WASHINGTON (August 27, 2008) – Jackson Lewis LLP – one of the country’s largest and fastest growing workplace law firms – announced today that Victor X. Cerda has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. Region office as a partner. Cerda is one of the country’s most knowledgeable immigration law experts, with over 10 years of federal government service in senior immigration-related positions, including serving as Counsel of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Chief of Staff for ICE and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
As a partner at Jackson Lewis, Cerda will provide internal leadership and expert client counsel in all areas of immigration law, a specialty practice that has experienced significant growth at the firm over the past few years.
D.C. Managing Partner John M. Remy said, “As immigration laws in the United States become more stringent and ICE continues its unprecedented worksite enforcement campaign against employers, we intend to be the go-to source for immigration counsel and government affairs. Victor’s leading role in the creation of ICE at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS); his involvement with implementing our nation’s current immigration laws and policies; and his familiarity with Washington’s decision makers and the immigration policy making process assure our clients we are providing best-of-class legal services in the immigration sector.”
Cerda will apply his extensive immigration legal, policy, and operations knowledge to advise small and large companies on how best to achieve their immigration goals, whether in the immigration benefits context of seeking immigrant and non-immigrant visas or the enforcement context of addressing the consequences against individuals and companies resulting from DHS enforcement operations. He has experience conducting I-9 internal audits and creating company-wide I-9 verification procedures and preventive strategies that meet ICE and civil rights requirements. He has negotiated with ICE on behalf of companies that are undergoing criminal immigration investigations, civil I-9 audits or who have been subject to a worksite operations; successfully achieved agreements with ICE that avoid the negative impacts of worksite enforcement operations; formulated company policies to address social security no-match letters; and has trained company managers and human resource personnel on I-9 verification requirements and limitations. He has also conducted internal reviews for companies of potential violations of employee verification policies and immigration laws.
Prior to opening a private practice in 2006, Cerda served in a number of legal counsel capacities within ICE . As ICE Acting Principal Legal Advisor he managed over 600 attorneys responsible for representing DHS in over 240,000 removal proceedings in immigration courts and advising ICE Special Agents on investigations. He also formulated legal positions on national policies including worksite enforcement, asylum, criminal removability issues, immigrant visas, detention, and national security issues. During his last five years in government service, he played a role in virtually every major immigration case or legal policy matter, to include an ICE worksite enforcement operation that resulted in a record $11 million dollar civil fine paid by an employer.
Among his many career honors, Cerda was a recipient of the DHS Secretary’s First Annual Silver Medal Award; the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s Distinguished Service Award for contributions in capacity of Chief of Staff during the post-September 11 period; the U.S. Dept. of Justice Attorney General’s Honor Program for law school graduates; and the Mayor Daley Leadership 2000 Law Scholarship.
He frequently provides expert immigration commentary on national television media, including CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, NBC National News, CSPAN, and BBC; and is frequently cited as an expert source on immigration issues and cases in national newspaper media including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and USA Today. He has testified before Congress on several occasions regarding immigration issues; and has presented at numerous conferences and training seminars on immigration topics covering enforcement issues and immigration benefit programs.
Cerda received his Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago and holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Brown University. Cerda is an active member of the Illinois State Bar; a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association; and a founding member of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda - Brown University’s first Latino fraternity.
__________________________ About Jackson Lewis LLPFounded in 1958, Jackson Lewis LLP is dedicated to representing management exclusively in workplace law. With offices in 38 cities and 500 attorneys, Jackson Lewis has developed a specialized expertise in every aspect of employment, labor, benefits and immigration law. Additional information about Jackson Lewis LLP can be found at www.jacksonlewis.com.
For more information, please contact:Lara Minch-Klass Jackson Lewis T: (212) 545-4031 E: klassl@jacksonlewis.com Kara Dullea the bounce agency T: (864) 351-2736 E: kara.dullea@thebounceagency.com