Attorney Profiles

Members

Jeffrey M. Lepon – Mr. Lepon represents foreign clients doing business in the United States and U.S. businesses abroad. His areas of practice include export licensing, import regulation, international commercial agreements and disputes and immigration law. He speaks Japanese and was an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Law Center where he taught Japanese law. He has also taught United States commercial law at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. He graduated from both Harvard College and Harvard Law School with honors. He is admitted to the District of Columbia Bar. From 1994 until 2001 Jeff was a Member of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission and the United States-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON) and sat on the Executive Committee. He was formerly a Trustee, Acting President and General Counsel of The Japan-America Society of Washington, Inc. He is also General Counsel to the Japan-America Student Conference, Inc. and represents The National Association of Japan - America Societies, Inc. He was formerly a Director of the United States – Japan Bridging Foundation, Inc. Since 1992 Mr. Lepon has also been an Associate of the Reischauer Institute at Harvard University.
More information about Jeffrey M. Lepon

David A. Holzworth – Mr. Holzworth directs the firm’s litigation practice, which includes general corporate and commercial litigation, arbitrations, alternative dispute resolution, PACA and other proceedings before federal regulatory agencies and NASDQ. The cases handled by the firm usually involve technical regulatory issues and require the development of expert scientific evidence. The firm also represents companies and highly compensated individuals on professional employment disputes, including professional malpractice, and other matters. In addition, Mr. Holzworth represents, and is a registered lobbyist, for domestic and foreign businesses and trade associations involved in the international trade of perishable agricultural commodities. The international representation usually involves close coordination with foreign embassies. He graduated from Williams College (magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellow) and received his J.D. from Stanford University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia and numerous state and federal courts.
More information about David A. Holzworth

Yoshihiro Kato – Mr. Kato is actively engaged in the representation of foreign and domestic clients, primarily in the areas of commercial and contract law. Together with Mr. Holzworth, he serves as counsel to the semiconductor board of the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Association, the Japanese semiconductor industry. He also does substantial work as an international business advisor for Japanese companies doing business in the United States, China and elsewhere. His deep knowledge of the needs and business objectives of the firm's diverse clientele and his representational skills have resulted in the favorable resolution of many matters. Mr. Kato is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York. He received his Bachelor of Law degree from Chuo University in Tokyo, Japan in 1989. He earned his LL.M., Master of Laws degree in International Legal Studies from The American University, Washington College of Law, in 1994. Prior to joining the Firm, he was at the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management (Matsushita Seikei Juku) in Tokyo, Japan.
More information about Yoshihiro Kato

Leslie K. Dellon – Mrs. Dellon leads the firm’s immigration practice. In addition, she also provides general commercial and corporate services work and is involved in the civil litigation practice. Mrs. Dellon’s immigration representation consists primarily of assisting businesses, from small to multinational, in obtaining a variety of visa classifications for workers (nonimmigrant and immigrant). She also assists individuals in obtaining lawful permanent residence in the U.S. (“green” cards) through employment- or family-based classifications. And, she assists individuals in applying for naturalization (U.S. citizenship). She is an honors graduate of both American University and George Washington University National Law Center. She formerly was a trial attorney with the Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch, of the U.S. Department of Justice. She is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland Bars and of several federal courts and was the 2004-2005 President (Chair) of the Washington DC Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
More information about Leslie K. Dellon

Associates

Matthew T. Baskir – Mr. Baskir graduated from the George Washington University Law School and from Duke University where he studied history and public policy. He is a member of the District of Columbia and New York Bars and joined the firm after working in the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the City of New York.
More information about Matthew T. Baskir

Shashikala Warrier  - Ms. Warrier practices solely in immigration law. She provides legal advice to clients for employment based and family based immigration. She obtained her L.L.M. degree in International Legal Studies from The American University, Washington College of Law. She graduated from Hindu College and obtained her LL.B. from the Faculty of Law, Delhi University, India. Before immigrating to the U.S., she worked in law firms in India and gained civil litigation experience filing lawsuits on behalf of corporations and individuals. Ms. Warrier has practiced in the High Court of Delhi and in the lower courts. She is admitted to the New York Bar and the Bar Council of Delhi, India. She is fluent in Hindi and is a native speaker of Malayalam and English.

*Admitted only in New York. Practice restricted to matters before federal immigration courts and agencies.

Of Counsel (currently on leave from Lepon Holzworth & Kato, PLLC)

William M. Berenson – Mr. Berenson is currently on leave from the firm while serving as General Counsel of the Organization of American States. He is also an adjunct professor at American University's Washington College of Law, where since 1984 he has taught a survey course in United States law for foreign lawyers in the LL.M. international legal studies program. Mr. Berenson has worked in both the private and public sectors as a litigator and a legal advisor on a wide range of issues involving, inter alia, tax, labor, corporate, energy, antitrust, development banking, estate planning, contract, real estate, transportation, immigration, trade and public international law. He has also advised on privatization efforts in Latin America. Mr. Berenson is the author of articles on privatization, telecommunications regulation, international banking, and other legal and political subjects. He has also lectured throughout Latin American and the United States on issues related to his practice and teaching, including: the privileges and immunities of public international organizations; the relationship between the United Nations and OAS in peace keeping; technical cooperation for development; the OAS Charter; the OAS and democratic development; privatization; estate taxation and planning, particularly for non-resident aliens; and constitutional law.

During 1972 and 1973, Mr. Berenson lived in Uruguay where he completed research on interest-group politics under a Ford Foundation Foreign Area Fellowship. Since then, Mr. Berenson has traveled on business throughout Latin America and has worked extensively on projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico. In 1997, 2001, and 2004, he was a visiting professor in the Post Graduate Studies in Comparative Law Program of the Law School of the Universidad Central in Caracas, Venezuela, where he taught a survey course in United States law.

Mr. Berenson received his J.D. from Boston University (1978), where he was Note and Case Editor of the Boston University Law Review. He received both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from Vanderbilt University (1972 and 1975) and an A.B from Dartmouth College (1969). He also completed studies in statistics at the University of Michigan in 1970 and was a Research Fellow at the Center for International Studies of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ("MIT") during 1974. From 1990-92, he served as the Chairman of the International Development and Investment Committee of the Federal Bar Association. In 1982, Mr. Berenson was elected president of AYUDA, Inc., the non-profit bilingual legal services agency in the District of Columbia, where he served as a board member for many years. He is admitted to the practice of law in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Massachusetts.

Professional Staff

Yasuyo Tadokoro – Ms. Tadokoro is an International Trade Analyst with the Firm. Her responsibilities include monitoring the U.S. Congress and the Administration in the areas of international trade and investment and assisting the Firm's members and associates in their research. Before joining the Firm, Yasuyo worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Rwanda Mission as a project manager in its Agricultural Development Office. She also worked for the Washington Office of Nomura Research Institute (America), Inc. as a research associate. Yasuyo received an M.A. in Journalism from W. Page Pitt School of Journalism, Marshall University and a B.A. from Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo. She was born in Japan and is fluent in Japanese. Ms. Tadokoro is not admitted to any Bar.

Elizabeth Eaton – Ms. Eaton is fluent in Spanish and works as an administrative assistant to Mr. Holzworth on matters involving Chilean and Spanish clients and for other members of the firm for Central and South American clients. She also supports the litigation practice.