Fowler White Adds Immigration, Toxic Torts Partners
Florida firm Fowler White Burnett PA has added two partners, including a former Foley & Mansfield PLLP toxic torts specialist and an ex-GRSH Law LLP immigration lawyer, to its office in Miami, the firm announced.
Timothy Ferguson, who spent more than seven years at Foley & Mansfield, joins Fowler White's products liability and toxic torts group in Miami, where he will continue focusing his practice on defense of products, toxic tort, construction, personal injury and medical malpractice cases, the firm said on Friday.He is joined in Miami by Nera Shefer, a founding partner at GRSH Law who represents clients in a broad range of business immigration issues.
Christopher E. Knight, one of Fowler White's managing shareholders, said that the firm is looking to expand by growing in practice areas that have been identified as developing business opportunities.
“As we prepare to celebrate our firm's 75th anniversary, Fowler White is focused on strategic growth,” Knight said. “Hiring attorneys who are well-suited to meet and expand those opportunities will enable our firm to continue its rich history for many years to come.”
Shefer, a graduate of the Universidad del Norte Law School in Barranquilla, Colombia, and St. Thomas University School of Law, represents foreign citizens in their applications for visas as investors, professional or skilled workers or performance artists, according to the firm. She also works with U.S. companies petitioning for visas for skilled workers.
In addition, Shefer lobbies for immigration benefits for immigrant youth living in the country without legal permission who were brought to the U.S. as minors and in 2012 won a case for an immigrant youth that later became precedent for the executive action issued by then-President Barack Obama that made those type of immigrants eligible for work permits.
Ferguson works on defending product, equipment and chemical manufacturers from liability claims alleging exposure to asbestos, benzene, radiation, chemical release and mold, according to the firm. He also has defended architects, mechanical engineers and others in construction defect litigation. He holds a B.A. from the State University of New York in Stony Brook and a J.D. from St. John's University School of Law.
In addition to the two partners, Fowler White also added associate Laura Ross, who previously worked at international law boutique firm Robert Allen Law. She joins Fowler White's corporate practice group.
The nearly 75-year-old Fowler White is a full-service law firm with three offices in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Miami,. The firm currently has 77 attorneys working in the three offices.