Legal Services & Lawyers

http://www.kostrolaw.com/KostroDotCom/PGKResume.html

I am a commercial litigator specializing in federal litigation, including trials. I work extensively with online businesses, specifically in connection with the use of intellectual property on the Internet in both litigation and non-litigation roles. My firm is also recognized for its strength in construction litigation.

I have successfully represented clients of every size in state and federal courts, arbitrations and mediations in a variety of litigation matters, including contract disputes, distributorship litigation, trademark and unfair competition cases, business tort claims, toxic tort and insurance coverage litigation, discrimination and wrongful discharge cases, copyright infringement claims, and cases involving trade secrets, restrictive covenants and real estate. My litigation experience runs from pretrial investigation and early dispute resolution through every aspect of bench and jury trials as well as appeals.

My blog about copyright, trademark and related issues, LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION®, was recognized by the ABA Journal as one of the top 100 law-related blogs in the country in its first-ever listing in 2007.

Gary O'Brien is an experienced commercial real estate attorney focusing on assisting small and medium size businesses with their real estate needs. Gary O'Brien made the decision to enter private practice at the reputable, small New Jersey firm of Podvey Meanor, P.C. because he is motivated and inspired by helping small to medium size businesses succeed.

To most businesses, real estate is an overhead cost, much like paper and pens. The difference, of course, is that real estate is a much larger and more complex overhead.

Gary O'Brien puts his experience to work for small and medium size businesses so they can keep real estate overhead costs to a minimum, save money, and stay focused on their core business.

Daniel S. Swinton, Esq.
Mr. Swinton received his J.D. at Pace University School of Law from which he graduated Cum Laude, as a Ranking Scholar and winner of the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellent Achievement in the Study of Wills and Trusts. Mr. Swinton is a contributing author of "Generations - Planning Your Legacy" (Esperti Peterson Institute 1999) and "Strictly Business" (Quantum Press 2002). In addition to his membership in the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) Mr. Swinton is a member of the American Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, and the Union County Bar Association.

Before Joining the Law Office of Lane Ferdinand, Mr. Weisbrot was associated with several leading plaintiff’s firms where he practiced in the areas of complex personal injury, wrongful death, class action and general commercial litigation. Mr. Weisbrot embraces progressive trial and law office technologies and uses those technologies for his client's benefit. Mr. Weisbrot is also a court certified arbitrator and represents select clients in criminal and municipal matters.

Steven Weisbrot, is admitted before to the bars of the State of New Jersey, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the district courts for the Districts of New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and Central Pennsylvania.

Areas of Practice
Joy Hodge focuses her practice on taxation law, with a particular emphasis on business advice, succession and estate planning. Ms. Hodge drafts complex commercial documents, trusts, wills and business succession plans in order to maximize the wealth of current principals and preserve closely-held and family businesses for the next generation of ownership. She also serves as an advisor to corporate clients on such matters as partnership and shareholder agreements, protection of trademarks and copyrights, corporate/commercial transactions, including the formation, purchase, sale and restructuring of businesses and professional practices, and general corporate agreements.

With 25 years of experience, I represent financial professionals and firms in all aspects of their operation, compliance and litigation matters, nationwide. I also represent individual brokers from virtually every major firm in their contract negotiations, employment termination, U-4 and U-5 issues. In specialized situations where the facts or law present novel issues, I also represent investors.

Locally, I represent small and medium sized businesses in their formation, operation and litigation, using my Wall Street background to assist those business entities.

Mr. Sokol was admitted to the Bar in December of 1980, after having graduated from the Cumberland School of Law in May of 1980. In September of 1980, Mr. Sokol was employed with McOmber & McOmber, P.C. as a law clerk and upon passing the Bar in December of 1980, he became an Associate with the office, eventually being elevated to Partner in 1986.

In working at McOmber & McOmber, Mr. Sokol has been principally involved in commercial litigation and advising corporate and public clients on strategic approaches to commercial disputes. His commercial litigation emphasis has been focused on manufacturing issues, specifically, commercial code and warranty litigation, dealer agreements, termination and arbitration. Another portion of Mr. Sokol's practice involves both public and private employment litigation and arbitration. Mr. Sokol has represented public entities in employment litigation since 1980, both in the courts and through the various administrative processes in New Jersey. Mr. Sokol has defended both public and corporate clients against allegations of discrimination, whistle-blowing, workplace harassment and various other allegations. He also has experience in the field of education law in New Jersey, representing boards of education and an educational service commission in tenure proceedings, labor scope proceedings, labor arbitration, negotiations and other hearings before the Commissioner of Education.

Other areas of concentration include representation of contractors, architects and owners, both public and non-public, throughout the construction process, including the drafting of construction agreements, as well as construction litigation and arbitration, addressing issues such as change order disputes, scheduling disputes, delay damages, liquidated damages, latent and patent defects, contractor termination, professional malpractice and construction lien law.

Mr. Sokol has also developed expertise in the areas of real property litigation through his representation of title insurance companies. He advises and represents landlords in lease drafting and negotiation and in causes of action seeking possession and rent. Mr. Sokol has also represented zoning boards of adjustment and applicants for the development of gas stations, banks and other commercial projects. Finally, Mr. Sokol has experience in representing banking institutions in collection actions, including mortgage foreclosures, and has defended lenders against liability claims.

Mr. Sokol was born and raised in Monmouth County, specifically Freehold, its County seat, where his father was an attorney for approximately 30 years. He currently resides in Colts Neck, New Jersey. Mr. Sokol is a long time volunteer for Western Monmouth Habitat for Humanity as an attorney and also volunteers in representing the Colts Neck Reformed Church, where he is a member with his family.

Trial and Appellate Practice Areas:

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration, Prosecution and Defense
Primary Concentrations:

Construction:
Drafting and litigation of construction, architect and construction management contracts; litigation and arbitration addressing change orders, scheduling, delays, liquidated damages, latent/patent defects, termination, professional malpractice, liens.


Banking and Finance:
Note and personal guarantee defaults and collections; residential and commercial mortgage foreclosures; defense to lender liability claims.


Manufacturing:
Distributor/dealer agreements, dealer termination arbitration, warranty litigation, commercial code provisions applicable to purchase and sale of goods.


Title Litigation:
Boundary line disputes, competing title interests, conflicting lien priorities.


Employment Litigation and Arbitration:
Employment agreements, statutory protections, e.g. civil rights, conscientious employee, hours and wages, leave laws, workplace harassment.


Education:
Budget appeals, civil litigation, hearings before the Commissioner of Education, construction bidding, expulsion hearings, tenure charges, scope proceedings and hearings before the Public Employment Relations Commission, labor arbitration, appeals to the Appellate Division and Supreme Court of New Jersey.


Landlord/Tenant:
Summary dispossession actions, lease negotiation and drafting, rent collection.


Zoning, Planning and Land Use Development:
Counsel to land developers in connection with applications, including residential subdivisions and industrial and commercial projects; appearance before local Planning and Zoning Boards of Adjustment representing applicants, objectors and neighborhood associations; litigation on behalf of developers and objectors.


Non-Profit:
Representation of various non-profit organizations including religious institutions, civil education foundations, and philanthropic associations.

David H. Nachman Esq.

Immigration Law Offices located in Ridgewood, New Jersey, New York City, Canada.

Phone (201) 670-0006 (x100)
Fax (201) 670-0009
E-mail david_nachman@visaserve.com

David H. Nachman was born in New York and is a lifetime resident of New Jersey. Following his admission to practice, Mr. Nachman was employed for three years with one of New Jersey's largest law firms in Newark, New Jersey, in Corporate and Business Law Department. Here, Mr. Nachman engaged in the business immigration law practice and he assisted with general corporate compliance and commercial litigation.

Mr. Nachman, along with other firm attorneys, worked on such cases as Berger vs. Berger (a landmark decision regarding the interpretation of what constitutes a minority shareholder pursuant to the New Jersey Business Corporation Act) and Wolley vs. Hoffman-LaRoche (a landmark decision in the employment law arena concerning the legal and contractual implications arising from an employment handbook). Mr. Nachman also successfully completed nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications for national and international businesses of all sizes in many industries then joined another premier New Jersey law firm located Middletown.

Here Mr. Nachman served as an attorney in the Corporate/Business Law Department, where he was engaged in commercial and environmental defense litigation as well as securities regulation and contracts interpretation and drafting. Mr. Nachman continued to practice business immigration law for small and mid-sized businesses both in and outside of New Jersey.

Mr. Nachman is a member of the Bar of Bergen County, the State of New Jersey, the United States Court of International Trade, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Mr. Nachman served as the State Department Liaison for the New Jersey Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyer's Association (“AILA”), and serves as an active member and a mentor to national AILA members on various topics. Mr. Nachman has appeared twice on New Jersey News Channel 12 as a recognized authority in the Business and Corporate Immigration Law arena.

Mr. Nachman is widely published and he serves as an Adjunct Professor of Paralegal Studies at Farleigh Dickinson University and at Bergen Community College where he teaches Immigration and Nationality Law. Mr. Nachman, on an annual basis, moderates the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education (“NJICLE”) program entitled "The ABC's of Immigration Law." In addition to the foregoing, he has presented Continuing Legal Education Programs for organizations such as CELESQ, Sterling Educational Services and The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), The Employers’ Association of New Jersey (“EANJ”) and Society of Human Resource Management (“SHRM”).

As an undergraduate at Georgetown University, Mr. Nachman served as an Assistant Legislative Correspondent in the Office of Senator Bill Bradley on Capitol Hill. He also served in the office of the United States Attorney in Cleveland. In June, 1993, Mr. Nachman founded Nachman & Associates, P.C. In 1999, Mr. Nachman temporarily served as the Chair of the Business Immigration Law Department for Premier New Jersey Labor & Employment Law Firm and then Mr. Nachman returned to private practice at Nachman & Associates, P.C.

PUBLICATIONS:

An imperfect match: take these steps when you learn that an employee's name and Social Security number don't match up -

Legal Trends: Practical Insights

Promoting Diversity and U.S. business Immigration Laws

Counseling Corporations on the Full Array of Immigration Law Issues

COMMERCE Magazine's First Annual Law Firm Managing Partners Roundtable

Areas of Practice:

Corporate and Business Law
Business Immigration Law
Global Immigration Law
Global Mobility Law
General Corporate Compliance
Immigration Employment Practice
Immigration Labor Practice
Commercial Litigation
Commercial
Securities Regulation
Contracts Interpretation

Litigation Percentage:

2% of Practice Devoted to Federal Court Litigation

Bar Admissions:

State of New Jersey
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
U.S. Court of International Trade

Education:

Case Western Reserve University Law School, Cleveland, Ohio, 1988, J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, 1989
M.B.A., Master of Business Administration

Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, 1985, B.S., Bachelor of Science

Universidad Catholica, Quito, Ecuador, Classes toward Spanish fluency.

New York University, Courses toward an LLM in International Trade.

Representative Cases:
Berger vs. Berger, ( )
Wolley vs. Hoffman-LaRoche, ( )

Classes/Seminars Taught:

Adjunct Professor, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1992 - Present

Immigration and Nationality Law, Bergen Community College, 1992 - Present

Professional Associations and Memberships:

Bergen County Bar Association
Member

National American Immigration Lawyer's Association
Active Member

New Jersey Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyer's Association, Secretary


New Jersey State Bar Association, International Section
Editorial Board Member

Past Employment Positions:

Law Offices of Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione, 1989 - 1992

Law Offices of Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, P.C., 1992 - 1993

Office of Senator Bill Bradley on Capitol Hill, Assistant Legislative

United States Attorney in Cleveland

Nachman & Associates, P.C., 1993

Grotta, Glassman & Hoffman, Immigration Dept. of Chair, 1999 - 2001

Pro Bono Activities:

Family Court, Bergen County, 1993
Division of Youth and Family Services, 1991
HIAS Naturalization Training

Languages:

Spanish

Fraternities/Sororities:
Psi Chi
Delta Phi Epsilon