Forrest G. Read IV

Forrest G. Read is a Principal in the Raleigh, North Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. After spending four and a half years in the firm’s Washington, DC Region office, he relocated to Raleigh in the summer of 2017. He has extensive experience in both business immigration law and employment law and has particular focus in legal issues in graduate medical education (GME).

Mr. Read's immigration practice focuses on assisting employers in obtaining employment-based nonimmigrant visas (e.g., H-1B, L, O, P, TN) for foreign national employees and work-related immigrant (green card) visas, including PERM labor certifications, national interest waivers, and EB-1 petitions, and advising employers on compliance with U.S. immigration laws and regulations. He has broad experience in advising large, mid-size and small employers on their various immigration needs and developing strategies to help them navigate through complex immigration issues, including minimizing the risk of and responding to ICE and USCIS audits. He also has particular experience in counseling employers in the health care industry and addressing immigration-related issues that arise for their broad range of health care professional employees (including advising on and obtaining employment authorization for medical residents and fellows and obtaining J-1 visa waivers for foreign national physicians completing their medical training in the United States). His immigration practice also includes defending employers in connection with Department of Labor H-1B and H-2B investigations and immigration-related litigation.

Mr. Read’s employment law experience includes representing management, particularly academic medical centers in the GME context, in a wide array of workplace disputes and litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including matters related to discrimination, retaliation, harassment, disability, family and medical leave, various wage and hour issues, contracts, and intentional torts. He advises academic medical centers on the interplay between applicable academic law and employment law and the ramifications of what are divergent legal requirements and standards. Mr. Read also provides counsel with respect to the legal impact of competency standards for residents and trainees in GME, including situations involving discipline, remediation, and dismissal. He provides advice and guidance in the peer review process, including provision of verification and assessment of training in response to third party inquiries.

As a member of the Firm’s Corporate Diversity Counseling group, Mr. Read also has experience in providing assessments and making recommendations to corporate and institutional clients with respect to diversity and inclusion policies and initiatives, conducting related internal investigations, and shaping, developing and enforcing effective policies and initiatives to ensure consistency with client values and in furtherance of business goals and objectives.

Forrest G. Read IV In the News

Forrest Read Discusses Immigration Implications of COVID-19

March 22, 2020 • SHRM

Forrest Read Discusses Proposed Legislation to Eliminate Backlogs for Employment-Based Green Cards

March 8, 2019 • SHRM

Forrest Read Comments on Implications of Judge Blocking Temporary Protected Status Cancellation

October 10, 2018 • SHRM

Forrest G. Read IV Publications

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USCIS Announces Implementation of H-1B Electronic Registration for FY 2021 Cap Season

December 11, 2019

Forrest G. Read IV Blog Posts

Immigration

USCIS to Resume Premium Processing in Phases

June 2, 2020
COVID-19 Workplace Law Advisor

USCIS to Resume Premium Processing in Phases

June 2, 2020
COVID-19 Workplace Law Advisor

Individuals Traveling from Brazil Restricted from Entry under New Presidential Order

May 26, 2020