Valentine A. Brown

is a partner at Duane Morris LLP in the Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group and is the Firm's Pro Bono Partner. She serves as global immigration law counsel to a diverse group of multi-national and domestic corporations and their employees, providing advice, compliance audits and representation to help navigate the intricacies of US and foreign immigration laws. Ms. Brown also represents individuals in all types of immigration proceedings, including persons of extraordinary ability; spouses, fiancees and children of US citizens; naturalization and political asylum applicants; as well as respondents in deportation and immigration appellate proceedings. Sh e is also a member of the firm's Cuba Business Group .

Ms. Brown is an instructor for the Duane Morris Institute, which provides training in all areas of employment law for human resource professionals, in house counsel, benefits administrators and managers through classes in Philadelphia, client-site trainings and webinars. Ms. Brown's courses include, I-9 Compliance Basics; E-Verify for Everyone; E-Verify for Federal Contractors, Electronic I-9s: The Pros, the Cons and the Requirements; and H-1B Public Access Files: What Employers Need to Know.

Ms. Brown is a former law clerk to the Honorable John. J. Gossart, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Baltimore, Maryland, a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law and a graduate of the University of Delaware. She is fluent in Spanish.

Ms. Brown's practice focuses on:

•Inbound and Outbound Temporary Visa Petitions: Inbound U.S. Business Visitors (B); Investors (E); Specialty Workers (H-1B); Temporary Workers (H-2B); Trainees (H-3); Intra-company Transferees (L); Extraordinary Ability (O); Athletes and Entertainers (P); Religious Workers (R), Canadian and Mexican Professionals (TN). In reference to Outbound Visas, Ms. Brown works with expert local counsel in the outbound country to facilitate and streamline the visa process.
•Permanent Residency Applications: Extraordinary Ability, Outstanding Researchers and Professors; Multinational Managers (EB-1) National Interest Waiver and Advanced Degree Professionals (EB-2); Skilled Workers and Professionals (EB-3) PERM Labor Certifications; Family Based Petitions in all categories, waivers and consular processing.
•Corporate Immigration Compliance: I-9 Policies, compliance programs, training, audits, ICE investigations; E-Verify advice and counsel, training, compliance programs and risk/benefit analysis; electronic I-9 vendor reviews, training, implementation analysis and project management; sub-contractor certifications; merger and acquisition immigration compliance review, remediation and risk analysis.
•Immigration Litigation: Representation of corporations in I-9 and immigration-related discrimination enforcement actions; representation of individuals in removal proceedings before the EOIR, BIA and federal courts of appeals.

Pro Bono

•Obtained United States citizenship on behalf of a 67-year-old Liberian client who came to the United States after living in a Refugee Camp in the Republic of Guinea for more than a decade as a result of the Second Liberian Civil War.

•Represented a pro bono client in obtaining a Violence Against Women Act green card and navigating the naturalization process to become a United States citizen.

Resume

Experience

•Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2009-present
•WolfBlock LLP
- Partner and Immigration Practice Chair, 2008-2009
•Valentine Brown, LLC
- Managing Partner, 2000-2008
•Bauman, DeSeve & Landau
- Associate Attorney, 1997-2000
•Honorable John J. Gossart, Immigration Judge
- Law Clerk, 1994

Board Memberships

•Community Legal Services and Philadelphia Legal Assistance, 2018

•Brazilian Organization for Social Services, 2007-2010
•Mexican American Association of Southern New Jersey, 2005-2008
•Pennsylvania Immigration & Citizenship Coalition, 2002-2004
•American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Philadelphia Chapter, Executive Committee, 1999-2003

Honors and Awards

•Referenced in Legal 500 U.S.- Leading Lawyers for Immigration 2015

•Listed in Philadelphia Super Lawyers, 2015-2019

Civic and Charitable Activities

•Duane Morris Violence Against Women Pro Bono Practice Group - Founder and Supervising Attorney, 2010
•Philadelphia Futures, Inc., Sponsor a Scholar Program - Student Mentor, 2009-present
•Board of Immigration Appeals Pro Bono Project, Volunteer Attorney, 2001-present
•West End Memorial School, Woodbury, New Jersey, PTA- Treasurer, 2001-2004
•Woodbury Soccer Club, Woodbury, New Jersey - Treasurer, 1999-2001
- Coach & Team Manager, 1999-2004
•West Deptford Soccer Club, West Deptford, New Jersey - Coach, 2004-2006

Publications

Selected Publications

•Co-author, Update on Recent Travel Proclamations in Wake of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Duane Morris Alerts, March 11, 2020
•Editor, Duane Morris Immigration Law Blog
•Co-author, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Considerations for Employers with Employees in Specific Employment-Authorized Nonimmigrant Visa Status, Duane Morris Alert, March 10, 2020
•Co-author, Coronavirus and the Workplace: A Quick Reference Guide for Employers, Duane Morris Alert, March 5, 2020
•Quoted, Navigating Immigration Policy is a Challenge as Food Processors Seek Employees, Food Engineering, October 18, 2019

•Quoted in How Tech Companies Can Prep for Possible Loss of H-1B Spouse Work Permits, Corporate Counsel, August 23, 2018

•Quoted in Philly’s Immigration Lawyers on Helping Our City’s Most Vulnerable, CityWide Stories, May 9, 2018

•Author, Presidential Proclamation Alters Travel Ban, Duane Morris Alert, September 27, 2017
•Author, DACA Program Ending, but Work Permits Remain Valid, Duane Morris Alert, September 6, 2017
•Author, The Browning-Ferris Effect: I-9 Enforcement Actions, Law360, November 13, 2015
•Co-author, Stepping Up for Citizenship, The Legal Intelligencer, September 17, 2015
•Featured in Demand for Skilled-Worker Visas Exceed Annual Supply, The Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2015
•Co-author, Long-Awaited Work Authorization Rule for H-4 Spouses Published February 24, 2015: First Day to File Applications Is May 26, 2015, Duane Morris Alert, February 25, 2015
•Author, Possible Paths President Obama Can Take on Immigration, Law360, August 4, 2014
•Co-author, DHS Proposes Rule for H-4 Employment Authorization, Duane Morris Alert, May 20, 2014
•Author, The Infosys Setllement: Lessons for Corporations and Their Counsel, Bender's Immigration Bulletin, December 1, 2013
•Co-author, Federal Government Shutdown Impacts Certain Immigration Processes, Duane Morris Alert, October 2, 2013
• Immigration Impact: Recognizing and Reducing Liability in Corporate I-9 Procedures, Corporate Counselor, August 2013
• Electronic I-94s Are Here: Key Information for Travelers and Employers, Duane Morris Alert, May 17, 2013
• Public Works Contractors Now Required to Use E-Verify System in Pennsylvania, The Legal Intelligencer, April 9, 2013
• New E-Verify Requirement for Pa. Public Works Contractors, Beginning January 1, 2013, Duane Morris Alert, July 9, 2012
• Fiscal Year 2013 H-1B Cap Reached; EB-2 Retrogresses for All Countries, Duane Morris Alert, June 14, 2012
• DOJ Ramps up Investigations of Discrimination During the I-9 Process, Advisen Management Liability Journal, April 2012
• Pre I-9 Audit Planning: Prepare for the Worst and Hope for the Best, The I-9 and E-Verify Blog (sponsored by LawLogix), Part 1 February 21, 2012; Part II February 23, 2012
• February Visa Bulletin, EB-2 for China and India Moves 12 Months and Other Immigration Law Updates, Duane Morris Alert, January 18, 2012
•Co-author, EB-2 Visas for China and India Move Five Months and Other Immigration Law Updates, Duane Morris Alert, June 21, 2011
• Is E-Verify Requirement Coming to Pennsylvania Employers? The Legal Intelligencer, June 15, 2011
• I-9 Audits: What Smart Companies Are Doing to Ensure They Stay on the Right Side of Labor Laws, Food Manufacturing, April 2011
•Co-author, Immigration Fees Increase; November Cut-Off Dates See Little Movement, Duane Morris Alert, November 2, 2010
•Co-author, USCIS's Fee Increases and Other Immigration Law Updates, Duane Morris Alert, September 13, 2010
• Availability of EB-3 Visas and Other Developments in Immigration Law, Duane Morris Alert, October 20, 2009
• E-Verify and No-Match Update: The Obama Administration Speaks, Duane Morris Alert, July 13, 2009
•Co-author, Premium Processing of Certain I-140 Petitions to Resume on June 29, 2009, Duane Morris Alert, June 25, 2009
• Stalling Safe Harbor Social Security No Match Suits, Employment Law 360, January 16, 2009
• No Match Is Back: Employers Remain Adrift Without Safe Harbor, The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, December 2008

Speaking Engagements

Selected Speaking Engagements

•Speaker, “H-1B and Nonimmigration Visas: Lay-offs, Grace Periods and Changes in Employment Due to COVID-19, Duane Morris Institute (DMi), Webinar, April 14, 2020
•Speaker, Coronavirus (COVID-19): Business Continuity Planning for a Pandemic Duane Morris Institute Webinar, March 18, 2020
•Speaker, DACA Employees: The Supreme Court’s Decision and What Employers Know, Duane Morris Institute, Webinar, March 12, 2020
•Speaker, Coronavirus (COVID-19): What Employers Should Do Now! Webinar, Duane Morris Institute, March 11, 2020

•Speaker, H-1B Cap: Everything Employers Need to Know for April 1, 2019, Webinar, Duane Morris Institute, February 5, 2019

•Speaker, Pro Bono 911: Immigration Emergencies and Pro Bono Lawyering in 2018, Duane Morris Annual Alumni CLE, Philadelphia, October 25, 2018

•Speaker, Perspective on Hiring New Graduates & Visa Issues, SAPA-GP 2018 Student Career Development Workshop, University of Pennsylvania, September 22, 2018

•Presenter, Immigration Compliance in the Trump Era: How Not to be Fined $95M by the Government, Duane Morris Institute (DMi) Webinar, February 22, 2018

• Making Headway on the Right to Counsel, Duane Morris Alumni CLE, October 26, 2017

•Speaker on The Law Firm Pro Bono Project's Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast, August 17, 2017
•Speaker, New I-9 and Immigration Compliance Update, Webinar, Duane Morris Institute, September 14, 2017
•Speaker, Duane Morris' Developments in Workplace Law and Practice, Philadelphia, May 3, 2017
•Speaker, Debunking Immigration Fact from Fiction: Latest News from the Immigration Trenches, Hispanic Society of Lafayette's Immigration Week, April 6, 2017
•Speaker, Duane Morris' Developments in Workplace Law and Practice 2015, Philadelphia, May 14, 2015
•Speaker, The Challenges and Opportunities of Global Mobility, The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Philadelphia, June 11, 2014
•Speaker, Developments in Workplace Law and Practice, Duane Morris' Developments in Workplace Law and Practice 2014, Philadelphia, May 8, 2014
•Speaker, Immigration Compliance Update: I-9 Self Audits, Duane Morris Institute Webinar, February 15, 2012
•Panelist, Immigration Audits in the Dragnet: Will Other Agencies Take Notice? Duane Morris, San Francisco, November 10, 2010
•Speaker, Immigration Compliance Update for New Jersey Employers, Duane Morris' New Jersey Employment Law Update, Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, October 14, 2010
•Presenter, L and E Visas - Entrepreneurs, Executives, Managers, Specialized Knowledge, Essential and Specialty Occupation Workers, 2010 Immigration Law Forum, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, September 21, 2010
•Speaker, Capitalizing on Allied Treatment: Special Treatment for Certain Countries, American Immigration Lawyers Association annual conference, National Harbor, Maryland, June 30-July 3, 2010
•Presenter, Seminar on I-9 and E-Verify Compliance, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, June 26, 2010
•Speaker, The Knock at Your Door: How Are Your I-9s? Duane Morris' Developments in Workplace Law and Practice 2010, Chicago, May 4, 2010
•Speaker, New I-9 and E-Verify Initiatives and Changes to the H-1B program, Duane Morris' Developments in Workplace Law and Practice 2010, Philadelphia, April 29, 2010
•Presenter, Life After Graduation Workshop, Burlington County College, Mount Laurel, N.J., April 1, 2010
•Speaker, AILA Philadelphia Chapter, Falling out of Love: Representing Conditional Residents When Life Doesn't Go as Planned, and Other I-751 Oddities, March 12, 2010
•Panelist, AILA Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2005
•Panelist, Pennsylvania Bar Institute Immigration Update, 2002-2006
•Panelist, AILA Philadelphia Chapter Conferences, 2000-2006
•Panelist, Gloucester County Bar Association, 2005, 2007
•Panelist, AILA Midyear Conference, Cancun, Mexico, 2003
•Panelist, AILA Basics Conference, Boston, 2000