Meet Our Team
Jose Perez, Esq. (B.A, J.D.)
Lawyer
Jose is admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Venezuela. Jose began his career as an attorney in Venezuela. Jose’s outstanding Venezuelan practice was recognized several times by the Miranda State Bar Association, which awarded him with honors in three different years.
In 2002, Jose decided to come to the United States to further develop himself academically and professionally. In 2004, Jose was admitted to Syracuse University College of Law, where he graduated cum laude. During law school, Jose clerked for a US District Court in Florida.
Jose joined the Smith Sovik law firm in 2007. Since joining the firm, Jose was involved in all areas of litigation. Jose has been and is a member of the Latin American Law Student Association; Hispanic National Bar Association; Black Law Student Association; DRI; American Bar Association; New Jersey State Bar; New York State Bar; Law Students in Action Project-Spanish Translation and Interpretation Assistance Team; Onondaga County Bar Association; AILA, among others.
In 2012, Jose decided to open his new and independent law firm. After opening the Law Offices of Jose Perez, Jose has been involved in all areas of litigation, including construction, labor and employment, premises liability, motor vehicle accidents, workers’ compensation, SSI/SSD, and immigration. Jose has been a speaker/panelist at numerous events dealing with his legal practice, Workers’ Compensation, and immigration issues. Jose also has a “Know-Your-Rights” column in the CNY Latino newspaper.
Jose has received numerous awards and recognitions in New York State:
- 2009 Latino Leadership Award;
- 2010 40 Under 40 Rising Latino Star in New York State;
- 2011 HNBA Presidential Pro Bono Recognition Award;
- 2011 40 Under 40 of Central New York;
- 2011 Service Award in Recognition of Outstanding Pro Bono Service;
- 2012 New York State Bar Association Empire State Counsel;
- 2013 Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Star;
- 2013 Keynote Speaker of the Opening Ceremony of the Onondaga County Hispanic Heritage Month;
- 2014, 2015 and 2016 Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Star;
- 2016 Keynote Speaker of the Opening Ceremony of the Syracuse University College of Law Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
- 2017 Martindale Hubbell. Very High Rating in Both Legal Ability & Ethical Standards.
- 2017 Super Lawyers. Rising Stars.
- 2017 The American Registry. Top Ten American Professionals.
- 2017 Top Attorneys of Upstate New York. Rising Stars 2017.
- 2018 Martindale Hubbell. Very High Rating in Both Legal Ability & Ethical Standards.
- 2018 Top Attorneys of Upstate New York. Rising Stars 2018.
- 2018 The National Advocates. Top 40 Under 40.
- 2018 Worldwide Super Lawyers. SSI/SSD Law Firm of the Year.
- 2019 American Institute of Legal Counsel. 10 Best Immigration Attorneys. New York.
- 2019 Martindale Hubbell. 5 Anniversary 2014-2019. Rated BV Distinguished for 5 years. Very High Rating in Both Legal Ability & Ethical Standards.
- 2019 Martindale Hubbell. Very High Rating in Both Legal Ability & Ethical Standards.
- 2019 Acquisition International. 2019 Leading Adviser Awards. Leading Workers’ Compensation Lawyer of the Year, New York.; among others.
- 2019 Sonia Sotomayor Award by the Syracuse University College of Law and the Latin American Law Students Association.
- 2020 Martindale Hubbell Award. Very High Rating in Both Legal Ability & Ethical Standards.
- 2020 Global Excellence Awards – Most Influential Immigration Lawyer 2020 – New York. AI Acquisition International.
- 2020 Super Lawyer
- 2021 Elite Advocate
- 2021 Top 10 Immigration Law Attorney
- 2021 Super Lawyer
- 2021 Best of New York
- 2022 Lawyers of Distinction
- New York Super Lawyer
Jose has dedicated countless hours to community service. Jose has been representing clients successfully before the immigration courts and the USCIS on a pro-bono basis. The Fifth Judicial District ProBono Action Now Program, a Probono program that was funded by the New York State Unified Court System, Catholic Charities of Tioga/Tompkins Counties, and The Worker’s Rights Group, a Syracuse task force, which advocates for immigrants in Central New York, have referred ProBono cases to Jose for representation in several fields.
Jose is the Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Nosotros Radio Inc. Nosotros’ mission is to provide quality Spanish & English language radio entertainment combined with on-air education for the encouragement and strengthening of the Latino community, and the promotion of intercultural sharing among Central New York’s diverse communities. Jose was also the Vice President of the League of United Latin American Citizens-(LULAC), Syracuse-NY-chapter, a Board Advisor of Syracuse University La Casita, and an Ad-hoc member of the Civil Rights Committee of Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse. Jose has appeared nationally on Telemundo and Univision.
Tatiana Young
Legal Assistant
Tatiana Young (nee Vazquez) was born and raised in Guayama, Puerto Rico.
Upon arriving in the States at age 11 she quickly became fluent in English to help her family succeed in their new lives.
Though most of her professional career has been in retail, she has spent the last three and a half years as the general secretary for a local small nonprofit. Her role there consisted of everything, from managing the organization’s finances to event planning to coordinating outreach for the city’s homeless population.
She has a Pomeranian mix named Ginger and has been married to her husband Nathan since 2014.
She speaks Spanish and English.
Julio Perez
Legal Assistant
Julio was born in Upstate New York to a Puerto Rican family who came to this region originally through the US Army. Seeing his mother’s work with activism in the Latino and interfaith communities, he developed a passion for helping others.
By age 9, he noticed he had a knack for picking up languages. This helped him pursue a degree in International Relations, and he received his BA from Yale University in 2013. He also lived in Russia for one year on a fellowship where he researched Russian-American relations in the media. In Russia, he volunteered through a faith-based organization helping African migrants and French-speaking refugees obtain asylum and medical services in Russia. He also studied at the School of International Studies of AU in Washington, DC. He greatly enjoys seeing the immigrant community thrive in a diverse city such as Syracuse and helps clients alongside Attorney Jose Perez as they navigate their various legal issues, including worker’s compensation, immigration, social security, and others. He is a volunteer musician and interpreter at his local church in his spare time.
Julio especially enjoys his job at the Law Offices of Jose Perez, which allows him to engage his language and people skills, and hopes all feel welcome and respected in this professional environment.
LANGUAGES: Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian
Pending Review
Associate Attorney
Jenniferd James
Secretary
Jenniferd James was born and raised in Cuba and moved to Rochester, New York in January 2004. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 2013. After graduating she attended Shear Ego International School and obtained a Degree in Esthetics. Jenniferd started working as a Sales Associate for a major retail store until was presented the opportunity to work in a law firm office environment.
Her previous experience as a bilingual sales associative and customer service representative prepared her for the day to day tasks of a busy and exciting office environment.
Jenniferd joined the firm in June 2017 as a Bilingual Office Assistant in the Rochester’s Office to provide support handling client intake and initial call management. She is very excited about being a part of this team.
Languages: Spanish & English.
Maria Hernandez
Administrative Assistant
Maria Hernandez has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with concentration in Hospitality Management from the University of Puerto Rico, Carolina Campus in Puerto Rico.
She moved to Syracuse, NY in 2018 from Toa Baja, PR. For the past two years Maria worked as an Administrative Assistant for Catholic Charities. This work gave her great satisfaction being their main goal to help others in her community with compassion and dignity on a daily basis.
She is now providing translation and interpretation services with the Law Office.
Languages: Spanish & English.
Christian Soto
Intern
Christian Soto was born in Mount Pleasant, TX, obtained his Bachelor of Science from Baylor University, and earned a Master of Public Health from The George Washington University.
Christian is a current 2L student at SUNY Buffalo School of Law and is expected to graduate in May 2024. He is a part of the Student Wide Judiciary as a Hearing Representative, he is a UB Law Student Ambassador, a Writing Fellow for the Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research course, and an associate for the Buffalo Human Rights Law Review.
He has interned at the Erie County Volunteer Lawyers Project with the HIV Positive Families Unit and is currently volunteering at the Environmental Protection Agency’s FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Initiative.
During his time off, Christian coaches soccer with the U.S. Soccer Foundation Soccer for Success program. Christian looks forward to helping the community and to be at the service of those who require legal assistance.
Languages: Spanish and English.
Karola Castaneda-Garcia
Intern
Karola Castañeda is studying International Relations with a minor in Spanish at Syracuse University. She is currently specializing in International Law and Organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean region in Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
She’s on the path for law school and hopes to facilitate a more diverse representation and inclusion in the legal profession.
She is passionate about law and human rights, particularly pertaining to immigration.
Languages: Spanish & English.
Maikel Alvarez Alarcón
Intern
Maikel graduated with a degree in Law from the Faculty of Law at the University of Granma in his native country, Cuba. He practiced law for ten years, serving as a Legal Advisor in various institutions within the MINAZ and the Food Industry.
During this time, he continued to enhance his professional skills through additional training, which includes the following notable qualifications:
– Postgraduate degree in “The Gender Perspective in the Law of the Last Ratio” (April 2015)
– Postgraduate degree in “Penitentiary Legal Treatment” (July 2015)
– Professional judge in popular provincial and municipal courts (July 2015)
– Certificate as a “Delegate to the Territorial Event El Derecho in Guacanayabo” (October 2015)
– Diploma in “Business Management and Administration” (March 2020)
– Diploma in “Foreign Trade” (April 2024)
Maikel emigrated to the United States in July 2024 and currently resides in Syracuse, New York.
Languages spoken: Spanish and English
