Practices

Immigration, Nationality and Consular Law
Litigation
Pro Bono - Community Services Team
Public Policy & Regulation

Education

City University of NY School of Law, J.D.
Sarah Lawrence College, B.A., Liberal Arts

Bar Admissions

North Dakota
District of Columbia

Languages

Spanish
French

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Christopher Nugent

Senior Counsel
Washington
t: 202-419-2428

Chris Nugent works as a Senior Counsel with the Community Services Team of Holland & Knight LLP in Washington, D.C. He is responsible for developing cutting-edge immigration-related pro-bono projects and trainings for firm offices and undertaking complex domestic and international casework involving immigration and public policy.

Mr. Nugent has over two decades of experience in immigration law and policy including his previous tenure as a Director of the ABA Commission on Immigration Policy, Practice and Pro Bono; Executive Director of the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (Florence, Arizona) serving immigration detainees; and an National Association for Public Interest Law Equal Justice Fellow working with Mexican and Guatemalan indigenous farmworkers in California in community development projects.

Mr. Nugent has written and lectured extensively about immigration policy and practice issues.

Professional Honors & Awards

  • Daniel Levy Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Immigration Law, Sponsored by LexisNexis and Matthew Bender, 2004
  • Pro Bono Publico Award, Legal Aid Society of New York, 2005
  • Pro Bono Award, Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, 2005
  • Pro Bono Award, Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, 2007
  • Pro Bono Award, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Washington, D.C., Chapter, 2005
  • Pro Bono Award, American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2005
  • Harmony Award from the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C., 2005
  • Pro Bono Publico Award, Legal Aid Society of New York, 2007
  • Outstanding Dedication and Commitment to Immigrants and Refugees, National Immigration Law Center, 2007
  • Rock the Law Award, Jewish Foundation of Group Homes, Washington D.C., 2008
  • The Legal Aid Society's Pro Bono Award, New York, New York, 2008

Memberships

  • American Bar Association, Co-Chair, Rights of Immigrants of Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association, Member of Pro Bono, GLBT and Family Law Committees
  • National Immigration Forum, Board of Directors
  • Just Neighbors Ministry, Advisory Committee

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Appeals Courts, Fourth Circuit
  • Executive Office for Immigration Review
  • Board of Immigration Appeals

Speaking Engagements

  • Pro Bono for Detained Aliens, Department of Justice Legal Orientation Program Conference, South Padre Island, Texas, November 2006
  • Representing GLBT Asylum Seekers, LGBT Rights as International Human Rights, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, Vermont, October 2006
  • 110th Congress and Unaccompanied Children, 2nd Annual Conference for Unaccompanied Children, Miami, Florida, May 2006
  • Advocating for Health Care as a Human Right: Health Care in Prison and Detention, American Bar Association Mid-Year Conference, Chicago, Illinois, February 2006
  • Forecast for the “No Match” Perfect Storm: the Looming Crackdown on Immigrants and Employers, American Bar Association Individual Rights and Responsibilities National Teleconference , January 2007
  • Immigration Law's Impact on Florida Businesses, Florida TaxWatch Conference, “Florida’s Tipping Point: Balancing Physical and Economic Security – Post 9-11”, Tampa, Florida, February 2007
  • What Immigration Reform Means for You and Your Clients, National Immigration Forum Panel, Washington, D.C., February 2007
  • Child Clients Are Different: Best Practices for Representing Unaccompanied Minors, The American Bar Association Children’s Rights Litigation Committee of the Section of Litigation, Commission on Immigration, and the ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education National Teleconference, March 2007
  • GLBT HIV Immigration Issues, George Washington School of Law 2007 Human Rights Conference, Washington, D.C., March 2007
  • How Immigration Reform Could Impact Human Resources and your Company, National Multi Housing Council Human Resources Forum, St. Louis, Missouri, March 2007
  • The Immigrant Narrative: Day to Day Struggles of Legal and Illegal Immigants, Working in Public Interest Law Conference, University of Georgia School of Law, Athens, Georgia, March 2007
  • The Other Elians: Towards Redressing the Plight of Unaccompanied Refugee and Immigrant Children, American Bar Association 12th National Conference on Children and the Law, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, April 2007
  • Pro Bono for Unaccompanied Children, Vera Institute for Justice, San Francisco, California, June 2007
  • Representing GLBT HIV+ Asylum-Seekers, American Immigration Lawyers Association Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida, June 2007
  • Immigration Legislation Update, District of Columbia Bar Association Panel, Washington D.C., July 2007
  • Trafficking Issues: Trafficked Children Identification, Process, and Immigration Relief, Division of Unaccompanied Children's Services 2007 Annual Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona, August 2007
  • An Update on Trends in Sexual Orientation, HIV/AIDs and Children’s Asylum Claims, Rocky Mountain Survivors Center Asylum Law Breakfast, Denver, Colorado, August 2007
  • GLBT Immigration Issues, D.C. Pride At Work, Washington, D.C., September 2007
  • The Use of Media in Human Rights Litigation and Advocacy, Washington College of Law at American University, Washington, D.C., , September 2007
  • Testimony on the plight of unaccompanied alien children, Inter American Human Rights Commission of the Organization of American States, Washington, D.C., October 2007
  • Advocating for LGBT Latinos -- A Primer on LGBT Law, 2007 Hispanic National Bar Association Annual Convention, San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 2007
  • The Plight of Unaccompanied Children, Georgetown Center for Migration Studies, Washington, D.C., November 2007
  • Testimony before the United States House of Representatives Immigration Subcommittee on the Save America Comprehensive Immigration Act of 2007, Washington, D.C., November 2007
  • The Plight of Unaccompanied Alien Children, Keeping Perspective and Challenging Perceptions Conference for the Migrant Network Coalition, Lexington, Kentucky, November 2007
  • Path to Public Interest Careers: How to Make Your Way, Keynote Speaker, The George Washington University Law School, 5th Annual DC Area Law Schools Public Interest Retreat, Washington, DC, March 2008
  • International Women's Day Celebration, Pangea Artisan Market & Cafe, Washington, DC, March 2008
  • ABA Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, Immigration Enforcement and Reform in an Election Year, Election Year Summit, Washington, DC, April 2008
  • Immigration in the 21st Century: Perspectives on Law and Policy, University of Richmond Law Review and The International Law Society, 2008 Allen Chair Symposium, Richmond, VA, April 2008
  • The Iraqi Refugee Crisis: Law, Policy and Practice, Villanova University School of Law, Second Annual Matthew J. Ryan Law and Public Policy Forum, Villanova, PA, April 2008
  • Children Without a State: A Human Rights Challenge, Harvard University Committee on Human Rights Studies, Cambridge, MA, May 4-5, 2008
  • Presentation with Daoud Hari, a Darfurian Refugee regarding his book, The Translator, theguardian Hay Festival, Wales, UK, May 31, 2008
  • Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Regional Project for Europe, Department of State, International Visitor Leadership Program, Washington, DC, June 4, 2008
  • Testimony Before the Commision on Security and Cooperation in Europe, U.S. House of Representatives Hearing on the Forgotten: Iraqi Allies Failed by the U.S., June 11, 2008
  • Federation Internationale des Ligues de droits de l'Homme International Seminar on Migrants' Civil Rights, June 16-18, 2008, Mexico City, Mexico
  • Protecting the Rights of Children Across Borders: A Funders' Briefing, Ford Foundation, June 2008, New York, New York
  • Options for LGBT Couples to Remain in the U.S. and Elsewhere, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Vancouver, Canada, June 2008
  • Enforcing Immigrants' Rights in Detention ABA Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, August 7, 2008, New York, NY
  • Immigrant Children's Remedies Office of the Maryland Public Defenders Conference, Ocean City, MD, September, 2008
  • Repatriation and Reintegration of Unaccompanied Children, Crossing Borders, Connecting Families-International Social Work in the 21st Century The Arthur C. Helton Institute for the Study of International Social Service, ISS-USA, Baltimore, MD, September 2008

Published Articles & Books

  • "Bisnow on Business," Bisnow on Business: Legal, July 2008
  • "'Eliot Ness of Iraq' Wins Asylum," ABA Journal, July 2008
  • "Border Patrol segrega a menores mexicanos," Excelsior, July 2008
  • "The Forgotten," ABA Journal, July 2008
  • "Discriminan a migrantes," Reforma Nacional, June 18, 2008
  • "New EOIR Guidelines Offer More Pro Bono Incentives," Immigration Law Today, May/June 2008
  • "Children of the State," The Texas Observer, May 2008
  • "Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: An Ideal Path to Permanency for Vulnerable, Undocumented, Neglected or Abandoned Youth," The National CASA Association - Judges' Page, April 2008
  • "Landmark Legislation Strengthens Federal Freedom of Information Act," Media and Communications, Newsletter - April/May 2008
  • "One by One by One': 100 Attorneys Aid Effort to Resettle Iraqis at Peril for Helping U.S. Government," The New York Law Journal, December 21, 2007
  • "Families split up by the system: Immigrant kids' arrests often put law, duty to families at odds," Spokane Herald, November 30, 2007
  • "Immigration reform bill tests House committee waters," Medill Reports, November 11, 2007
  • "An Iraqi 'Eliot Ness' Out in the Cold," The Nation, September 20, 2007
  • "Children in limbo: After dire path to U.S., unaccompanied immigrant kids wait in shelter while awaiting their fate," The Austin American-Statesman , September 3, 2007
  • "String Of Strangers Give One Man New Chance," The Hartford Courant, August 19, 2007
  • "Aussie back home on U.S. soil," The Rapid City Journal, August 16, 2007
  • "Taking On The Tough Cases: Holland & Knight's Community Services Team (interview)," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, August 2007
  • "Some Immigration Bill Aim for Little Victories," The Washington Post, July 30, 2007
  • "A Chance to Make Henry Sunday's Day," The Hartford Courant, July 17, 2007
  • "Displaced, Imprisoned Darfurian Refugee Daoud Ibarahaem Hari On His Return to Darfur to Help Expose the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis," Democracy Now , May 15, 2007
  • "A Tale of Horror and Hope," The Star-Ledger, May 06, 2007
  • "The Common Good: D.C. Firm Lobbies for Survival," The Legal Times, April 30, 2007
  • "Spotlight: Chris Nugent '96: Immigration Visionary," CUNY Law , Spring 2007
  • "As immigration raids rise, human toll decried: Arrests across US break up families," The Boston Globe, March 20, 2007
  • "Missing in America: 8,000 Immigrant Children," The Examiner, February 01, 2007
  • "Immigration: Past, Present and Future," January 2007
  • "Since 9/11, Blind Eye to Persecution," Gay City News, January 11, 2007
  • "Battling Deportation Often a Solitary Journey," The Washington Post, January 08, 2007
  • "African Journalist Wins the Right to FOIA Discovery From U.S. Army," Media and Communications, Newsletter - January/February 2007
  • "123 Hours," University of California Davis Journal of Juvenile Law and Public Policy, Winter 2006
  • "Leadership Profile: Christopher Nugent," IRR News Report, Winter 2006
  • "Things Fall Apart: 2006 in Legislation," Los Angeles County Bar Association Immigration Section Newsletter, Fall 2006
  • "Towards Balancing a New Immigration and Nationality Act: Enhanced Immigration Enforcement and Fair, Humane and Cost-Effective Treatment of Aliens," University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class, Spring 2006
  • "Whose Children Are These? Towards Ensuring The Best Interests and Empowerment of Unaccompanied Alien Children," Boston University Public Interest Law Journal, Spring 2006
  • "The Asylum Wars," The American Lawyer, February 2006
  • "Protecting Unaccompanied Immigrant and Refugee Children in the United States," Human Rights Magazine (American Bar Association), Winter 2005
  • "Light in the Harbor: Holland & Knight is a Beacon for Gays Seeking Asylum," The Recorder, November 28, 2005
  • "No Deportation without Representation: The Right to Appointed Counsel in the Immigration Context," Immigration Briefings, October 2005
  • "Escaping Abuse Overseas," The Advocate, May 24, 2005
  • "Finding Safe Harbor: law firm recognized for helping LGBT asylum seekers," Metroweekly, May 19, 2005
  • "Lawyers using pro bono work to aid immigrants," Washington Business Journal, March 4, 2005