Christine Brigagliano

Christine Brigagliano, Of Counsel to the firm, is a retired founding partner.  A 1982 graduate of Hastings College of the Law, she is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Immigration Law who has focused 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, waivers, naturalization, and asylum.

Christine is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).  She has spoken at numerous state and national CLE conferences and has served as District Director Liaison and Chapter Chair for AILA's Northern California Chapter.  From 2004-2007, she was appointed to the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization Immigration and Nationality Law Advisory Commission.  In addition, she has served in a volunteer capacity on the Board of Directors for Survivor's International, a non-profit organization providing support services for survivors of torture and the Board of Directors for Equal Rights Advocates, a non-profit organization advocating for the legal rights of women, She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the CRLA Foundation and is a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Immigration Task Force.   Christine has been recognized for each of the past nine 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  been elected for inclusion in The International Who's Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers for the last three years.  Prior to joining the Law Offices of Marc Van Der Hout in 1989 and jointly founding the firm in 1995, 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 earned a BA in sociology from Smith College, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Antioch College and taught middle and high school in Vermont and California prior to attending law school.