Brigagliano, Christine

Christine Brigagliano, a partner in the San Francisco law firm Van Der Hout, Brigagliano, and Nightingale, LLP, is a 1982 graduate of Hastings College of the Law. A California State Bar Certified Specialist in Immigration Law since 1989, she focuses her practice on representing employers and employees in employment-based immigration applications and petitions, as well as individuals in applications for immigrant and non-immigrant visas, naturalization, and asylum.

Prior to joining the firm in 1989, she served as Immigration Project Director for the CRLA Foundation and filled staff attorney positions with the Child Care Law Center and the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

Christine is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA); she has spoken on a variety of topics at numerous state and national CLE conferences and has served as District Director Liaison and Chapter Chair for AILA's Northern California Chapter. From 2004 to 2007, she was a member of the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization Immigration and Nationality Law Advisory Commission; currently she serves as chair of the Board of Directors for Survivor's International, a non-profit organization providing support services for survivors of torture. She is also a member of the National Lawyer's Guild Immigration Project and was honored by that group in October 2006 for her long term advocacy on behalf of immigrants.

Christine has been recognized for each of the past eight years by San Jose Magazine as one of Silicon Valley's top immigration attorneys, has been noted a Northern California Super Lawyer by San Francisco Magazine, and is AV rated in Martindale Hubbell. She has also has been elected for inclusion in The International Who's Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers for the last two years. In a former life, Ms. Brigagliano, who graduated from Smith College and earned a Master's degree from Antioch College, taught middle and high school in Vermont and California.