Samantha Topper Berns

Samantha Topper Berns has served as an Associate Attorney at Papagikos Law since 2023, providing counsel and representation on employment and family-based immigrant visa petitions, applications for U.S. lawful permanent residence, and all categories of nonimmigrant visa petitions.

Education. Ms. Berns graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 2022. While attending law school, Ms. Berns served on the school’s International & Comparative Law Review, which published her student note on the regulatory framework enabling the fast-tracking of COVID-19 vaccines in its spring 2022 issue. Additionally, she won the Litigation Skills Adjunct Faculty Scholarship Award in 2021 for demonstrating excellence in advocacy, professionalism, and civility during her Litigation Skills course, a practical course culminating in a mock trial. In 2020, she had the distinction of interning for the Honorable Judge Robin Rosenbaum of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Legal philosophy. Ms. Berns dedicates herself to pursuits that provide help to those in need, whether offering pro bono services to indigent clients or going above and beyond to ensure her clients’ petitions are approved. She knows that each and every one of her immigration clients is simply hoping to lead a better life in the United States, full of opportunities for themselves and their families. Navigating the complicated and constantly changing landscape of immigration law is no simple feat, and it fills her with joy to spend her days assisting clients in successfully petitioning to live in the United States so they can fulfill their dreams. Papagikos Law helps clients achieve business success, find opportunities, escape hardship, and reunite with their families. Ms. Berns is proud to have begun her career in immigration law at such an upstanding firm.

Nonprofit experience. Although she always sought to find fulfillment in helping others, Ms. Berns was not always intent on pursuing a career in law—despite the insistence of her family and friends (or perhaps in spite of it). After graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in 2016, Ms. Berns ventured into the nonprofit world before eventually giving in to her natural argumentative side. She spent three years working for JAFCO (Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options), where her role in event planning and fundraising allowed her to help support abused and neglected children as well as children with developmental disabilities and their families. She continues to support JAFCO to this day, as well as other local Jewish nonprofits and charitable children’s organizations.

Bar Admission

Florida (2022)

Professional Affiliations

Florida Bar
American Immigration Lawyers Association

Education

Juris Doctor, cum laude, University of Miami School of Law
Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, Brandeis University