Bretz & Coven, LLP
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Eileen has many years of experience strategizing both immigrant and non-immigrant visas based upon skill, employment, talent (musicians, artists, entertainers, photographers, etc.), family ties (parents, spouse, children, siblings), fiancé and fiancée, education and investment ($1,000,000, $500,000 and less for E2 treaty investors) as well as U visas for victims of certain crimes and special immigrant juvenile visas for children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected. For many of these visas, although not all, having a curriculum vitae, resume, list of awards, accomplishments, publications or accolades is extremely helpful. For family, marriage and fiancé visas. Proving the relationship is the key. Through investment or intra-company transfers, employment, education, talent, skill, or family members with lawful status, it is possible to gain the legal right to live in the U.S. The law and regulations, however, are strict and complicated. Eileen works closely with individuals, companies, promotors and organizations to strategize the best options for the particular circumstances.
Eileen provides face-to-face consultations to potential clients, as well as Zoom video consultations. She is equally knowledgeable in deportation defense, including cases involving alleged immigration fraud and criminal histories.
Eileen Collins Bretz is Martindale-Hubbell® AV-Rated®, the highest peer-review rating an attorney can receive.
REPORTED CASES:
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Pottinger v. Reno, 51 F.Supp.2d 349 (E.D.N.Y. 1999)
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Reno v. Navas, 119 S. Ct. 1141 (U.S. Mar. 8, 1999)
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Henderson v. INS, 157 F.3d 106 (2d Cir. 1998), cert. denied sub nom.
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Mojica v. Reno, 970 F.Supp. 130 (E.D.N.Y. 1997); aff’d
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St. John v. McElroy, 917 F.Supp. 243 (S.D.N.Y. 1996)
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Cruz-Taveras v. McElroy, 1996 WL 455012 (S.D.N.Y. August 12, 1996)
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Thomas v. McElroy, 1996 WL 487953 (S.D.N.Y. August 23, 1996) (same)
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Alba v. McElroy, Dkt. No. 96 CIV. 8748 (DLC), 1996 WL 695811 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 4, 1996)
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Thomas v. McElroy, Dkt. No. 96 CIV. 5065 (JSM), 1996 WL 487953 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 27, 1996)
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Cruz-Taveras v. McElroy, Dkt. No. 96 CIV. 5068 (MBM), 1996 WL 455012 (S.D.N.Y. Aug 13, 1996)
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St. John v. McElroy, 917 F.Supp. 243 (S.D.N.Y. 1996).
Admitted to Practice:
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New Jersey 1995
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New York 1996
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U.S. District Court, Southern District Of NY 1996
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U.S. District Court, Eastern District of NY 2007
Education:
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Juris Doctor, City University of New York 1995
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Bachelor of Science—Finance, St. John’s University 1991
Lawyer Memberships:
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New York City Bar Association
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American Immigration Lawyers Association
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New York County Lawyers Association
MANAGING PARTNER
ebretz@bretzlaw.com
Phone: 212-267-2555
Fax: 212-267-2129
Main Office
305 Broadway
Suite 100
New York, New York 10007
Eileen C. Bretz
PARTNER EMERITUS
Phone: 212-267-2555
Fax: 212-267-2129
Main Office
305 Broadway
Suite 100
New York, New York 10007
Jules E. Coven
Bretz & Coven, LLP is saddened to announce that our founding Partner, Jules E. Coven has passed away. Mr. Coven formed a partnership with Partners Kerry Bretz and Eileen Bretz in 1999. The three attorneys combined two separate law firms, which practiced different aspects of immigration law, into one full-service, multi-language immigration law firm. Mr. Coven had an extraordinary law career. He was AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, its highest peer review rating for knowledge and ethics, he was a law professor at Brooklyn Law School, he served as a past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, was on the cutting edge of U.S. asylum policies for forced family planning against Chinese nationals, and together with Mr. Bretz at Bretz & Coven, LLP directed a very successful and aggressive federal litigation practice that resulted in many published cases in numerous federal courts that changed, often for the better, the way immigration law is practiced. Mr. Coven is survived by his wife, Dorothy, his daughter, Michele, a lawyer in New York and Israel, his son, a professional musician in California, and his daughter, who currently lives in Rochester. Mr. Coven will be missed dearly by the members of our firm.
Mr. Coven has practiced law for over 30 years. He is the attorney of record in numerous published federal court cases and precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals—most notably in Matter of Yeung, 1997, which was the first demonstration that a bona fide marriage can stay deportation.
He has appeared on Good Morning America and Nightline and presented lectures at New York Law School and the Practicing Law Institute. He was an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School for over 15 years.
Mr. Coven was also the attorney for several restaurants and small businesses and has worked as Counsel to the New York State Assembly Committee on Banking.
He was Martindale-Hubbell® AV-Rated®, the highest rating for legal ability and ethics an attorney can receive.
REPORTED CASES:
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Chengfan Kwok v. I & N Service, U.S. Supreme Court, 1968
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Avyr Associates, Inc. v. Meissner, Dkt. No. 95 CIV. 10729 (MBM), 1997 WL 188942 (S.D.N.Y., Apr 18, 1997)
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U.S. ex rel. Morgan v. McElroy, 981 F.Supp. 873 (S.D.N.Y. 1997)
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Dashto v. I.N.S., 59 F.3d 697 (7th Cir. 1995)
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Matter of H-, 20 I. & N. Dec. 611 (BIA 1992)
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U.S., ex rel., Pupo-Tordecilla v. Sava, 704 F.Supp. 55 (S.D.N.Y. 1989)
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Matter of Chang, 20 I & N Dec. 38 (BIA 1989)
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Paulis v. Sava, 544 F.Supp. 819 (S.D.N.Y. 1982)
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Pang Kiu Fung v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, 663 F.2d 417 (2d Cir. 1981)
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Matter of Lam, 18 I. & N. Dec. 15 (BIA 1981)
Tahir Ali Raza, is an Associate Attorney at Bretz & Coven, LLP. Originally from Pakistan, he embarked on his legal career by completing his L.L.B degree and establishing a successful law firm, where he represented clients in various legal matters for over 8 years. Seeking to expand his knowledge and skills, he pursued further education in the United States, earning his Masters of Law in Immigration Law from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, MA.
During his LLM studies, he undertook a valuable internship with the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), where he gained invaluable experience regarding the immigration consequences of criminal conduct. This experience further enhanced his understanding of the intersection between immigration law and criminal law, enabling him to provide comprehensive legal guidance regarding removal and deportation defense.
With a focus on family-based immigration, employment-based immigration, asylum, adjustment of status, and naturalization, he is dedicated to guiding individuals and families through the complexities of the U.S. Immigration system. Fluent in Urdu, Punjabi, and Hindi, he effectively communicates with a diverse range of clients, ensuring their voices are heard and their rights protected.
He is admitted to the New York Bar, where he upholds the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in his practice. As an Associate Attorney at B&C, he continues to provide compassionate legal guidance and unwavering support to immigrant communities, striving to achieve positive outcomes for his clients.
Kerry Bretz is a former Trial Attorney for the legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and Senior Partner at Bretz & Coven, a firm concentrating in deportation defense and the immigration consequences of criminal and fraudulent activity. He played a major role in challenging the retroactive application of new immigration laws and mandatory detention. He was the attorney of record in Henderson v INS, 157 F.3d 106 (2d Cir. 1998), and both on the brief and at counsel's table before the U.S. Supreme Court in INS v. St. Cyr, 533 U.S. 289 (2001) and Calcano-Martinez v. INS, 533 U.S. 348 (2001), cases that changed the availability of relief to non-citizens with criminal convictions and secured the right to seek judicial review of decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals. Additionally, after numerous briefs and oral arguments, the Court in St John v McElroy (SDNY 1996) found unconstitutional a former mandatory detention statute. Mr. Bretz was awarded $88,000 in Equal Access to Justice Act fees for his pro bono work on that case, in which he represented a mentally challenged non-citizen with a foreign drug trafficking conviction.
He is regularly consulted by the criminal defense bar, quoted in newspapers, and has appeared on reputable television programs (CNN, O'Reilly Factor, Judge Jeannie, etc.). Kerry Bretz is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and a frequent lecturer at CLE presentations and other events presented by the firm and sponsored by local bar associations and the offices of local elected officials. He is also a former Commissioner for the Archdiocese of New York's Commission for the Dignity of Immigrants.
Kerry Bretz is Martindale-Hubbell® AV-Rated®, the highest peer-review rating an attorney can receive, and listed in both The Best Lawyers in America© and Super Lawyers. He is admitted to practice in New York, Connecticut, and Florida and before the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, Third Circuit and Fifth Circuit.
He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Herbert H. Lehman College of the City University of New York and received his Juris Doctor from the City University of New York at Queens College.
REPORTED CASES:
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Pottinger v. Reno, 51 F.Supp.2d 349 (E.D.N.Y. 1999)
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Reno v. Navas, 119 S. Ct. 1141 (U.S. Mar. 8, 1999)
-
Henderson v. INS, 157 F.3d 106 (2d Cir. 1998), cert. denied sub nom.
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Mojica v. Reno, 970 F.Supp. 130 (E.D.N.Y. 1997); aff’d
-
St. John v. McElroy, 917 F.Supp. 243 (S.D.N.Y. 1996)
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Cruz-Taveras v. McElroy, 1996 WL 455012 (S.D.N.Y. August 12, 1996)
-
Thomas v. McElroy, 1996 WL 487953 (S.D.N.Y. August 23, 1996) (same)
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Alba v. McElroy, Dkt. No. 96 CIV. 8748 (DLC), 1996 WL 695811 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 4, 1996)
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Thomas v. McElroy, Dkt. No. 96 CIV. 5065 (JSM), 1996 WL 487953 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 27, 1996)
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Cruz-Taveras v. McElroy, Dkt. No. 96 CIV. 5068 (MBM), 1996 WL 455012 (S.D.N.Y. Aug 13, 1996)
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St. John v. McElroy, 917 F.Supp. 243 (S.D.N.Y. 1996).
Admitted to Practice:
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Connecticut 1991
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New York 1992
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Florida 1996
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U.S. District Court, Southern District of NY 1994
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit 1996
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit 1998
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U.S. Court of Appeal, Fifth Circuit 1999
Languages:
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Spanish
Education:
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Juris Doctor, City University of New York Queens College 1991
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Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, Herbert H. Lehman College of the City University of New York 1988
Lawyer Memberships:
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American Immigration Lawyers Association
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The Association of the Bar of the City of New York
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Member, Immigration Committee 1997
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New York City Lawyers Association
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Member, Immigration Committee 1993
Jennifer is a Spanish speaking, intellectually curious advocate for immigrant communities in the United States. Her extensive experience within immigration law allows her to hit the ground running in any area of the field, including removal defense before the Executive Office of Immigration Review ("EOIR") and the Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA"), and matters before U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services ("USCIS") in employment, family, and humanitarian based areas. Jennifer has also successfully assisted clients with litigating wrongful denials and unreasonable delays/mandamus actions in federal courts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington, DC and California. Currently, Jennifer is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) - New York & Philadelphia chapters. Right now, she chairs the Philadelphia chapter Pro Bono Committee (2021/22; 2022/23; and 2023/24); Previously, she served as the chair of the National Day of Action Committee for the Philadelphia chapter (2020/21 and 2021/22).
Andrew Franco is an associate at Bretz & Coven LLP. He graduated from Temple Law, Beasley School of Law with a Juris Doctor and holds a B.A from Columbia University. He is admitted to the New York Bar.
He is well versed in all areas of removal defense including cancellation of removal, asylum, adjustment of status, naturalization, discretionary waivers, special immigrant juvenile status, and the immigration consequences of alleged criminal conduct. In addition to deportation defense
and immigration law, Andrew represents clients in criminal defense in New York and in particular post-conviction relief (PCR).
Prior to joining Bretz & Coven, Andrew worked in civil, criminal and corporate law, with a focus on international clientele and transnational deals. Andrew is fluent in Spanish and French with working knowledge of Portuguese.
