Photo courtesy of Holland & Knight
The Best Lawyers in America has named Leon Fresco, Beta Pi ’97, as one of the best lawyers in the field of immigration law for the years 2020-2023.
Prior to receiving his latest honor, brother Fresco has received many other honors and awards during his years of law practice. These include, but are not limited to, being named South Florida’s Most Effective Pro Bono Lawyer by the Daily Business Review for the years 2006 to 2009, Immigration Trailblazer by the National Law Journal in 2018, and one of Washington, D.C.’s most prominent lawyers in Super Lawyers magazine in 2020.
At Penn, Leon was a member of the new member group that brought Pi Kappa Alpha back to the University and the chapter house at 3916 Spruce Street. He was very active with the chapter and served as President of Beta Pi. After graduating from Penn, he attended Yale Law School. After law school, brother Fresco was a law clerk to the Hon. Daniel T. K. Hurley of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and was associated with the prominent national law firm of Holland & Knight LLC.
He then served as staff director for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee. In this capacity, he was a major advisor to the Subcommittee’s chairman, New York Senator Chuck Schumer. He advised Senator Schumer on matters relating to immigration law, refugees, and border security. He was a direct contributor to drafting legislation, including the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, the James Zagroda 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act, and the Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Act.
Following his stint with Senator Schumer, brother Fresco was the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Immigration Litigation. In this position, he was responsible for all Federal civil immigration litigation that included involvement of the Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of State. He was supervising more than 350 attorneys handling almost 10,000 cases per year.
After his departure from government service, brother Fresco rejoined Holland & Knight, as a partner, where he has represented businesses, universities, and individuals, in matters that his expertise and experience in immigration law prove useful. He is a frequent commentator on the Bloomberg Law Podcast regarding immigration matters and has been an adjunct professor at the George Washington University Law School and the American University, Washington College of Law.
Congratulations to brother Fresco in a most distinguished and accomplished career.
