Our Attorneys
The attorneys at Frontera Law are distinguished, strategic, and compassionate lawyers
who are deeply committed to advocating for their clients.
Victor X. Cerda
Partner
- vxc@fronteralawfirm.com
- 411 Theodore Fremd Avenue, Suite 235 Rye, New York 10580
- (914) 873-4388 ext. 3232
- (914) 241-5922
Victor X. Cerda is a seasoned litigator and practitioner specializing in immigration law, INTERPOL, and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Mr. Cerda began his professional legal career at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as a member of the DOJ Honors Program’s Class of 1995 and represented the United States in hundreds of immigration removal proceedings. On September 11, 2001, Mr. Cerda was appointed Counsel and Acting Chief of Staff for the legacy-Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and oversaw most of the INS’ post-9/11 immigration enforcement efforts and legal reforms. In March 2003, Mr. Cerda became the Counsel to the Assistant Secretary and Acting Chief of Staff for the newly created Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Mr. Cerda also served as ICE’s Principal Legal Advisor overseeing approximately 600 ICE attorneys and as Director for Deportation and Removal Operations overseeing approximately 3000 Deportation Officers.
Following ten years of government service, Mr. Cerda joined the private sector as a partner in several law firms including Jackson Lewis where he represented Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood artists, and high-profile international individuals facing a myriad of immigration and visa issues both in the U.S. and abroad. In 2012, Mr. Cerda, as part of a private investment group, led a successful effort to launch a newly created television network on Comcast NBCUniversal in January of 2017. Mr. Cerda resumed his exclusive focus on law following the launch of the network continuing his representation of individuals, including former Heads of State, government Ministers, and political dissidents, in immigration, extradition, and INTERPOL matters. In addition, Mr. Cerda represented individuals involved in some of the largest U.S. foreign corrupt practices act (FCPA) investigations arising in Brazil and Venezuela. Mr. Cerda’s experience with foreign clientele and matters come from across the globe, including numerous high-profile matters involving nationals of China, Russia, Venezuela, Spain, Colombia, Brazil, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay.
DePaul University College of Law
Chicago, Illinois
Honors:
Mayor Daley Leadership Scholar
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
Laura Rodríguez
Partner
- lrodriguez@fronteralawfirm.com
- 411 Theodore Fremd Avenue, Suite 235 Rye, New York 10580
- (914) 873-4388 ext. 4343
- (914) 241-5922
Laura Rodríguez dedicates her practice to representing both employees and employers in all aspects of employment law. She has handled hundreds of employment cases and recovered millions of dollars in settlements. Ms. Rodríguez regularly represents employees and employers in the investigation and litigation of claims for unpaid wages, as well as claims of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Furthermore, she has extensive experience negotiating employment contracts and severance agreements. Ms. Rodríguez litigates in the state and federal court systems as well before city, state, and federal government agencies.
Ms. Rodríguez began her career at a boutique employment law firm in Manhattan where she regularly handled individual, collective, and class action lawsuits. During her time there she first-chaired and prevailed in a multi-day federal court trial challenging the applicability of the creative professional exemption from overtime wages. Ms. Rodríguez also handled several inquests resulting in judgments totaling nearly $2 million for her clients.
In addition to practicing law, Ms. Rodríguez has worked as an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School and co-taught an employment law course exploring issues of wage theft on the local and national scale. Ms. Rodríguez has also been invited to speak about employment law in various forums. She has guest lectured at Fordham Law School and John Jay College of Criminal Justice and also appeared on the ABC Network show, Tiempo with Joe Torres. Furthermore, Ms. Rodríguez has presented at the NYS Bar Association Annual Conference and has contributed to programming for the New York City Bar Association and the New York County Lawyers Association.
Ms. Rodríguez is a native Spanish speaker and is proud to regularly represent immigrant workers whose rights have been violated. She has significant experience representing clients entirely in Spanish and values the opportunity to provide high quality legal services to individuals that are often overlooked and exploited in the workplace. She regularly leads Know Your Employment Rights workshops in Spanish for members of community groups around New York State. She also provides legal counsel to business owners seeking to comply with the nuanced, ever changing state and federal labor law requirements.
Prior to pursuing a career in law, Ms. Rodríguez worked as a high school teacher and administrator in the Boston Public School system.
Fordham University School of Law
New York, New York
Honors:
Public Service Valedictorian
Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award, summa cum laude
Stein Scholar for the Public Interest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
- National Employment Lawyers Association
- New York City Bar Association
- Hispanic National Bar Association
- Best Lawyers, Ones to Watch (2021-2022)
- Super Lawyers, Rising Stars (2020-2023)
Pedro J. Fernandez
Of Counsel
Pedro J. Fernández is an attorney licensed in Venezuela specializing in criminal law and corporate law matters. He also holds postgraduate degrees in money laundering and general criminal law, the latter obtained at Venezuela’s Fermín Toro University. His professional practice is primarily dedicated to providing legal services for corporate clients and individuals on both a national and international level. Mr. Fernandez has extensive experience representing companies for the collection of national and international debts, litigation, and asset seizure both within and outside of Venezuela.
Fermín Toro University
Venezuela
- Spanish (native fluency)
Theresa A. Pauling
Of Counsel
Theresa A. Pauling served as the Chief Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement-New York from 2006 to 2012. Ms. Pauling was responsible for enforcing federal immigration laws for the New York area. She managed a staff of approximately 90 attorneys and 45 support staff personnel. Prior to becoming Chief Counsel, Ms. Pauling served as the Deputy Chief Counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement-New York from 2003 to 2006.
Prior to working for three different Federal Government agencies, Ms. Pauling worked as a New York City Probation Officer, worked for the Department of Corrections, and for the New York City Board of Education.
