Volume 3 of IP FAQs by Crystal Broughan is Now on the Blog

Intellectual Property Attorney Crystal Broughan shares her latest FAQ on IP Law

The third post in Ms. Broughan's IP FAQs is now available. Learn her thoughts on Trade Secrets here. 

Crystal Broughan is an intellectual property law attorney with Marks Gray, P.A.  If you would like to learn more about Marks Gray’s intellectual property law services please contact Ms. Broughan at cbroughan@marksgray.com or 904-807-2180.

L. Johnson Sarber, III re-elected to Board for the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel

Johnny Sarber, Shareholder at Marks Gray, re-elected as FDCC selects 2016-2017 Officers and Board Members at Annual Meeting

JACKSONVILLE, FL – L. Johnson Sarber, III, Shareholder at Marks Gray, P.A., was re-elected to Board of Directors of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC) at their Annual Meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec in Canada. The rest of the officers and board members were also elected. H. Mills Gallivan, of Gallivan White & Boyd PA (Greenville, SC), was elected President. The FDCC is an invitation-only organization that consists of accomplished defense attorneys (limited to 1200 in the USA), corporate counsel, and insurance industry executives who have achieved professional distinction during their careers. 

Also elected as FDCC officers at the Annual Meeting are President-Elect J. Scott Kreamer, of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC (Kansas City, MO), and Secretary-Treasurer Donald L. Myles, Jr., of Jones Skelton & Hochuli, P.L.C. (Phoenix, AZ). Steven E. Farrar, of Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP (Greenville, SC), moved into the Board Chair position after completing a year as FDCC President.

Elected to the Board of Directors:

Senior Directors:

            Robert L. Christie, Christie Law Group PLLC (Seattle, WA)

Edward J. Currie, Jr., Currie Johnson & Myers, P.A. (Jackson, MS)

Michael T. Glascott, Goldberg Segalla (Buffalo, NY)

Elizabeth F. Lorell, Gordon & Rees LLP (Florham Park, NJ)

Howard A. Merten of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP (Providence, RI)

Brett J. Preston, Hill Ward Henderson (Tampa, FL)

Todd A. Roberts, Ropers Majeski Kohn Bentley (Redwood City, CA)

W. Michael Scott, VP & General Counsel of CrownQuest Operating, LLC (Midland, TX)

Directors:   

             Victor R. Anderson, III, Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP (Los Angeles, CA)

Stacy A. Broman, Meagher & Geer PLLP (Minneapolis, MN)

Heidi G. Goebel, Goebel Anderson PC (Salt Lake City, UT)

Clark R. Hudson, Neil, Dymott, Frank, McFall, Trexler, McCabe & Hudson APLC (San Diego, CA)

Reid S. Manley, Burr Forman LLP (Birmingham, AL)

Craig A. Marvinney, Walter & Haverfield LLP (Cleveland, OH)

David M. Nicholas, Assistant General Counsel of TE Connectivity (Middletown, PA)

Terence M. Ridley, Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell LLP (Denver, CO)

L. Johnson Sarber, III, Marks Gray PA (Jacksonville, FL)

About the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC)

The Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel is composed of recognized leaders in the legal community. The FDCC is dedicated to promoting the knowledge, fellowship, and professionalism of its members as they pursue the course of a balanced justice system and represent those in need of a defense in civil lawsuits. Current membership is approximately 1400 from the United States and around the world. For more information about the FDCC or its projects, please visit www.thefederation.org.

About Marks Gray, P.A.

Marks Gray, P.A., with offices located in downtown Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach, is a multi-faceted law firm with 26 attorneys experienced in a wide range of practice areas. Marks Gray takes immense pride in the highly personalized service it provides to its clients. The attorneys at Marks Gray represent local, regional, national and international clients in a variety of matters. The firm has a diverse practice that includes an extensive litigation practice in commercial and tort defense, professional liability defense, intellectual property, banking, real estate, business law, commercial transactions, probate, taxation, wealth succession, immigration and workers’ compensation.

To learn more about Marks Gray and the services offered, please visit www.marksgray.com.

###

Contact:

Donald L. Myles, Jr.

Secretary-Treasurer, FDCC

602.263.1743

dmyles@jshfirm.com

Stephanie Mack Kearney

Marks Gray, P.A.

Marketing Director

904.807.2191

Skearney@marksgray.com 

August 2016 Immigration Bulletin is Out!

Immigration Attorney and Shareholder Giselle Carson's August 2016 Newsletter hit inboxes this morning

To read and subscribe to her Immigration Bulletin, click here. 

For more information about your Immigration status or to learn how the Marks Gray Immigration team led by Giselle Carson may assist you today, please email ImmigrationGroup@marksgray.com. 

Download an Excerpt from Shareholder Giselle Carson's New Immigration Book

Immigration Attorney and Shareholder Giselle Carson's first Immigration Book to be published soon

If you’ve been receiving and reading Ms. Carson's newsletters, you know she is working on the finishing touches of her first Immigration book – Beyond the H-1B: A Guide to Work Visa Options for Employers, Foreign Nationals, and Graduating Students.

This book is designed to help readers understand the most commonly used work visas under U.S. immigration law considering the limited availability of H-1Bs.

We’d like for our readers to get a preview.

Click here to read an excerpt from the book and let us know what you think.  I look forward to your feedback.

For more information about your Immigration status or to learn how the Marks Gray Immigration team led by Giselle Carson may assist you today, please email ImmigrationGroup@marksgray.com. 

IP Law FAQs

Shareholder and Intellectual Property Attorney Crystal Broughan answers your Frequently Asked Questions in her new Blog Series on 

You Created It. We Protect It.

Shareholder and Intellectual Property Attorney Crystal Broughan answers your FAQ’s regarding all things Intellectual Property in her blog series. Each week she will be posting articles to help you better understand what Intellectual Property law is and how her team can assist your business. If you have an IP question you’d like Crystal to cover, email her at cbroughan@marksgray.com.

Volume 1: Trademarks



Volume 2: Copyrights

Crystal Broughan is an intellectual property law attorney with Marks Gray, P.A.  If you would like to learn more about Marks Gray’s intellectual property law services please contact Ms. Broughan at cbroughan@marksgray.com or 904-807-2180.

2016 FLORIDA LAW ALLIANCE TRUCKING AND TRANSPORTATION CLAIMS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN JACKSONVILLE

Marks Gray, P.A. Shareholder and Transportation Attorney L. Johnson Sarber, III.to host conference on behalf of the Florida Law Alliance

JACKSONVILLE, FL – Join members of the Florida Law Alliance on Thursday, November 10, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Waterfront in Jacksonville, Florida, as they present the 2016 Trucking and Transportation Claims Conference.

Topics to be discussed include:

• Critical Aspects of Accident Investigation, First Response Teams, and Evidence Preservation
• Correctly Calculating Past and Future Medical Costs
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Regulations, including Distracted Drivers and Fatigue
• Ethical Considerations for Jury Pools and Jury Selection
• Settlement Strategies and ADR Selection

Online registration will begin in September 2016. In the interim, please click here to download the save-the-date flyer.

About Florida Law Alliance

FLA is a group of independent law firms practicing throughout Florida that has combined their knowledge, efforts, and resources. The goal is to increase efficiency, lower costs, expand the scope and improve the quality of legal services each firm provides to its own clients. The member firms of the Florida Law Alliance are better able to serve the interests of their clients because of the statewide geographical reach, cumulative expertise in both general and specialized practice areas, and local community knowledge and legal credibility before a specific court or another decision-making body. The Florida Law Alliance is not a partnership. Each member law firm is a separate entity that performs its own work independently for its clients and is solely responsible for the quality of its work. No member law firm accepts responsibility for another firm’s work.

About L. Johnson “Johnny” Sarber, III.

Johnny Sarber’s practice focuses on civil trial defense, primarily in areas of transportation law including tractor-trailer, heavy truck, passenger bus, school bus and other common carrier and commercial motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, and law enforcement defense. Mr. Sarber has been with Marks Gray since 1997 and now serves on the firm’s management committee. He is a member of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association (President 2011-2012), Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (current Board Director), Defense Research Institute, Trucking Industry Defense Association, and Transportation Lawyers Association, and is a founding member of the Florida Law Alliance. 

July 2016 Immigration Bulletin is Out!

DACA(+), DAPA, and Summer Fun - July 2016 Immigration Newsletter

by Giselle Carson

Marks Gray Immigration Attorney

Shareholder 

Original Newsletter and Archived Newsletter can be read here

SCOTUS 4-4 Decision on DACA and DAPA leaves many on hold 

In the United States v. Texas, the case challenging the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) affirmed the lower decision 4-4.

This means that the ruling by the Fifth Circuit’s decision stands and there will be no further movement in this proposal possibly until 2018.  This program expansion would have shielded up to 4 million immigrants from potential deportation and make them eligible for work permits.

To see the full story and learn how it may affect you, click here. 

To help you better understand the decision in its entirety we’ve published a list of FAQs. You can read the full list and download here.  

L-1A Manager Petition Approved in 12 Days

We are very proud to be able to assist U.S. employers and immigrants from all over the world achieve their goals.   Here, I share another success story involving an L-1A Operations Manager-Engineering and his family coming to the U.S. as an intra-company transfer. 

For the full story and learn more about how the Marks Gray Immigration team may assist you, click here. 

Employers Risk High Penalties for Hiring Unauthorized Workers 

The U.S. Department of Justice is planning to substantially increase the civil monetary penalties for employers who knowingly employ an unauthorized worker and for other immigration-related violations. The rule will take effect on August 1, 2016, and will apply to violations occurring after November 2, 2016.

Under the new rule, the minimum penalty for a first offense will increase from $375 to $539 per employee. The maximum penalty will increase from $3200 to $4313 per employee. The largest increase raises the maximum penalty for multiple violations from $16,000 to $21,563 per worker. Simple I-9 paperwork violations can now be assessed a maximum penalty of $2156 per individual, which is up from $1100. For unfair immigration-related employment practices, the maximum penalty will increase to $3563 per person, up from $3200.

To read about the new rule and stay up to date on potential changes, click here. 

FAQ: National Visa Center (NVC) Processing 

Many of our clients have to use the NVC to process their green cards.   Here, I answer questions to help you understand this process.  The NVC is a Department of State (DOS) facility that handles immigrant visa processing.  They act as a liaison between USCIS, the green card applicant(s) and the consular post abroad. After USCIS approves your immigrant petition (I-130 or I-140), USCIS will submit your approval to NVC. It is taking NVC 30 to 45 days after they receive the USCIS approval to provide instruction on the next steps.  You must wait to hear from NVC before proceeding. The next steps typically include payment of fees, submission of DS-260, collection, and submission of documents, review and communications from NVC.

Our blog post includes additional information and basic tips regarding this process.

To read and download the full list, click here.  

Is your degree on the STEM designated program list?

For many of our readers, especially foreign students on F-1 status, knowing and understanding if their degree is a STEM designated degree program is critical to plan for their immigration future. 

This designation can determine whether or not an F-1 student can benefit from the new 24-month STEM optional practical training (OPT) extension rule.  If so, the student can remain in the U.S. training and be gaining work experience for a much longer time and have a greater chance at applying for a potential H-1B petition, sometimes two to three times, under the lottery.

To read full blog post and review the list of the latest approved STEM designated program list, click here.

Connect with Giselle on LinkedIn for More Immigration Updates!