New York, NY — October 2, 2015 — Press Release — Sichenzia Ross Friedman Ference LLP is pleased to announce that four Partners have once again been named 2015 New York Metro Super Lawyers. Additionally five Partners and Associates have also been named 2015 New York Metro Rising Stars.
Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in New York are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.
The attorneys who have been selected for the 2015 Super Lawyers honor are:
Gregory Sichenzia, Partner — Mr. Sichenzia counsels public and private companies in all securities laws matters, from complex financing transactions and listings on various stock exchanges through everyday regulatory requirements. He has also been responsible for structuring innovative merger and acquisition transactions. Throughout his career he has represented many companies and investment banks in initial public offerings of securities, and has represented numerous public companies in private equity financing transactions (PIPEs) and the resulting resale registration statements associated with these financings.
Michael Ference, Partner — Mr. Ference is a nationally recognized expert in the Securities Litigation and Arbitration arenas. Mr. Ference has successfully represented clients in actions and investigations brought before governmental agencies and self-regulatory bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), various state agencies and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). He has represented dozens of public, private and not-for-profit corporations, FINRA member firms, as well as hundreds of securities industry registered personnel. Mr. Ference was selected as a New York Metro Super Lawyer in 2008, and consecutively from 2010-2015.
Harvey J. Kesner, Partner — Mr. Kesner has concentrated his practice on corporate finance and the structuring of complex domestic and international capital markets transactions. He has represented issuers, investors, underwriters, agents, lenders and financial intermediaries in public and private offerings of securities. He provides assistance to participants in all types of financing transactions including initial public offerings (IPOs), startup and venture capital financings and private placements including public company PIPE transactions. He also counsels clients on traditional merger and acquisition transactions, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, workouts and business disputes. Mr. Kesner was also selected as a New York Metro Super Lawyer in 2007-2008 and between 2010-2015.
Sameer Rastogi, Partner — Mr. Rastogi is a member of the Firm’s Litigation and Broker-Dealer Regulation Groups. He has extensive civil litigation experience with a specialization in securities, business, and complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts, before the Securities and Exchange Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, American Arbitration Association and JAMS. Mr. Rastogi represents public and private companies, officers, directors, shareholders, broker-dealers, and associated persons in a wide array of matters including, but not limited to, securities transactions, business disputes, regulatory enforcement proceedings, SEC investigations and complaints, and investor arbitrations. Mr. Rastogi has been selected for the New York Metro Super Lawyers honor consecutively from 2013 to 2015.
The attorneys who have been selected as 2015 Rising Stars are:
James Turner, Partner — Mr. Turner advises public and private companies, underwriters and investment funds in a wide variety of federal and state securities laws and investment and capital-raising transactions, including public offerings, secured and unsecured private equity financing transactions (PIPEs), debt and venture capital transactions. Mr. Turner was also selected as a New York Metro Rising Star in 2014.
Tara Guarneri-Ferrara, Partner — Ms. Guarneri-Ferrara advises clients in connection with private placements of equity and debt securities and represents issuers in PIPE transactions. Ms. Guarneri-Ferrara also represents issuers in the filing of registration statements and in complying with their ongoing SEC reporting requirements. Ms. Guarneri-Ferrara also provides general corporate representation to issuers including, the negotiation and drafting of employment agreements, consulting agreements, shareholder agreements and escrow agreements. Ms. Guarneri-Ferrara was also selected as a Rising Star in 2014.
Stephen Cohen, Partner — Mr. Cohen focuses his practice representing both issuers and underwriters in both public and private corporate finance transactions, including venture capital and private equity investments, initial public offerings, follow-on public offerings, shelf registrations, registered direct transactions, PIPEs, private placements, secondary market purchases, specialty finance and other securities offerings as well as in connection with mergers and acquisitions transactions. Mr. Cohen was also selected as a Rising Star in 2014.
Gary Varnavides, Associate — Mr. Varnavides engages in securities and commercial litigation in both state and federal courts, and before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, his practice includes investor arbitration before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, broker-dealer compliance, and qualifying Associated Persons with various state and self-regulatory agencies.
A.R. Hitchings, Associate — A significant portion of Mr. Hitchings’ practice is focused on defending claims unique to the financial services industry, including claims for fraud, conversion, unsuitability, churning and unauthorized trading. Mr. Hitchings regularly appears before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in all phases of arbitration proceedings. Mr. Hitchings’ knowledge of the financial services industry and skill at representing broker-dealers has been sharpened by responding to hundreds of investor complaints and regulatory investigations by FINRA and the SEC. Mr. Hitchings was selected as a New York Metro Rising Star in 2014.
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