Employment lawyers within 50 miles of Troy Michigan

Zeenat Phophalia knows firsthand the challenges immigrants face when moving to a new country. As she says, it is “a life-altering decision that often entails its share of rewards, challenges, and self-discovery.” Through her own experiences, she has developed an empathic approach to helping others to achieve their mobility goals. “Being a part of that process that helps toward realizing someone’s aspirations and dreams,” she says, “has been truly enriching and fulfilling for me.” In her practice, Zeenat advises clients on multiple visa categories including H-1B, L-1, EB-1, E-2, and O visas. Zeenat possesses an in-depth understanding of the legal landscape: She has represented clients in consular matters, naturalization, and waivers of inadmissibility. In addition, she has represented corporate clients including large and medium-sized companies and startups across sectors such as IT, consulting, consumer goods, manufacturing, and telecommunications. Zeenat has worked closely with multi-national companies and their employees to facilitate the transfer of key personnel and their dependents to the U.S. Zeenat earned her Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Georgia, United States, and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of Mumbai in India. In her past role, she was an associate partner at a leading immigration law firm in India where, in addition to advising on U.S. immigration law, she also assisted clients on Indian commercial and employment law matters, and spearheaded the firm’s content creation process. Zeenat has also authored immigration-related articles for major Indian newspapers – The Economic Times and the Times of India. In addition, she has also been a frequent contributor of immigration articles to Mondaq – a global platform that curates and publishes legal, regulatory, and financial information for professional services firms. She is also a member of many organizations including the New York State Bar Association, the Law Society of England and Wales, the Bar Council of Goa and Maharashtra (India), and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. In her spare time, Zeenat likes to read and write poetry. Asked to summarize her approach to immigration law, she says, “no matter how good of an immigration counsel I may be, if my services are devoid of empathy, I do not think my clients would be well-served. The human aspect is deep seated in the practice of immigration law.”

As an attorney for FGI, Michael Morton specializes in employment immigration law including both nonimmigrant (H-1B, L-1A/B, TN, etc.) and immigrant filings (PERM, immigrant petitions, Adjustment of Status, etc.) He brings to his position a solid commitment to mastering the ever-changing complexities of immigration law and to working with clients to realize their global talent mobility objectives. “As attorneys,” he says, “we must be knowledgeable about our area of the law, strategic in our approach, and empathetic and attentive to the needs of our clients.” Michael incorporates the skills he developed in his former career as a high school teacher into his current practice, carefully explaining immigration law to his clients and showing how it applies to their specific situations. His teaching experience and family history have also given him a strong appreciation for the contributions that immigrants have made to American society. “I am very cognizant of my ancestry and the stories of my family who came over to the United States,” he says, “and I am inspired to help others who are seeking opportunity in the U.S.” He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Western Michigan University and his J.D. from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Michael is licensed in the State of Michigan and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).

Michelle Burns sees immigration law as bringing together two of her abiding passions – innovation and all things international. Moreover, she enjoys working with her clients to provide the strategic guidance and advice needed for them to navigate the complexities of immigration law with ease and confidence. Practicing immigration law gives Michelle the satisfaction of knowing “that each individual I help is getting the opportunity to live and work in a new country and fulfill their long-term goals. At FGI, Michelle handles all aspects of nonimmigrant and immigrant case processing for her clients in the IT, engineering, automotive, medical, and banking domains. She is well versed in the requirements for employment-based nonimmigrant classifications including: H-1B, H-1B1, E-2, E-3, L-1, O-1, and TN. Michelle also routinely advises clients on the PERM Labor Certifications, immigrant petition filings for individuals under the EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 classifications as well as Adjustment of Status (AOS) and Consular Processing applications. Michelle is well versed in providing clients on strategies to manage risk while maximizing results, and works with clients to create solutions that allow for the “timely and efficient processing of each individual petition so that my clients can meet their business needs and remain in compliance with the laws.” She earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Grand Valley State University and her J.D. from the Wayne State University Law School. She has been admitted both to the Michigan State Bar and the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. She has also developed her international experience through travel (China, UK, Germany) and through supplementary coursework in private international law at the Hague, Netherlands, and in international arbitration in Cologne, Germany. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), an Ambassador to the American Immigration Council, Wayne State University Law School Alumni Association, and the Wayne Lawyers Network. In addition, she loves art, photography, learning about new technologies, social media, and being with her friends and family.

Matthew Morse has been practicing employment-based immigration law for over 20 years. He has experience with many areas of Green Card processing including PERM labor applications, immigrant visa petitions, and Adjustment of Status applications. He has experience with naturalization issues and applications, family-based immigration matters and many nonimmigrant visa categories, including the B, E, F, H, K, L, O, R, and TN categories, as well as consular processing matters. He has strong knowledge of federal immigration statutes and regulations. “Keeping clients informed of changes in the law, and what those changes might mean for their immigration objectives is crucial,” he says. “Companies need to know that we are giving them the most current information, and guidance in a timely manner, so that adjustments to their talent mobility strategies may be made accordingly.” As a Partner at FGI, Matthew’s experience also includes case processing for PERM labor applications, Multi-National Managers and Executives, Extraordinary Ability Aliens, National Interest Waivers, and various nonimmigrant case processing for the H-1B, L-1, O-1, E-2, E-3, TN, and B-1 categories. In addition, he has extensive experience in advising clients on how mergers, acquisitions, and corporate reorganizations may impact both immigrant and nonimmigrant case processing. He makes recommendations to clients as to how to handle such corporation restructurings as they relate to various immigration matters and/or successor-in-interest petition filings. Matthew has published numerous articles in Immigration Daily (ILW.com) and International Law Office (internationallawoffice.com), as well as Lexology and Mondaq, and has been a speaker for immigration webinars offered by ILW and the Knowledge Group. He is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Matthew has held internships with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. He also practiced in the areas of gaming law, real property law, and contract law. His interest in immigration law developed out of these experiences and out of a desire to help businesses and individuals navigate federal immigration laws. “I see my role as making this process as clear and manageable as possible for our clients. It is important to listen to the client and interact with them in a meaningful way.”

R.J. serves as a strategic partner and counselor to his clients and their business needs across multiple industries, including automotive, finance, health care, leasing, property development, real estate development, staffing, technology, and telecom. He prioritizes developing an intimate understanding of his clients’ unique goals and challenges and applies his deep knowledge of the law to ensure proactive and results-based legal counsel. A formidable and accomplished advocate, R.J. also acts as lead trial counsel when legal disputes arise after exhausting preventive measures. Clients describe R.J. as an engaged litigator whose attention to detail, tenacity, and professionalism set him apart from other counsel. He obtains cost-effective results by quickly digging into the facts and leveraging the results in favor of his clients. R.J. previously served as chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s 2,300-member Litigation Section. Michigan Super Lawyers® has consistently recognized him as a Rising Star in Business Litigation, an award granted to only 2.5 percent of Michigan attorneys under 40. R.J.’s peers have elected him to the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, an honorary society comprising one percent of each jurisdiction’s attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and welfare of their communities. He is a founding member of his community’s Rotary Club.

Personable but tough, Chris Chesney honed his legal litigation craft through years of special investigations litigation serving corporate clients. Chris prides himself on thinking outside of the box to create novel and winning arguments. Before Chris cut his teeth in the courts, he developed practical skills at the Michigan House of Representatives, advised business owners in South Africa, and conducted grassroots research in Scotland. Not every litigator understands what it’s like working on 70-foot-high scaffolding in a Houston oil refinery. Chris currently serves as an officer and Governing Council member for the State Bar of Michigan’s Litigation Section, serving as Treasurer for the 2,400-member section. He also presents at industry symposiums to continue his rise as a next-generation litigator. At Cronkhite Counsel, Chris serves as trial counsel using years of investigative work and real-world experience to outwork and outmaneuver opponents.

From his earliest days of legal practice, Steve Couch’s approach to advocacy has been marked by two consistent qualities: fearlessness and creativity. Within his first six months in private practice, he helped his clients hold a Massachusetts police department accountable in a wrongful death case before a jury that only needed ninety minutes to reach its verdict. While Steve’s litigation practice would evolve over time, this event set the tone for the rest of his career. Born and raised near Detroit, Steve grew up in a family of small business owners, giving him insights into the challenges that entrepreneurs face daily. He internalized these early lessons, which informed his approach to getting to know his clients as well as possible when working with them to address their legal needs. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he attended Boston University School of Law. While at Boston University, he devoted himself to honing his skills in trial and appellate advocacy through the school’s clinical litigation programs and its National First Amendment Moot Court team. Over the years, clients have entrusted Steve with significant matters in that required unconventional strategies and tenacious advocacy to achieve the necessary results. In one case, Steve successfully defended a national insurance carrier against a $45,000,000 claim, guiding the client to a zero-dollar settlement. Steve was also a pioneer of tapping into the wealth of third-party data collections as a litigation tactic for investigating opposing parties’ fraud, perjury and other misconduct. In recent years, Steve worked with a boutique law firm litigating on behalf of clients across the country. He has successfully represented individuals and companies in both trial and appellate courts from coast to coast. He is excited to bring that base of experience to Cronkhite Counsel.

Born into a family with ties to the intelligence community, Greg developed a strong sense of service early in life. This background also shaped Greg’s ability to identify patterns, uncover insights, and notice details that others overlook. Greg pursued his undergraduate studies at Virginia Tech, where he further sharpened his investigatory, analytical, and problem-solving skills through his role as an Associate in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s (ODNI’s) Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE). His work culminated in a formal written and oral briefing presented to a representative of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Greg is also a graduate of The Heritage Foundations Young Leaders Program, where he gained deep insights into the federal government’s inner workings and regulatory landscape, while also contributing to the collection and analysis of data assessing military capabilities of foreign nations. Greg later returned to his home state of Michigan to contribute to the startup phase of a company that leveraged artificial intelligence and autonomous systems initially designed for military and intelligence applications to the highly regulated field of autonomous passenger vehicles. It was during this time that he realized his skills in investigation, analysis, and problem-solving would be best utilized in service to his community through a career in law. While in law school, Greg received the CALI Award in his Business Organizations class, an honor given to the student with the highest grade in the course and was elected as Secretary of the Hellenic Bar Association of Michigan. He refined his investigatory and regulatory skills as a Compliance Extern at the University of Michigan Athletic Department amid a nationally notorious and closely scrutinized NCAA investigation, where he researched and enforced internal compliance with NCAA bylaws and HIPAA regulations, drafted legislative relief waivers, and conducted Title IX audits to ensure internal policies and procedures complied with federal legislation. After law school, Greg began his practice as an attorney serving corporate clients in matters of civil litigation including special investigations and fraud. Today, he channels his commitment to service into effective advocacy for clients in business and employment disputes. His background has shaped his approach as an aggressive, tenacious, and diligent trial attorney who leaves no stone unturned in pursuing his clients’ interests.

James Kallis is an insightful patent attorney who provides his clients with high-quality intellectual property advice and a deep understanding of patent preparation and prosecution tasks. James focuses primarily on domestic and foreign patent prosecution and preparation. He has written over one thousand patent applications for applicants ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small niche companies to independent inventors. James also performs patent analysis in which he has written non-infringement and invalidity opinion letters and conducted a multitude of novelty and state-of-the-art studies. James has a great understanding of a wide array of patent office procedures from handling a multitude of different types of patent preparation and prosecution tasks. He is experienced in all aspects of U.S. patent prosecution including examiner interviews, appeals, petitions, reexaminations, and reissues. In addition to preparing and prosecuting his own patent applications, James is especially adept at prosecuting patent applications based on previously filed foreign patent applications. He regularly collaborates with foreign counsel in obtaining European, German, Chinese, Mexican, and Japanese patents. He has successfully obtained dozens of favorable patent application appeal decisions from the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences at the U.S. Patent Office. James appreciates the importance of patents to his clients and handles patent prosecution with this appreciation in mind. One patent that James prosecuted (U.S. Patent No. 6,785,825 relating to technology for reducing computer software piracy) was successfully enforced by Brooks Kushman P.C. along with another patent resulting in a $133 million jury verdict that was affirmed by the Federal Circuit (z4 v. Microsoft Corporation and Autodesk, Inc.). From this experience, James understands what it is like to be deposed and testify during a trial and to have patents scrutinized by opposing counsel and trial and appeal courts. James applies this unique perspective in his patent preparation and prosecution practice. James started his employment with Brooks Kushman as a law clerk while a full-time law student at Wayne State University. He then began practicing as an attorney with Brooks Kushman after passing the Michigan State Bar Exam.

Co-Counsel on the largest police misconduct verdict in Michigan history and the largest verdict in Michigan this year! On November 3, 2016, a jury in the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan returned a $36,600,000 against Genesee County Deputies for using excessive force against a man arrested for drunken driving. Click the link below for details. This is one of many seven figure verdicts and settlements that I have obtained for my clients in civil rights and personal injury cases. http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/11/06/jury-awards-36m-verdict-genesee-county-police-brutality-case/93287248/ In addition to civil rights cases, I also specialize in working with small businesses. Prior to becoming an attorney I owned and operated a nightclub in Hamtramck. This experience has led to a lifelong interest in the formation and operation of small businesses. My services are unique because I understand how small business owners need personal and affordable attention from their attorneys. Our legal services include civil rights litigation, business services, commercial litigation, auto accidents, personal injury, criminal law and medical marijuana consulting. Call me at 248-251-0001 to discuss your case today.