Vince F. Sykes
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Fearless, determined and always prepared to represent the aggrieved.
Attorney Vince Sykes is a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he served on active duty, as an enlisted, and earned several distinguished medals to include Good Conduct Medal and Overseas Tour of Duty.
Following military service, Vince obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering (B.S.E.E.) from SUNY, Stony Brook, NY; a Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Pepperdine University, CA.; and a Juris Doctorate Degree (J.D.), Cum Laude, from Pace Law School, NY.
Vince’s career spans engineering positions in Silicon Valley where he worked for high-tech companies such as Cisco Systems, Bay Networks, Alcatel-Lucent, and various technology start-ups. Vince was a member of the Alcatel-Lucent team that designed and developed AT&T’s 4G cellular network.
Born in Washington DC to diplomat parents but a citizen of Ghana, Vince grew up in various countries to include Moscow, London and Ghana. His multicultural background is reflected in his work as an attorney. While engineering was Vince's childhood passion, he developed a deeper appreciation for criminal justice and civil rights after relocating to the United States.
Law was a logical next step, which today allows Vince to confront social injustices and disparities within our criminal justice system. As a victims' advocate--civil rights, personal injury--Vince will go to the edge of the law to right wrongs and fight vigorously for the underdog.
- Civil Rights
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Discrimination, Employment, Police Misconduct
- Employment Law
- Employment Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Whistleblower, Wrongful Termination
- Personal Injury
- Animal & Dog Bites, Car Accidents, Construction Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Premises Liability, Truck Accidents, Wrongful Death
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Free Consultation
Free consultation on any case, up to 1 hour. - Credit Cards Accepted
- Contingent Fees
- New York
- New York State Office of Court Administration
- ID Number: 4974275
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- 2nd Circuit
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- U.S. Court of International Trade
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- U.S. Supreme Court
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- English: Spoken, Written
- Spanish: Spoken, Written
- Founder/Partner
- Sykes & Associates Law Firm
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- Launched my own law practice right after graduating from law school. Heavy focus on criminal defense and immigration defense. I have conducted over 10 jury trials, and 100s of federal immigration defense trials. My practice has evolved over the years, to civil rights litigation, particularly police brutality and excessive force cases, race discrimination and employment discrimination cases. I am admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States, Court of International Trade, New York Southern District and Eastern District Courts.
- Elisabeth Haub School of Law - Pace University
- J.D. | Law
- Honors: Cum Laude
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- Pepperdine University
- MBA (2002) | Masters of Business Administration
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- State University of New York - Stony Brook
- B.S. | Electrical Engineering
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- Good Conduct Medal
- U.S. Air Force
- New York State Bar Association
- Current
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- Westchester County Bar Association
- Current
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- Federal Bar Association
- Current
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Race Discrimination Case
- Q. Respondent missed deadline for amended complaint response; next steps for default judgment?
- A: Have you been able to contact the opposing party? I know the litigation is adversarial, but a courtesy call to see what's going on may save you a lot of time and unnecessary stress. You can always file for a default (if the procedural facts so dictate), the question is whether the default stands or gets vacated for some yet unknown reason with the opposing party.
You should consult with an attorney.
- Q. I want to rescind my sponsor of my sister's I130 petition. It was approved and sent to NVC. What is the process?
- A: The I-130 is step 1 of a multi-phase process. The I-130 in essence simply validates the legal sibling relationship between you and your sister--that you and your sister are indeed sisters--and nothing more. If you do nothing further, NVC will eventually cancel out the process; if no activity after 1 year.
The I-864 can't exist by itself. If you cancel out the I-130 there's no effect to the I-864. Yes, another family member or friend can become a joint sponsor on the I-864, but again, if I-130 goes away (rescind, revoked, denied, inactive, canceled, etc.) then the I-864 becomes meaningless.
- Q. Can an asylum applicant (who has SSN and Employment Authorization because of it) legally buy a gun?
- A: You need to get a permit; whether you can legally purchase or not. Work permit and SS number don’t confer you status. In fact you have no status, but perhaps refugee seeking to remain in the US. And any weapons offense could negatively impact your asylum application.
