Debra Dyleski-Najjar, CLE Committee Member, is president and founder of the Najjar Employment Law Group, PC (NELGPC) with offices in Boston and North Andover, MA. NELGPC is a boutique management side labor, employment and benefits firm. Prior to founding NELGPC in April 2008, she practiced employment law for over 25 years and was a “big law” equity partner in Boston. Debra earned her B.A. from Wellesley College in 1980 and her J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1983 where she was an editor of the Law Review. She is a past chair and current member of the NHBA’s Labor & Employment Law Section, and a member of the Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association and the ABA’s International Labor and Employment Law Subcommittee. In 2007, Debra was inducted as a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and served for many years as the chair of the First Circuit Credentialing Committee. She is a credentialed member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA), a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a member of the 2005 graduating class of Leadership New Hampshire. Debra is the Massachusetts State Council Government Affairs Director for the Society of Human Resource Management, the Legislative Director for the Greater Merrimack Valley SHRM Chapter, and past chair of the Pathways Committee of the Lawrence Partnership. She also served on the corporate board of the Merrimack Valley YMCA. Debra has extensive experience representing employers in complex litigation, conducts investigations into alleged harassment and misconduct, defends employers before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, and assists and counsels employers on matters involving harassment, discrimination, ADA, FMLA, OSHA, ERISA, FLSA, diversity, immigration and other workplace issues. Debra is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, the First Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. She is a frequent author, speaker, counselor and trainer on workplace issues.

Ronald L. Abramson is a partner at Shaheen & Gordon, P.A. in Manchester, NH, where he chairs the firm’s Immigration Law Group. Ron handles virtually sorts of immigration matters, with a special focus on the intersection of criminal and immigration law, as well as federal immigration litigation. 

Shiva Karimi develops creative strategies for navigating the complex U.S. immigration system at McLane Middleton Professional Association in Boston, MA.  She currently serves as Secretary of the Boston Bar Association. She is also a member of the BBA’s Executive Committee and serves as a Trustee of the charitable arm of the BBA, the Boston Bar Foundation. Shiva is chair of McLane Middleton’s Immigration Law Practice Group, Managing Director of the firm’s Boston office and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. In addition, she is also a chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.  Shiva is a long-time member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Previous to McLane Middleton, Shiva established and directed Karimi & Associates, PC for fourteen years. She has served as chair of the Boston Bar Association’s Immigration Law Committee, co-chair of the BBA’s Immigration Law Section, and was a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Immigration Law Steering Committee. She also served as a Council member of the Boston Bar Association and contributed to the authorship of the BBA’s Immigration Principles. She was a board member of the Lawyers Weekly Board of Editors, and Suffolk University Law School’s Law Alumni Board. Shiva earned her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and is currently admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. She received her B.A. from Northeastern University.