Author Archives: Victor Pasternack

James Brown and Attorney/Client Relations

Artist James Brown

Today’s post comes from guest author Leonard Jernigan, from The Jernigan Law Firm.

If you haven’t seen the recent movie or HBO documentary on James Brown, you should check it out. He made me think about these top ten client relation tips:

  1.  Treat all clients with respect and dignity.
  2.  Try to understand the stress that our clients are under, especially when they are upset.
  3.  At the same time, do not tolerate verbal abuse from clients. Respect works both ways.
  4.  Keep boundaries. Clients need you to have an objective view, not become their best friend.
  5.  Clients don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
  6.  Be honest in all things, at all times. Keeps you out of trouble.
  7.  Building good relationships are the foundation blocks of success.
  8.  Keep the client informed about what you are doing.
  9.  Be prepared and be thinking about going to trial from the first day. Cases settle more often and you get better results when you are prepared.
  10. Think about James Brown. He was the “hardest working man in show business” for a reason. He gave it everything he had, and it showed.

 

 

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Taking A Stand For Workers – Partners Earn National Recognition Through Service

New WILG Officers Are Sworn In. Pictured from left to right: President Michael Galpern, President-Elect Matthew Belcher, Treasurer Alan Pierce, Secretary Michael Gruber

Several of our attorneys recently attended the Workers Law & Advocacy Group (WILG) Annual Convention, held at the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara. At this conference, Micheal Gruber was elected and sworn in as WILG’s new Secretary.

Senior Partner Edgar Romano received a Special Recognition award.

Senior Partner Catherine Stanton and Micheal Gruber each received a Presidents Award, presented by WILG’s outgoing President Charles Davoli.

WILG’s full slate of new officers is:

  • President Michael Galpern
  • President-Elect Matthew Belcher
  • Treasurer Alan Pierce
  • Secretary Michael Gruber

WILG provides a unique opportunity for attorneys to share knowledge and ensure that we are doing everything we can to advocate for our clients. We are proud to support this effort to ensure that workers’ rights are protected in every corner of our nation.

Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group

WILG is the national non-profit membership organization dedicated to representing the interests of millions of workers and their families who, each year, suffer the consequences of work-related injuries or occupational illnesses and who need expert legal assistance to obtain medical care and other relief under workers’ compensation programs. WILG is a network of like-minded advocates for workers’ rights, sharing information and knowledge, a sense of commitment and kinship, and networking to help each other and our clients.

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Immigrant children lack legal representation, rights groups allege in lawsuit

Today’s post was shared by The Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group and comes from www.oregonlive.com

Border crisis Demonstration

Demonstrators march near the White House after a news conference of immigrant families and children’s advocates. Meanwhile, in Seattle, a coalition of immigrant rights groups is suing the federal government over the lack of legal representation for minors during deportation hearings. (The Associated Press)

SEATTLE — A coalition of immigrant rights advocacy groups is suing the federal government over the fact that few minors have legal representation during deportation proceedings.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Seattle on behalf of eight plaintiffs, all minors. The plaintiffs are from Mexico and Central America, and they range in age from 10 to 17.

At deportation hearings, immigrants must hire their own lawyers or find someone to represent them pro bono, while the federal government has attorneys arguing for them to leave the U.S.

The groups say as a result, thousands of immigrant children end up with no legal representation at deportation proceedings every year. And they say the issue could be compounded with the recent influx minors attempting to enter the country through the southern border.

The Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment.

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Catherine Stanton Joins EAC Network Board of Directors

Senior Partner Catherine Stanton

We are happy to announce that Senior Partner Catherine M. Stanton has joined the Board of Directors of EAC Network. Catherine is a long-time supporter of EAC Network and was honored at the agency’s annual Light of Hope Luncheon in 2013 for her outstanding support. She serves on the event’s Committee each year and has always been an invaluable friend to EAC Network.

“I’ve inundated Cathy with invitations and pleas to join our Board for some time now,” jests Lance Elder, President & CEO at EAC Network, “and knowing she takes such commitments very seriously, I was overjoyed when she finally accepted to be a part of our team.”

Catherine is no stranger to the nonprofit world.  She is involved in Brandworkers’ International, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Public Justice. And from 2012-2013  she  served as President of Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), a national non-profit membership organization dedicated to representing the interests of millions of workers and their families who, each year, suffer the consequences of workplace injuries and illnesses.

“I was hesitant to join the Board at first because I wanted to make sure I could offer EAC Network the attention and dedication it deserves.  I’m glad I can finally prioritize an agency that means so much to me,” says Catherine.

ABOUT EAC NETWORK
Founded in 1969, EAC Network is a not-for-profit human service agency with a network of 70 programs throughout Long Island and New York City. Last year, EAC Network helped over 57,400 people of all ages. Among those the organization assisted were children who have been physically or sexually abused, senior citizens needing support, people struggling with substance abuse and/or mental illness, youth in the foster care system, persons on public assistance seeking financial independence, adults and youth who are under or unemployed, individuals needing help to mediate disputes and families in crisis. For more information about EAC Network, please call 516.539.0150, visit www.eac-network.org, facebook.com/eacnet, or our Twitter handle @EACNet.

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More than $1.6M in unpaid overtime for 1,543 workers in the Gulf Coast recovered by US Labor Department

Today’s post was shared by US Labor Department and comes from www.dol.gov

News Release

WHD News Release: [07/10/2014]

Ongoing initiative reveals evasive pay practices in the temporary staffing industry

HOUMA, La. — B & D Contracting Inc., a labor recruiting and staffing agency that caters to oil field services and maritime fabrication facilities along the Gulf Coast, has agreed to pay $1,660,438 in back wages to 1,543 current and former employees. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor found that the company engaged in improper pay and record-keeping practices that resulted in employees being denied overtime compensation in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The employees were assigned to client work sites throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to work as welders, pipe fitters and shipfitters.

Investigators from the Wage and Hour Division’s New Orleans District Office found the company mischaracterized certain wages as per diem payments and impermissibly excluded these wages when calculating overtime premiums, denying employees earned overtime compensation.

"Temporary staffing agencies serve valuable and legitimate business needs in today’s economy," said Dr. David Weil, administrator for the Wage and Hour Division, "But employers may not manipulate these arrangements and use evasive pay practices to avoid paying workers their rightful wages."

"The labor violations we found in this case are not unique to B & D Contracting Inc.," said Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the…

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Congratulations To Partners Matthew Funk And Cathy Stanton On Roles With NYSTLA For 2014

Partners Victor Pasternack, Catherine Stanton, and Matthew Funk, and Senior Associate Kelly Koster at the 2014 NYSTLA Induction ceremony.

On June 24 at Oheka Castle on Long Island, Partner Matthew A. Funk was elected Deputy Treasurer of the New York State Trial Lawyers Assocation. Mr. Funk has been practicing law since 1999 and became a partner at the firm in 2007. He is a member of the Injured Workers Bar Association, participating in online round table discussions regarding the rights of injured workers. He is a Workers Compensation Committee member of the New York Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH). Mr. Funk regularly lectures on the workers compensation law to various labor organizations. Currently, he is actively engaged in extensive workers compensation litigation.

We also congratulate Senior Partner Catherine Stanton who was installed as a member of the Board of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. Ms. Stanton began working with the firm as an attorney in 1990 and became a partner in 1998.  Ms. Stanton is immediate past president of WILG, Workers’ Injury & Law Advocacy Group. WILG is the national non-profit membership organization dedicated to representing the interests of millions of workers and their families who, each year, suffer the consequences of workplace injuries and illnesses. Catherine is a member of both the New York State Bar Association and New York State Trial Lawyers of America.  Ms. Stanton has once again been named as a Super Lawyer for 2014 in the area of workers compensation by Super Lawyers magazine. In addition, Super Lawyers named Ms. Stanton one of the Top Women Attorneys in New York.

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Senior Partner Edgar Romano Named A 2014 Top 100 Workers’ Compensation Attorney

Senior Partner Edgar Romano

We are proud to announce that the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG) recently named Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Stanton and Romano Senior Partner Edgar Romano a Top 100 Workers’ Compensation Attorney.

Mr. Romano has been widely recognized for his excellence. In addition to this most recent award from WILG,  he has been named a Super Lawyer in Workers Compensation every year since 2010 and has been named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in New York in 2011, 2012, 2013.

Mr. Romano litigates workers compensation claims, including cases involving occupational exposure, asbestos and industrial irritants. He has lectured extensively to labor unions and medical providers. Mr. Romano is a Past President of the Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group and is on the Board of Directors of the New York State Workers Compensation Bar Association. He is a member of the Leader’s Forum of the American Association for Justice and Past Chair of the workers compensation section. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, the Jewish Lawyer’s Guild, and New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NYCOSH). Mr. Romano serves on the Advisory Committee of the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program at Mt. Sinai Hospital and on the Advisory Board of the I.J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine.   He is listed in “Who’s Who in American Law.”

 

About The Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group

WILG was founded in 1995 by a small group of  claimants’ attorneys and has grown into an organization of nearly 1,000 members representing every state in the nation.  Its members include sole practitioners, attorneys from multi-lawyer firms and paralegals.  WILG works everyday to make sure that as the challenges that face injured workers change, we evolve to meet those new challenges.  Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group has grown into an important, national voice for workers.  WILG’s members are committed to improving the quality of legal representation to those injured on the job or victims of occupational illness by superior legal education and by keeping informed of legislative and judicial proceedings.

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Senior Partner Jordan Ziegler Honored By Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Benevolent Association

On April 10th, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Benevolent Association (MTA PBA) recognized Senior Partner Jordan Ziegler for his many years of service and success representing their members for their work related injury legal needs. We are proud of Jordan’s dedication to the MTA PBA and his tireless representation of all injured workers.

Formed on August 10th, 1998, the purpose of the MTA PBA is “to promote and develop a fraternal spirit among all members, to aid our fellow members upon necessity or emergency, to advance the general welfare and efficiency of the department, to promote legislation beneficial to our members and their families and to oppose legislation detrimental to those interests”

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