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

  • The Legal Aid Society's Pro Bono Award, New York, New York, 2008
  • Rock the Law Award, Jewish Foundation of Group Homes, Washington D.C., 2008
  • Honoree in Ripples of Hope, Currents of Justice, Equal Justice Works, Washington, D.C., 2008
  • Pro Bono Award, Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, 2007
  • Pro Bono Publico Award, Legal Aid Society of New York, 2007
  • Outstanding Dedication and Commitment to Immigrants and Refugees, National Immigration Law Center, 2007
  • 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, 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
  • Daniel Levy Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Immigration Law, Sponsored by LexisNexis and Matthew Bender, 2004
  • National Law Journal Pro Bono Award for our Iraqi refugee

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 Court, Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Appeals Court, Ninth Circuit
  • Executive Office for Immigration Review
  • Board of Immigration Appeals
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Speaking Engagements

  • Pro Bono for Detained Aliens, Department of Justice Legal Orientation Program, Annapolis, MD, April 27-29, 2009
  • 2009 Hiram H. Lesar Lecture on the Iraqi refugee crisis, Southern Illinois University School of Law, Carbondale, IL, March 2009
  • Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Multi-Regional Project for 21 Countries, Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program, Washington, D.C., February 20, 2009
  • Immigration, Child Welfare and Borders, Migration and Child Welfare National Network hosted by American Humane, San Antonio, Texas, January, 2009
  • Pro Bono for Unaccompanied Children, Vera Institute for Justice, Phoenix, Arizona, November, 2008
  • Custody, Capacity, and Representation, Conference on Protection of Unaccompanied and Separated Children, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, October. 2008
  • Protecting the Integrity of Immigration Proceedings: Enhancement of Agency Pro Bono, Attorney Discipline, and Anti-Fraud Programs, American Bar Association Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, Washington, D.C., October, 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
  • Immigrant Children's Remedies, Office of the Maryland Public Defenders Conference, Ocean City, MD, September, 2008
  • Enforcing Immigrants' Rights in Detention, ABA Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, New York, NY, August 7, 2008
  • Options for LGBT Couples to Remain in the U.S. and Elsewhere, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Vancouver, Canada, June 2008
  • Protecting the Rights of Children Across Borders: A Funders' Briefing, Ford Foundation, New York, NY, June, 2008
  • Federation Internationale des Ligues de droits de l'Homme, International Seminar on Migrants' Civil Rights, Mexico City, Mexico, June 16-18, 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
  • Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Regional Project for Europe, Department of State, International Visitor Leadership Program, Washington, DC, June 4, 2008
  • Presentation with Daoud Hari, a Darfurian Refugee regarding his book, The Translator, theguardian Hay Festival, Wales, UK, May 31, 2008
  • Children Without a State: A Human Rights Challenge, Harvard University Committee on Human Rights Studies, Cambridge, MA, May 4-5, 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
  • ABA Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, Immigration Enforcement and Reform in an Election Year, Election Year Summit, Washington, DC, April, 2008
  • International Women's Day Celebration, Pangea Artisan Market & Cafe, Washington, DC, March, 2008
  • 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
  • Advocating for LGBT Latinos -- A Primer on LGBT Law, 2007 Hispanic National Bar Association Annual Convention, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 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 Children, Georgetown Center for Migration Studies, 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
  • Testimony on the plight of unaccompanied alien children, Inter American Human Rights Commission of the Organization of American States, Washington, D.C., October, 2007
  • The Use of Media in Human Rights Litigation and Advocacy, Washington College of Law at American University, Washington, D.C., , September, 2007
  • GLBT Immigration Issues, D.C. Pride At Work, Washington, D.C., September, 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
  • Trafficking Issues: Trafficked Children Identification, Process, and Immigration Relief, Division of Unaccompanied Children's Services 2007 Annual Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona, August, 2007
  • Immigration Legislation Update, District of Columbia Bar Association Panel, Washington D.C., July, 2007
  • Representing GLBT HIV+ Asylum-Seekers, American Immigration Lawyers Association Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida, June, 2007
  • Pro Bono for Unaccompanied Children, Vera Institute for Justice, San Francisco, California, June, 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
  • 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
  • How Immigration Reform Could Impact Human Resources and your Company, National Multi Housing Council Human Resources Forum, St. Louis, Missouri, March, 2007
  • GLBT HIV Immigration Issues, George Washington School of Law 2007 Human Rights Conference, Washington, D.C., March, 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
  • What Immigration Reform Means for You and Your Clients, National Immigration Forum Panel, Washington, D.C., February, 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
  • 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
  • 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

Published Articles & Books

  • "Non-citizens face different set of rules even after they are acquitted of a crime," Free Speech Radio News, April 8, 2009
  • "U.S. balks at asylum for gay man: Attorney says client faces 'death' if forced to return to Sierra Leone," The Washington Blade, February 20, 2009
  • "Pourchassé au Sénégal, artiste à New York: Chanteur, dansenur reconnu à Dakar, Pape Mbaye a frôlé la mort dans son pays à cause de son homosexualité. Aujourd'hui il se reconstruit dans l'anonymat de New York," TETU (Paris, France), February 2009
  • "Ensuring Fairness and Due process for Noncitizens in Immigration Proceedings," Rights Magazine (American Bar Association), Winter 2009
  • "Languishing in Syria," Gay City News, October 30, 2008
  • "Coming Out, Weekend America," American Public Media, October 11, 2008
  • "Persecuted in Africa, Finding Refuge in New York," The New York Times, October 2008
  • "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
  • "One man's tale of war: Dr. Osama Al-Salami lost his wife, son and home in Iraq, ," National Catholic Reporter, April 19, 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
  • "A Long Walk from Honduras to Escape Gang Vengeance," CityLimits.org, November 28, 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
  • "Whose Children Are These? Towards Ensuring The Best Interests and Empowerment of Unaccompanied Alien Children," Boston University Public Interest Law Journal, Spring 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
  • "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
  • "Protecting Unaccompanied Immigrant and Refugee Children in the United States," Human Rights Magazine, American Bar Association, December 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