Mr. Petyk, a child of World War II refuges, was born and raised in Philadelphia where he graduated from Central High School (227) and earned his B.A. degree in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1986, he earned a JD from Northeastern University Law School in Boston. Following 8 years in private practice, Mr. Petyk joined the Office of the General Counsel at the University of Pennsylvania where for 27 years he served as Associate General Counsel and was UPenn’s transactional attorney responsible for major commercial contracts, particularly in regard to real estate, construction and energy matters. Mr. Petyk is a founding member of the Higher Education Real Estate Lawyers organization (HEREL). From 2003 through 2017, he chaired the HEREL Steering Committee and served as convener for HEREL’s annual conferences, including the organization’s inaugural conference at UPenn in 2003, and then again in 2014 and 2017. Mr. Petyk is heavily engaged with the region’s Ukrainian-American community. Since 2014 he has been Board Chair at Ukrainian Selfreliance Federal Credit Union (“UKRFCU”) a 12,000 member, $415,000,000 institution with 5 branches in the region. He also chairs the Ukrainian Community Foundation of Philadelphia (UCFP) – a charity established and largely funded by the Credit Union. UKRFCU and UCFP share a dual vision of enabling its members to achieve financial security while also supporting the institutions that promote the social cohesion of the local Ukrainian-American Community. Mr. Petyk actively promotes his community’s political engagement through political fundraising and direct advocacy in Washington, DC and locally.

Mr. Murphy has been involved with Immigration matters since 1993. He is a member of AILA and the Chester County, Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations. He was an adjunct professor at The Beasley School of Law, Temple University. He is a frequent lecturer on immigration matters. Ted has been on the faculty at the National AILA Conference, several state-wide CLE presentations as a faculty member for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and many CLE presentations with the Philadelphia AILA Chapter. He conducts multiple CLE presentations regularly in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Ted is an active member and Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Immigration Committee and Chair of the Chester County Bar Association Immigration Section. Mr. Murphy began his legal career as a solo attorney, winning a number of notable matters before joining the former INS as a trial attorney at the detention facility in York, Pennsylvania. He served with the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security from May 1997 until October 2007. During this time, he worked as an assistant Chief Counsel, advisor to the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Philadelphia, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney at U.S. Attorney Office in Philadelphia, and as a member of the ICE National Security Law Division in Washington, D.C. Mr. Murphy is a former paratrooper who served in the 82nd Airborne Division.

Before joining Immigration Law Options as Of Counsel, Judith Bernstein-Baker, M.S.W., Esq., was Executive Director of HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) PA, a non-profit agency providing legal, resettlement, social, and support services to immigrants and refugees, for over 18 years. She specializes in the representation of vulnerable populations such as asylum seekers, juveniles, and victims of interpersonal violence and crime. Ms. Bernstein-Baker was the founding Director of the Public Service Program at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and was named Honorary Fellow of Penn Law School. Recent awards include the Philadelphia Chapter of the Immigration Immigration Lawyers’ Association Pro Bono Award (2022);  American Immigration Lawyers Service Award (2017); the inaugural Pennsylvania Bar Pro Bono Award (2015); the Philadelphia Bar Foundation Award (2013); and awards for community service and advocacy from the African Family Health Organization and Pennsylvania Resettlement Program, as well as the Philadelphia Human Relations Commission Award and the Equal Justice Award from Community Legal Services. In April, 2017, by resolution, Ms. Bernstein-Baker was recognized by Philadelphia City Council for her efforts on behalf of immigrants and refugees. Ms. Bernstein-Baker teaches immigration law and policy at Philadelphia Community College, Chestnut Hill College and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Temple. She co-authored the text, Understanding Immigration Law and Practice, and is an active member of AILA, serving as Co-chair of Philadelphia AILA’s Pro Bono Committee. As a community member, Ms. Bernstein-Baker co-chairs the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Committee at her synagogue, Mishkan Shalom, and serves as a resource to members of the Northwest Philadelphia area concerned about immigration.