Best Lawyers Names Senior Associate Gizem Petrosino to 2024 "Ones to Watch" List
August 17, 2023 - Senior Associate Gizem Petrosino has been selected to the fourth edition of the 2024 Best Lawyers "Ones to Watch" in America list. Petrosino earned the recognition in the practice area of Labor and Employment Litigation.
Using a peer review methodology, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognizes relatively younger attorneys for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice. The recipients have typically been in practice for five to nine years. Candidates are nominated, and then go through a rigorous peer review process before being nationally recognized.
Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. A listing in the publication signals not only legal expertise but also ethics and professionalism of the highest caliber.
Petrosino's practice focuses on complex commercial, construction, intellectual property, securities and employment litigation. She has achieved early dismissals and dispositive motion awards, in addition to negotiating favorable settlements for clients. She has admissions in both New York and Texas and has practiced extensively in both jurisdictions and numerous federal and state courts across the nation.
Business Today Names Cecelia Fanelli A Top Hospitality Lawyer for 2023
July 17, 2023 - The online business news publication Business Today has named Brewer Partner Cecelia Fanelli one of the Top 10 Most Influential Leisure and Hospitality Lawyers Across the USA.
Business Today states of the top named hospitality lawyers that, "With an in-depth understanding of both domestic and international laws, these lawyers embody expertise and dedication. Possessing a wealth of experience in their respective domains, they provide their clients with valuable advice and guidance. The list below comprises some of the most prominent Leisure & Hospitality lawyers in the United States who are known for their impressive professional capabilities."
The recognition notes that Fanelli, “focuses her reputed practice on dispute resolution for hotel owners and lenders. Known for her involvement in large cases and additional expertise in labor, employment issues, and environmental matters, Cecelia is a recommended hospitality litigator.”
Fanelli is a partner in the New York office and has decades of experience in litigation and dispute resolution, practicing across the country in federal and state trial and appellate courts. She has been lead counsel in numerous domestic and international arbitrations. Ms. Fanelli is also regularly chosen to serve as an arbitrator in high stakes arbitrations, particularly in the hotel, lending, and real estate industries. Her practice involves a variety of complex commercial litigation matters, with an emphasis on matters relating to the hotel and real estate industries. Since 2011, she has been ranked by Chambers USA in the Leisure & Hospitality, Nationwide category.
Vault Names Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors to “Top 150 Under 150 List”
July 13, 2023 – Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors has been named to Vault's 2024 "Top 150 Under 150" list. The list recognizes leading small and midsize law firms with 150 or fewer attorneys.
According to Vault, its editors "assessed each firm for prestige, quality of life, and professional growth opportunities and then narrowed down the results to come up with a list of 150 law firms known for providing top-notch service and delivering big results."
Of the Brewer firm, Vault writes, "The firm’s legal team is not afraid to take on complex commercial litigation battles, and its no-holds-barred approach to litigation has earned grudging admiration from its competitors."
Above the Law reported on the national award, and reported that Brewer was among the most recognizable firms on the list.
The firm was also named to Vault's 2019 "Top 150 Under 150" list and to its 2017 "Best Law Firms in Texas" list.
Read more here.
News 12 The Bronx Reports on Brewer Storefront Fraud Lawsuit Against Consignment Business
July 6, 2023 – News 12 The Bronx reported on a lawsuit brought on behalf of Brewer Storefront client Kimberly Taylor against the owners of a New York consignment business for fraud concerning more than $650,000 in antiques she consigned. The investigative report chronicled many legal actions against the business.
Taylor sued the owners, Vahid Peter Khorshad and Sayeh Sassouni Khorshad, alleging fraud in connection with the antique vases, figurines, decorative art and jewelry she consigned at their Upper East Side Estate Sale store in 2021, which later closed and reopened as Sara’s Antiques. Filed on December 14, 2022, in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, the lawsuit against the stores and their owners, alleges that Taylor consigned valuable items to Estate Sale, but was denied the return of her items and received no records or commissions of any sales.
“Unfortunately, our client is well into this nightmare a year and a half now,” William A. Brewer III, counsel to Taylor and founder of Brewer Storefront told News 12 Investigates. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of valuables have not been returned and are unaccounted for.”
The report highlighted numerous other former customers who also said the Khorshads never gave them any commissions on sales nor did they recover their items.
The Brewer Storefront is the community-service legal affiliate of the national litigation firm of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, with offices in New York and Dallas.
FOX News Reports on NRA Lawsuit Against ATF, DOJ
July 3, 2023 – Fox News reported today on a lawsuit filed by the National Rifle Association of America against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ("ATF") and others over a rule regulating stabilizing braces for pistols.
As reported, Brewer client the NRA is challenging the controversial “pistol brace rule” that impacts millions of America’s gun owners - subjecting them to fines and penalties.
As the report states, "NRA argues in its complaint that the rule is unconstitutional, as the ATF reverses its long-standing position that pistol braces do not transform pistols into rifles subject to onerous registration and taxation requirements under the National Firearms Act."
"The NRA is pursuing every possible avenue in defense of its law-abiding members and their constitutional freedoms," William A. Brewer III, counsel to the NRA, told Fox News. "Our members should be free of the threat of enforcement of this presumptively unlawful rule. We are confident that we will prevail in obtaining the same relief for them that has already been granted to members of other gun rights groups."
Read more here.
NBC5 Reports on Brewer Foundation Future Leaders Program (FLP)
June 26, 2023 - NBC5 in Dallas highlighted the Brewer Foundation Future Leaders Program (FLP) in its “Carter in the Classroom” feature, which recognizes unique things school districts and teachers are doing to help children succeed.
Founded in 2001 by the Brewer Foundation, the FLP is an academic and leadership development program that benefits more than 150 students, ages 12-18, from urban communities within the Dallas Independent School District (DISD). Through year-round academic courses, leadership training, and exposure to a wide array of cultural programs, the FLP helps prepare its “future leaders” for success in college and beyond.
The video news report showcased a summer FLP class on financial literacy. The course covered topics such as filing taxes, learning about paychecks and deductions, budgeting, investing, savings, and more. The report noted that the FLP included the class in its summer programming at the request of its students.
"Budgeting, finances, taxes, things we don't learn in school, they teach us here," Anaya Martinez, a student at Dallas ISD's Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet, told NBC.
Watch the report here.
Law 360 Interviews Will Brewer on Impacts of ABA Opinion
June 20, 2023 -- Law360 quoted Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors Senior Associate Will Brewer in an article about recent American Bar Association guidance that outlines the role of non-attorneys in client intake.
The ethics opinion states that in regards to client intake, paralegals can collect basic information, handle conflict checks, identify if the matter is in an attorney’s specialty area, answer questions about fees and representation, and collect a client’s signature. Brewer said that he hopes the opinion encourages firms to keep lawyers involved in the client onboarding process.
"Our philosophy has always been to have our lawyers in the pivot — directing retention efforts, client activities and the pursuit of every positive outcome," Brewer said.
Brewer also commented, “Everything is custom-designed, depending on the needs of the client.” He added, "at our firm, attorneys are ultimately responsible. They provide oversight and direction — managing the process from the beginning. We view that commitment as an investment in our professionalism and client service.”
Dallas Morning News Publishes Brewer Letter on Voting Rights Act
June 15, 2023 —The Dallas Morning News published a letter to the editor from partner William Brewer praising the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The letter text follows:
The U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is a major civil rights victory that should be of interest to everyone in North Texas. In a 5-4 vote, the court found in favor of Black voters in an Alabama congressional redistricting case. The decision underscores the role the act plays in ensuring fair representation to voters of color.
Many successful Section 2 Voting Rights Act lawsuits in North Texas have resulted in more equitable voting systems and the election of minority school board trustees and City Council members. There seems to be a misinformed movement that argues racial discrimination no longer plagues our electoral processes. But voting in many communities continues to be racially polarized, as white voters typically support white candidates — to the exclusion of minority candidates.
As Texas communities become more diverse, the need for more representative local governments and school boards becomes more acute. There is an urgent need to replace antiquated and discriminatory at-large electoral systems. We should remember the words of Congressman John Lewis, who called voting the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.