Cecil C. Harrigan is a partner in the Washington, DC law firm of Harrigan & Hanten, PC. He has been engaged in the private practice of law since 1984, representing individuals, nonprofit organizations and businesses in organization development, administrative proceedings, and trial and appellate litigation. His area of practice is immigration.
He is a skilled litigator in the defense against removal of criminal aliens and in the presentation of persecution and torture claims in U.S. immigration court proceedings involving nationals from over 30 countries. He is also known for his thorough and tireless efforts to win hardship waivers and other types of relief, to enable his clients to be allowed to safely stay in the U.S. He advises criminal attorneys on immigration consequences and has extensive experience representing individuals detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He also represents clients on humanitarian and family based immigration matters before the U.S. immigration courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and U.S. Consulates overseas.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Harrigan clerked for a federal judge and served for a number of years as the Deputy Director of the District of Columbia Humanities Council and as Director of Spanish Educational Development (SED) Center, a multi-faceted social services center for immigrants. Mr. Harrigan has conducted frequent seminars and provided training in immigration law and practice under the auspices of the District of Columbia Bar Association, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He continues to participate in lectures and seminars in immigration law throughout the United States. He is fluent in Spanish.
