Buffalo, N.Y. – Phillips Lytle LLP announced Zabrina V. Reich, Anthony Barone Jr. and legal support staff members from Serotte Reich PLLC, a full-service U.S. immigration firm based in Buffalo, New York, have brought their boutique firm into Phillips Lytle, completing a strategic move that will expand the firm’s immigration practice and accelerate its talent-driven growth plans.
“In the Serotte Reich team, we recognized an opportunity to expand our firm’s immigration expertise and bring several very talented people into the Phillips Lytle family. With our shared values and approach to client service, I’m confident they’ll make an immediate impact,” said Phillips Lytle Managing Partner Kevin M. Hogan. “We’ve worked hard to make Phillips Lytle a marquee destination for boutique law firms that want to grow their practice by combining their expertise with the extensive resources and capabilities that a firm like ours can provide. Our focus on attracting and accelerating boutique firms remains a central component of our growth plans.”
Ms. Reich joins Phillips Lytle as a partner and team leader for its Immigration Practice. She will continue providing employment- and family-based immigration services and legal strategy, representing clients in complex and highly technical immigration matters. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, Ms. Reich has counseled clients on immigration issues across several industries, including professional sports, music and entertainment, fashion, energy, health care, education, technology and professional services. Due in part to her proximity to the border, Ms. Reich has developed particular expertise in TN and L-1 applications, waiver and admissibility issues and border-problem cases. She received her law degree and M.B.A. from the University at Buffalo and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.
“As part of Phillips Lytle, we’ll have the opportunity to provide immigration services as a boutique practice that’s backed by a regional powerhouse with impressive resources and wide-ranging expertise. Our clients’ experience with us will essentially be the same — only now they’ll have access to further support from Phillips Lytle’s multitude of attorneys and practice areas,” Ms. Reich said. “We value Phillips Lytle’s commitment to providing the highest levels of client service, and we’re excited to join the firm.”
Ms. Reich’s career has preserved and grown the legacy of her father, William Z. Reich, who introduced immigration law to the firm that became Serotte Reich in 1975. He gained international respect and renown as a uniquely skilled immigration attorney and often served as a mentor to young attorneys who practiced immigration law.
In addition to Ms. Reich, the firm has added Mr. Barone as senior counsel. He brings nearly 50 years of corporate, commercial, real estate, immigration and judicial experience to business and investment clients seeking U.S. immigration status. Mr. Barone received his law degree from the University of Toledo School of Law and has served as a municipal judge in Evans, New York for 42 years.
Phillips Lytle has also brought on Serotte Reich’s support staff to ensure there will be no interruption of services to clients of Ms. Reich and Mr. Barone.
The new attorneys expand the firm’s Immigration Practice and build on its significant work in international trade and international law as well as its advisement and support for employers, entrepreneurs, investors and individuals on a broad range of immigration matters. This practice area has grown in recent years through the firm’s strategic locations in Washington, D.C., and Southern Ontario, Canada.
With these latest hires marking another milestone, Phillips Lytle continues to push ahead with its organization-wide, talent-driven growth plans — which were launched earlier this year. The firm is actively expanding its expertise through the attraction, retention and development of top legal talent, as well as the recruitment of boutique law firms and specialty practices in existing and new markets.
Phillips Lytle LLP is a preeminent law firm that is recognized nationally for its legal excellence. With offices across New York State and in Chicago, IL; Washington, D.C.; and Canada, our attorneys serve a multinational client base, including Fortune 1000 companies, global and regional financial institutions, not-for-profit organizations, middle-market companies, startups, entrepreneurs and individuals on important matters affecting their businesses and personal wealth. For more information, visit phillipslytle.com.
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