Congratulation to all eleven Scheef & Stone attorneys who have been selected for the 2019 “Best Lawyers in America” list published by Best Lawyers (Woodward/White Inc.). The “Best Lawyers in America” list is regarded as one of the oldest peer-review publications in the legal profession and compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation.
IJA winners announced as Advocates, Entrepreneurs, Professionals, and Spirited Immigrants
DALLAS, TX – June 27, 2018 – In a time when immigration is the hottest topic discussed, the annual Immigrant Journey Awards (IJA) came just in time. This month, designated as Immigrant Heritage Month, approximately 200 individuals united to highlight influential immigrant achievements at the 2018 Immigrant Journey Awards, hosted by presenting sponsor and nationally-recognized Dallas law firm Scheef & Stone.
“This will be our 7th year honoring exceptional immigrants at the Immigrant Journey Awards,” said Ann Badmus, IJA Chair and Scheef & Stone Partner. “I believe it is vital that we continue to shine a spotlight on immigrant achievements and support the diversity the immigrant community brings to north Texas and the nation.”
The ceremony was graced with a special performance from one of the finalists and Top-24 American Idol finalist, Ron Bultongez, and emceed by the Emmy award-winning reporter, Rebecca Aguilar. Keynote Speaker and last year’s Immigrant Advocate Award Winner, Gauthami Vemula spoke of her personal Immigrant Journey, as she was born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India, and later raised in both New York and Hobbs, New Mexico.
“I think especially in this day and age, we need to hang on to hope, with all the different crises going on in the world,” Gauthami said. “Being here felt amazing because that’s what this country is built on. It’s about immigrants, and that’s what makes this nation.”
The honored immigrants stood out for their significant achievements and contributions in business, education, medicine, athletics, community service, and politics.
This year’s Entrepreneur Award winners were Andrea Pedraza from Mexico, Guadalupe Mora from Mexico, and Mani Manickavelu from India. This award honored these individuals, as business owners who have founded highly successful businesses in DFW, and who serve as models and inspirations of success.
“It is very important for immigrants to join together and support each other,” Mani said. “That was the best thing that I saw. Some of the stories that we heard were very inspiring.”
The Immigrant Professional Excellence Award winners were Major Adebayo Adeleke from Nigeria, Akash Patel from India, and Cynthia Nwaubani from Nigeria. This award honored these immigrants for demonstrating significant professional achievements in their fields and for their advancements positively impacting their professions and communities.
“Immigrants are so essential to the American economy,” Cynthia said. “We are a vibrant community of people who are resilient, passionate, and are willing to work hard. Events like this help showcase how immigrants impact the community.”
Recognized for making a positive impact on the lives of immigrants and for being advocates on behalf of immigrants, the Immigrant Advocate Award winners were Mary Dominguez-Santini from Panama and Leonid Regheta from Ukraine.
“Standing here with all these immigrants is a great feeling,” Mary said. “Being able to meet new people from different cultures, embrace them, grow together and know that we’re not in it alone.”
Lastly, the Immigrant Spirit Award recognized these winners as immigrant civic leaders who have contributed substantially to the community or region. Honorees were Graciela Katzer from Argentina, Susie Jennings from Philippines, and Raj & Aradhana Asava from India.
“There’s an old saying,” Raj said. “‘Charity begins at home.’ And when we call the U.S. our home, let’s make sure we look at where our needs are. You can volunteer, do food drives, donate money. The awards gave me the opportunity to speak on this. We’re happy to be here.”
Three high school seniors, who are immigrants and children of immigrants, were awarded the 2018 American Dream scholarships. Eh Kaw Thaw from Thailand; Kaci Nguyen, whose parents emigrated from Vietnam; and Hillary Shah, whose parents emigrated from India, were the honored young ladies who will go on to do great things.
Rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. The client survey covered topics such as experience, responsiveness, the understanding of business needs, integrity, cost-effectiveness, and clients’ willingness to refer.
The 2018 Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” national first-tier rankings will be featured in a special legal issue released by the U.S. News World & Report. The national and metropolitan first-tier rankings will be published in the “Best Law Firms” General Counsel publication. Click here to view the list.
Presenting sponsor Scheef & Stone law firm announces finalists for annual program highlighting positive immigrant achievements
Dallas, TX – May 15, 2017 – The annual Immigrant Journey Awards (IJA) have gained momentum over the last six years, as the program highlights DFW’s most influential professional immigrants. With numerous award nomination submissions for 2017, presenting sponsor and Dallas law firm Scheef & Stone is excited to announce the program finalists.
“Each year is a pleasant surprise and a rewarding outcome for everyone involved in the Immigrant Journey Awards,” said Ann Badmus, IJA Chair. “Immigrants continue to strongly impact the community, business, and the future of this country, so we are pleased to see the list of finalists for this year’s ceremony. We are honored to make their achievements and value known to the world.”
With past honorees who have emigrated from far away places like China, Mexico, Nigeria, Colombia, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, Taiwan, Singapore, El Salvador, and other countries, this year is bound to continue the lengthy list, spanning all corners of the map. Past and present nominees have been recognized for their significant achievements and contributions in business, education, medicine, athletics, community service, and politics.
Finalists have been nominated for the categories of Immigrant Entrepreneur, Immigrant Professional Excellence, Immigrant Spirit and Immigrant Advocate. They represent a broad scope of immigrants living in North Texas communities with roots in places like Italy, Argentina, Greece, Australia, Ethiopia, Cambodia, and India.
This year’s finalists include leaders and influencers Angela Miner, CJ Comu, Etalemahu Taddesse, Gabriela Smith, Gauthami Vemula, Giuseppe (JP) Piccinini, Juan Williams, Madan Goyal, Pithou Nuth, Ruby Bhandari, Shanthi Rajaram, and Sudhir Pai. These spirited and excellent advocates and entrepreneurs will be honored June 16, 2017, at the Immigrant Journey Awards Gala from 6:30 to 9pm at the Crowne Plaza Dallas.
“We are blessed to have made it here in this amazing country that is still today the greatest country in the world to live in,” said JP Piccinini, Founder-CEO of JP & Associates Realtors and Immigrant Entrepreneur Award finalist. “If your journey here was anything like mine, you can appreciate and understand that anything worthwhile doesn’t come easy. Take pride in your achievement. You are living the American dream, the dream we hoped to live out as children.”
The awards serve as a great opportunity to meet notable immigrant individuals who have demonstrated leadership in business or in the civic arena, as well as individuals and organizations that advocate for immigrant communities. Attendees also have the chance to network with business owners, professionals, representatives of members of Congress, international dignitaries, local civic leaders and representatives, and the media. Take this opportunity to hear keynote inspirational speaker Beatrix “Betty” Manetta, CEO of Argent and Asociar, two of the largest Hispanic-owned businesses in North Texas.
Contact:
Ann Massey Badmus
Partner
Immigration Section
2600 Network Blvd., Suite 400
Frisco, Texas 75034
214.472.2161 (Direct)
214.472.2100 (Main)
214.472.2150 (Facsimile)
ann.badmus@solidcounsel.com
www.solidcounsel.com
Blogs: www.badmuslaw.com, www.physicianimmigration.com
Scheef & Stone, LLP provides solid counsel to its valued clients by forging innovative legal solutions to build lasting relationships. From its offices in Dallas and Frisco, members of the law firm hold themselves to the highest standards, and dedicate themselves to going beyond the extra mile for their clients. These standards have led to strategic growth with nearly 60 lawyers practicing in a full-service commercial firm including immigration, corporate, cybersecurity, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, tax, construction law, banking, bankruptcy, intellectual property, healthcare, litigation and employment law.
DALLAS – Scheef & Stone, L.L.P. is pleased to announce that Partners Ann Badmus, Robert Bolton, Rebekah Steely Brooker, Byron Henry, Charlene Koonce, Tom Kulik, Mitch Little, John Scheef, Bill Stone, Shawn Tuma, and Brad Whitlock, have been selected as D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas” for 2017. The Best Lawyers list is featured in the magazine’s May issue.
“Our attorneys strive to forge innovative solutions to build lasting relationships for our clients so I am pleased their hard work is recognized”, said Bill Stone, one of the Firm’s co-founding partners. “I’m grateful our peers and D Magazine’s editors have acknowledged our attorneys among the best lawyers in Dallas.”
The 2017 listing of the top attorneys in Dallas was determined through an extensive peer-review voting process, with ballots submitted by approximately 9,000 local lawyers. The final list of attorneys was determined by an independent panel of distinguished lawyers and the magazine’s editors. The complete list is included in the May 2017 edition of D Magazine and available online at www.dmagazine.com.
Ann Badmus’ practice consists primarily of employment and business related immigration matters, representing employers and their employees before various state and federal agencies with immigration oversight. Badmus appears frequently on national and local radio and television as a guest commentator on immigration law.
Robert Bolton has experience in the area of tax law, including estate planning and asset protection strategies to protect business and investment assets from unwarranted claims and the federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes. His practice also includes tax and business planning for partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations.
Rebekah Steely Brooker focuses her practice on estate planning and administration, probate matters, trust and asset protection planning, guardianship matters, and probate litigation. Rebekah helps her clients administer trusts and estates, and counsels clients on estate planning, charitable planning, and estate and trust management.
Byron Henry is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and centers his practice on the areas of business litigation and civil appeals. He provides advice to clients and attorneys on legal and business strategies, as well as trial support in complex civil cases in the area of experts, summary judgment, jury charge practice, and post-judgment motion practice.
Charlene Koonce prosecutes and defends commercial disputes on behalf of large and small clients. She has obtained favorable results through bench and jury trials, summary judgment, and settlement in cases involving complex international contract disputes, CGL insurance defense matters, commercial tenancy, and consumer disputes. Her practice emphasis is in federal litigation, and her experience includes extensive service as a representative of equity receivers in government enforcement cases.
Tom Kulik strategically counsels clients as outside general counsel on matters involving the evaluation, acquisition, development and protection of intellectual property rights, with an emphasis on creatively leveraging such assets both domestically and internationally. His practice focuses on intellectual property within the context of the IT transactions and computer software development/licensing.
Mitch Little counsels individuals and business organizations in state and federal courts in Texas and beyond, with an emphasis on cases involving securities fraud. Having a variety of experience dealing with victims of oil and gas promotional fraud, Ponzi schemes, and all types of investment theft, he has represented investors from all over the United States.
John Scheef’s practice is centered on commercial litigation, construction law and construction litigation. As a primary advisor and outside general counsel, he assist clients with business decisions regarding development projects, dispute resolution, and business negotiations. His impressive technical background in the construction industry assists John in evaluating his client’s needs and remedies under the law.
Bill Stone assists clients with all types of business transactions, including business acquisitions and dispositions, complex debt, and equity financings. He also counsels his clients on securities issuance transactions and compliance issues, contract disputes, employment contracts, executive compensation, shareholder disputes, and a broad variety of other types of legal arrangements and agreements.
Shawn Tuma focuses his practice on issues involving digital information law such as computer fraud, cybercrimes, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the Texas Computer Crimes statute. He also assists clients with matters involving misappropriation of trade secrets; data and information security, and compliance; data privacy; and data breach response.
Brad Whitlock’s practice focuses on representing small and midsized business clients on corporate law matters such as business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity securities financings, company formation, contracts, employment matters, corporate governance issues, and a broad variety of other legal arrangements and agreements.
Scheef & Stone, LLP provides solid counsel to its valued clients by forging innovative legal solutions to build treasured and lasting relationships. From its offices in Dallas and Frisco, members of the firm recognize their services are not about them and hold themselves to the highest standards, by embracing the art of going above and beyond the extra mile. These values have led to strategic growth, bringing our attorney count to approximately 60 lawyers practicing in a full-service transactional and business law firm with services including immigration, corporate, cybersecurity, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, tax, construction law, banking, intellectual property, healthcare, and employment law.
Dallas, Texas – Scheef & Stone, LLP congratulates its two attorneys recognized as 2017 Texas Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters as published in Texas Monthly magazine. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the State are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. The complete list of honorees is featured in the magazine’s April 2017 issue.
Scheef & Stone attorneys named to the 2017 Texas Rising Stars list are:
“We are thrilled to have two of our attorneys recognized in this prestigious list” said Kelly Crawford, one of the Firm’s co-founding partners. “Rebekah and Eric are dedicated and work extremely hard. It is great to see their peers recognize them for the exceptional legal service they provide to their clients.”
Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys.
The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Super Lawyers Magazines also feature editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in the practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com.
Scheef & Stone, LLP provides solid counsel to its valued clients by forging innovative legal solutions to build lasting relationships. From its offices in Dallas and Frisco, members of the law firm hold themselves to the highest standards, and dedicate themselves to going beyond the extra mile for their clients. These standards have led to strategic growth with nearly 60 lawyers practicing in a full-service commercial firm including immigration, corporate, cybersecurity, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, tax, construction law, banking, bankruptcy, intellectual property, healthcare, litigation and employment law.
Awards program opens nominations to highlight positive immigrant achievements
Dallas, TX – March 14, 2017 – For the sixth year in a row, the Immigrant Journey Awards (IJA) is ready to spotlight DFW’s most influential professional immigrants. Presenting sponsor Scheef & Stone law firm is announcing that nominations are now open and will be accepted until April 28, 2017.
The Immigrant Journey Awards shine a spotlight on immigrant achievements and contributions to North Texas and the nation. The program honors and recognizes the most important contributions from the immigrant community to the civic and economic vitality of North Texas. In years past, candidate nominations have spanned all areas of business, including nonprofits, big corporations, and startups.
“Every year we are blown away by the impact immigrants have on the community, and we can’t wait to see who will be highlighted this year,” said Ann Badmus, Chair of the Immigrant Journey Awards.
IJA nominees never cease to meet the elite expectations within each category. Applicants include entrepreneurs, advocates, civic leaders and individuals who have made substantial professional achievements in their field. Award categories include Immigrant Entrepreneur, Immigrant Professional Excellence, Immigrant Advocate and Immigrant Spirit.
The Immigrant Entrepreneur Award is granted to an individual who has built a highly successful North Texas business, and who sets a great example for other motivated entrepreneurs around the state and nation. Immigrants who have made remarkable strides in a professional field are eligible for the Immigrant Professional Excellence Award, while the Immigrant Spirit Award recognizes an elected official or other civic leader who has contributed substantially to the well being of the entire community or region. Lastly, the Immigrant Advocate Award goes to an individual, organization, business or government entity that has made a powerful and positive impact on the welfare of immigrants via public advocacy.
“I think the awards are timely. There’s a lot of negativity going on, especially with immigration and immigrants,” said Ali Samana, winner of last year’s Entrepreneur Award. “People need to hear these stories. They need to hear that immigrants are lawyers. Immigrants are doctors. Entrepreneurs. They’re not here to harm this country.”
Past honorees have emigrated from India, China, Mexico, Nigeria, Colombia, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, Taiwan, Singapore, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Honduras, and other countries, and have been recognized for their significant achievements in business, education, medicine, athletics, community service, and politics.
The Immigrant Journey Awards will be presented at the annual Gala on Friday, June 16, 2017 at The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Nominations are now open until April 28, and award finalists will be notified by May 1, 2017 and expected to attend the gala.
Contact:
Ann Massey Badmus
Partner
Immigration Section
2600 Network Blvd., Suite 400
Frisco, Texas 75034
214.472.2161 (Direct)
214.472.2100 (Main)
214.472.2150 (Facsimile)
ann.badmus@solidcounsel.com
www.solidcounsel.com
Blogs: www.badmuslaw.com, www.physicianimmigration.com
