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Despite the wreckage that is the Washington Nationals baseball season, everyone can agree that Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo pulled off an enormous coup when he signed Max Scherzer.  Everywhere, we are reminded that BR pulled off a steal when we landed Patrick Taurel. Not a week goes by when someone does not say, “You got Patrick!”  And it is true: we got Patrick and he has been every bit the ace we expected him to be.

Patrick Taurel is an associate attorney.  He joined us from the American Immigration Council, the non-profit advocacy arm of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.  At AIC, he was part of the legal action center, a team of fierce immigration lawyers who litigate and advocate for immigration rights.  He became a nationally recognized expert on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).  Patrick authored practice advisories for AIC that lawyers around the country used to help their clients get DACA.  He also provided legal support for the arguments made to the administration that led to the relaxation of DACA criteria so that more people could apply.  DACA was not the only form of prosecutorial discretion Patrick in which established his expertise.  Patrick authored advisories about the use of prosecutorial discretion in a wide variety of settings, providing strategies for lawyers to advocate more fully for their clients.

Prior to joining the Council, Patrick worked as an associate attorney for FOBR Maria Andrade in Boise, Idaho, working on family based immigration, deportation defense and federal litigation.  Patrick attended Brown University and Brooklyn Law School.  A native of Brazil, Patrick speaks Portuguese, Spanish and can order wine in French and Italian.

Food Truck Friday

Patrick has made himself right at home at Benach Collopy by suing the government, attending AILA’s citizenship day events, and leading the charge on food truck Friday.  Between his take no prisoners approach to immigrant rights and his appreciation of a fine taco, Patrick can look forward to a long career at BR.