Leon Fresco practices in the areas of immigration, nationality, and consular law and general commercial litigation. His experience includes successfully representing hundreds of clients before the United States Courts of Appeals, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the Administrative Appeals Office of the Department of Homeland Security. He has also represented clients in the various district and regional offices of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. He has expertise in advising businesses on compliance with employment eligibility verification procedures and visa-related aspects of corporate transactions, as well as representing immigrants to obtain employment-based avenues for immigration into the United States.
Mr. Fresco is a transitioned Chesterfield Smith Fellow with Holland & Knight's Community Services Team. In that capacity, he worked almost exclusively on pro bono matters, focusing on immigration and civil rights litigation.
In the community, Mr. Fresco is a Leadership Miami Graduate, is a Board Member of the Miami Human Services Coalition, and assists the Florida Immigration Advocacy Center in various pro bono immigration matters.
Prior to joining Holland and Knight, Mr. Fresco served as a law clerk to the Honorable Daniel T.K. Hurley of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Mr. Fresco also served as an investment banker for Deutsche Bank in New York and Frankfurt, Germany.
While at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Fresco received phi beta kappa honors and was elected by the Economics Department as the recipient of the Simon Kuznets Fellowship Award. This award is given to the most distinguished undergraduate economics major at the University of Pennsylvania. While at Yale Law School, he served as head of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization's Board of Student Directors and received the Charles G. Albom Prize for excellence in the areas of judicial and appellate advocacy in connection with a law school clinical program.
Mr. Fresco is a recipient of a Public Policy and International Affairs fellowship and is an adjunct professor of legal writing and appellate advocacy at the Florida International University College of Law.
Significant Litigation
Ruano v. Attorney General, 159 Fed. Appx. 165 (11th Cir. Dec. 21, 2005) - Mr. Fresco successfully argued for the vacatur of an order denying asylum for a Colombian political dissident.
Hodge vs. Chertoff, et.al, 4:05-cv-458-MP/AK (N.D. Fla. March 14, 2006); Weaver v. Chertoff, 4:05-cv-504-MP/WCS - Mr. Fresco successfully obtained habeas corpus relief for indefinite immigrant detainees held at the Wakulla County Detention Facility.
J.M. v. Redman, et al, 8:06-cv-401-RAL/TBM (M.D. Fla. May 11, 2006) - Mr. Fresco successfully obtained mandamus relief for a Haitian orphan allowing him to obtain lawful permanent residency in the United States.
Mayor v. Chertoff, et al, 1:06-cv-21831-JEM (S.D. Fla.) - Mr. Fresco filed a class action complaint for mandamus relief which resulted in the ability of hundreds of Cuban refugees to receive timely employment authorization documents from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
In re J.A.G.; In re A.D.; Mr. Fresco successfully argued appeals before the Administrative Appeals Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in order to ensure that Special Immigrant Juvenile Status is Available to Noncitizens Between the Ages of 18-21 who Petition for SIJ Status Pursuant to Florida's New Dependency Laws.
Matter of Perez-Quintanilla - Obtained system wide relief from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to ensure that legal barriers to obtaining Special Immigration Juvenile Status that were created by the Miami District Office were overturned on appeal.
Oshodi v. Attorney General - Case No. 06-74970 (9th Cir. Dec. 10, 2007) - Mr. Fresco successfully argued for the vacatur of an order denying withholding of removal relief for a Nigerian political dissident.