impressive ratings as AV Preeminent in the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings and notable recognition listed in Best Lawyers in America© for work in his primary practice areas of civil litigation, insurance defense, and personal injury. Immediately after completing his undergraduate education, David worked in a bond redemption unit for a regional bank. It was while working there that he decided he wanted a career that focused on helping people and businesses solve problems and challenges, and he confirmed his desire to become a lawyer. He received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia in 1987 and went on to earn his Juris Doctor from William & Mary Law School in 1991. As a former college soccer player (his wife, Kim, is also a college soccer athlete) and a current “veteran” soccer competitor, when not in the office, David can be found on or near the soccer field. He loves not only playing the game but also donating his time as a volunteer coach. While he started at the youth, travel, and middle school levels, since 2004 he has been an assistant head coach for the boys’ soccer team at George Washington High School, where he has helped the team to five West Virginia state championships. He also serves on numerous boards that promote healthy sport and active lifestyles in Southern West Virginia. David and his wife, Kim, volunteer their time through service projects at their church and in the community. With their three having grown and left the “nest,” outside of soccer season David and Kim also now look forward to having some time to travel and visit with friends and family.

As founder of the firm, Michael effortlessly combines accessibility, experience, negotiation, collaboration, and compassion to achieve results. And he has named partners to the firm who value and demonstrate these tenets as well. He is the rare attorney who excels in both civil litigation and criminal defense. Known for his unwavering commitment to serving as the voice of the victim and advocate for the accused, he has established his reputation by winning multimillion-dollar jury verdicts in State and Federal Courts, as well as winning major criminal trials. His record of success in both civil and criminal courts includes acquittals in high-profile criminal cases and numerous seven-figure and eight-figure awards for victims. He has saved many corporations from unfair and oppressive government regulation and has won out-right victories for small companies and owners embroiled in complex corporate litigation.

Attorney Kendall D. Hartsfield is a graduate of Western Illinois University, Governors State University, and Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Master of Arts in Political and Justice Studies, and Juris Doctorate, respectively. Mr. Hartsfield’s diverse background ranges from experience representing indigent defendants for the Will County Public Defenders Office to experience as an educator for the City Colleges of Chicago, for which he taught courses to pre-trial detainees at the Cook County Department of Corrections. Attorney Kendall D. Hartsfield is admitted to practice throughout the State of Illinois, and he is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Hartsfield is also a member of the Trial Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. To schedule a free consultation with Attorney Hartsfield, visit his website, or call 312-345-1700.

EXPERIENCE: ScaleUp Legal – Managing Partner Miami, FL • Manage formation and development of ScaleUp program for startups seeking representation and counsel to raise capital, overcoming due diligence difficulties, and structuring deals. • Qualify, evaluate, and manage affiliated PE investments and portfolio of startups. • Counsel US and global clients (businesses and executives), on corporate structure, immigration, PE/VC, international tax, compliance, and complex international transactions. • Review, negotiate, and supervise hundreds of commercial, procurement, and licensing contracts, DPAs, and more with clients, vendors, and partners . • Counsel clients on the legal aspects of investing in blockchain technology and making other cryptocurrency investments. • Counsel domestic and international (including Egypt, Philippines, Spain, and Argentina) clients on entity formation in Delaware, Florida, and Nevada, tax implications, registered agents, power of attorney, and tax IDs for corporate and individual clients. • Search, and file for, new trademarks, respond to office actions, and manage trademarks. CoachHub – Sr. Legal Counsel Miami, FL and Berlin, Germany • As VP and officer of the US subsidiary, negotiate and manage hundreds of deals in the US, Latin America (including Brazil), and Spain. Counsel and negotiate with C-level executives, on corporate structure, immigration, PE/VC (more than $300M raised in VC), international tax, compliance, and complex international transactions. • Review and determine adequacy of software as service platforms, and their compliance with our internal requirements as well as FedRAMP, GovCloud, GDPR, CCPA, SOC II, and ISO. • Hire, lead, and mentor team members in the UK, Germany, and the US by examining their work, setting priorities, providing feedback, and facilitating improvements and growth. • Work with Human Resources to establish a nationwide employment strategy minimizing labor costs and risks for a workforce of around 150 employees across 27 states and several countries. • Clients and partners included Silicon Valley Bank, Amazon, Meta, Twitter, T. Rowe Price, Capital One, Kellogg's, Thomson Reuters, Repsol, Banco Santander, and more. Indiana Department of Workforce Development – Investigator Miami, FL and Indianapolis, IN • Determined the facts and created a record relevant to the claimants’ claims by using questioning techniques similar to the ones used for deposition, direct, and cross examination. • Applied relevant Indiana labor law and jurisprudence to assist in adjudicating unemployment and COVID-19 pandemic benefits claims. Maine Department of Labor – Appeals Hearing Officer Miami, FL and Augusta, ME • Heard appeals from unemployment claimants in the state of Maine and applied relevant law concerning unemployment benefits and emergency assistance related to COVID-19. • Conducted hearings with claimants over the phone, created a record, and made decisions over the qualifications of claimants to receive unemployment benefits. • Affirmed or reversed decisions by unemployment benefit deputies based on the record created during the hearings and the applicable law. M3N – Founder Miami, FL and Barcelona, Spain • Founded M3N, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and established the corporate documents necessary for corporate governance and operations in Florida. • Developed the business and technology to invest in triple net CRE using data science. • Through the COVID-19 pandemic, developed and leveraged the network of contacts necessary to raise the funds necessary to begin operations and deploy capital. Trueba & Suarez – IP Law Miami, FL • Drafted motions for Federal court, State court, and TTAB proceedings. Drafted responses to USPTO office actions. Provided litigation support including document management, document review, eDiscovery, and client coordination. • Researched and summarized TMEP, the Hague convention (for service on international defendants), Federal (Lanham Act, DMCA, and the Copyright Act), and Florida statutes related to trade secrets, international copyrights, trademarks, and franchises. • Initiated, followed up with, negotiated, and delivered take down notices, demand letters, and cease and desist letters to content and service providers (like YouTube, GoDaddy, and others) and opposing parties as necessary to protect the intellectual property rights of our clients. • Evaluated searches performed by outside vendors on trademarks and patents. Evaluated potential pre, and post, AIA patent cases, patent office actions, and patents used by examiner to deny patents. InternetDynamo – Founder Miami, FL • Acquired clients generating more than $800,000 in revenue per year. • Led the team responsible for the design, deployment, growth, and maintenance of the hosting infrastructure necessary to sustain the website ranked number 20 in traffic in the world. • Led the design and development, with a team of DBAs, the cluster database infrastructure responsible for hundreds of millions of transactions per day spanning several databases, servers, networks, and geographic locations. EDUCATION: Universidad de Barcelona, Facultad de Derecho Barcelona, Spain Grado en Derecho (Legum Baccalaureus (LL.B.)/Bachelor of Law) – EU Law and Data Privacy University of California - Berkeley, School of Law Berkeley, CA Legum Magister (LL.M.)/Master of Law – Intellectual Property (IP) Nova Southeastern University, College of Engineering and Computing Miami, FL Master of Science in Management Information Systems (M.MIS) – Data Science Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law Ft. Lauderdale, FL Juris Doctor (J.D.) – International Law & Civil Law Stetson University College of Law: Tampa, FL International Institute of Social Studies The Hague, Netherlands Truman Bodden Law School Georgetown, Grand Cayman Florida Institute of Technology, Nathan M. Bisk College of Business Melbourne, FL Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), cum laude – Business Administration & Computer Information Systems OTHERS: Native Reader, Writer, and Speaker of Legal and Business English and Spanish Member of the Florida Bar – Bar No. 1027712 Miami, FL CIPP/US Miami, FL Startup @ Berkeley Law/VC University – Certificate in VC Berkeley, CA Chairman of Board of Our Children, Our Future (non-profit) Hollywood, FL Nova Southeastern University – Certificate in Civil Law Ft. Lauderdale, FL University of California, Berkeley – Certificate in Law and Technology (IP) Berkeley, CA InfraGard, South Florida Members Alliance Miami, FL Nova Southeastern University – Certificate in International Law Ft. Lauderdale, FL HNBA/Microsoft, Intellectual Property Law Institute (IPLI) Scholar Washington, DC Master Swimmer Miami, FL

Jeff brings almost 35 years of experience to help clients achieve their goals. He represents individuals who have been injured or wronged, and his practice includes an array of personal injury, employment, and civil rights matters.

Noah Aaron Kinigstein is a practicing lawyer in the state of New York.