Business Services
Whether you’re a growth oriented company, a non-profit, a start-up or a family owned business, we are here to help you take your business to the next level.
We counsel businesses to achieve its goals. We prepare and review non-competition agreements, employment agreements, licensing agreements, consulting agreements, corporate control disputes and transfers of family ownership. Additionally, we counsel companies on specific business agreements, such as joint ventures, mergers and separation of businesses, buy/sell arrangements and prepare the necessary documents related to such business matters.
Notable: The range of business clients represented are varied. For example, from its inception, Apexa Patel was in charge of managing and creating a complex joint venture deal between an Indiana company and a company located in India. The deal, involving international law and treaties, also dealt with licensing and distributorship agreements, and financial, employment and immigration matters. She also represents individual and corporate clients to interpret and simplify investment opportunities (franchise circulars, private offerings, etc.) and represents other business clients for years to manage their day-to-day legal matters and help navigate a variety of legal issues.
Employment Services
Your company may face certain employment issues which may give rise to claims and litigation. In order to minimize such claims we create effective and defensible polices and provide comprehensive training for supervisors, human resources personnel and employees.
While our practice generally focuses on representing companies, on occasion we will represent plaintiffs, who have been seriously aggrieved. We believe that exposure to defending both employers and employees enables us to understand the issues from both parties’ perspective. It also provides better insight as to each parties’ goals and therefore we can address issues more effectively and efficiently.
Notable: Apexa Patel successfully represented a client against his former employer, a multi-national, public company with headquarters in Illinois, for discrimination, retaliation and harassment, obtaining one of the largest deemed settlement amount in Ft. Wayne for a Title VII case.
Immigration Services
We provide full-service immigration counsel related to temporary non-immigrant status and permanent residence (green card) applications. We further counsel employers regarding H-1B and permanent residency portability and other corporate structuring or changes in employment that may affect immigration status.
Non-Immigrant: B-1, E-1/E-2, F, H-1B, J-1, L-1A/B, O, P, R, and TN
We prepare and file petitions with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and coordinate visa applications with U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide to ensure a smooth entry into the U.S.
Immigrant: We prepare all types of lawful green card applications (and naturalization applications). We work closely with employers for those applications based on PERM Labor Certification.
Notable: Apexa Patel has successfully argued in the 7th Circuit, Northern District Federal Court for the enforceability of the Affidavit of Support. In this precedent setting case, it was the first time the enforceability of Form I-485 was presented to Federal Court. The 7th Circuit agreed that the beneficiary under the Affidavit of Support not only had proper standing, but is entitled to compensation from the individual sponsor. The client received the financial support entitled to her, and we also helped her obtain her green card under the VAWA act.