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A prominent Pittsburgh law firm has become embroiled in a controversy over a video posted on the Internet that depicts one of the firm's lawyers explaining how to work around U.S. laws to obtain visas for foreign employees.

The segment highlights portions of a seminar conducted by the Downtown firm of Cohen & Grigsby. The footage, which included an attorney telling participants "our goal is clearly not to find a qualified and interested U.S. worker," quickly became immersed in the national immigration debate, drew the ire of powerful U.S. lawmakers and angered a top Pennsylvania labor official.

"After watching the video, I'm in a state of shock," said Bill George, president of the AFL-CIO in Pennsylvania. "It's a disgrace to the American Bar Association and a disgrace to the American flag that they have stooped this low for greed and money."

Cohen & Grigsby, one of Pittsburgh's largest law firms, on Friday deferred all comment to Elias-Savion Advertising, Public Relations & Interactive. Jeff Donaldson, of the public relations firm, responded by e-mail with a statement from the law firm that it stands by "the substance of our recent Immigration Law Update Seminar."

"We regret the choice of words that was used during a small segment of the seminar. It is unfortunate that these statements have been commandeered and misused, which runs contrary to our intent," the statement said.

Donaldson declined further comment.

Attorneys for Cohen & Grigsby are seen in the video explaining how to abide by laws that require Americans be given top priority for jobs while intending all along to hire immigrants.

Jack Shea, president of the Allegheny County Labor Council, said the video shows "Cohen & Grigsby getting caught with their pants down."

"It's the height of hypocrisy for attorneys who are Americans to do whatever they can do to circumvent the law to try not to hire Americans and do what they can to hire workers with green cards," he said.

At the May 15 seminar, Lawrence Lebowitz, Cohen & Grigsby's vice president of marketing, told the audience: "The goal here of course is to meet the requirements, number one, but also do so as inexpensively as possible, keeping in mind our goal and our goal is clearly not to find a qualified and interested U.S. worker."

"In a sense that sounds funny, but it's what we're trying to do here," Lebowitz said.

In the video, Lebowitz advises attorneys to advertise in newspapers and use recruitment methods that will not attract qualified applicants. Usually, people can be disqualified on the basis of their resumes, he said. Those who appear to be qualified should be called in for an interview, he said.

"Go through the whole process to find a legal basis to disqualify them for this particular position," Jennifer Barton, another Cohen & Grigsby attorney, advised her colleagues. "In most cases that doesn't seem to be a problem."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Rep. Larry Smith, R-Texas, on Thursday sent a letter to Cohen & Grigsby demanding to know how many visa petitions have been filed by the firm in the past five years.

Grassley and Smith wrote: "We would like you to please explain how this practice does not constitute outright discrimination based on nationality and why your firm so blatantly promotes this type of behavior."

The lawmakers also sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao requesting an investigation into the law firm's ethics.

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