Founding Attorney William M. Cavanaugh is based in our North Florida office in Jacksonville, FL and oversees both the Jacksonville and Boca Raton offices. He is Board Certified by The Florida Bar as an expert in U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law. Mr. Cavanaugh was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2005 and has concentrated his law practice exclusively on U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law and advocating on behalf of foreign nationals since 2006. He has extensive experience representing clients throughout the U.S. before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Executive Office for Immigration Review (Immigration Courts), Board of Immigration Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the Department of State and Department of Labor.

Mr. Cavanaugh received his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Florida State University in December 1999, and received his J.D. from Nova Southeastern University Law Center in 2004. Since being admitted to the Florida Bar, he has dedicated his legal career to the practice of U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law. He has handled a wide variety of complex cases and his extensive experience gained from years of practicing U.S. immigration law has enabled him to effectively defend non-citizens in removal proceedings, reopen orders of removal, apply for waivers of inadmissibility, and help foreign nationals to become naturalized U.S. citizens.

Mr. Cavanaugh is licensed by the Florida Bar and is authorized to practice nationwide before the Immigration Courts and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Southern District Court of Florida, and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association where he has served for several years as Co-chair of the USCIS West Palm Beach Field Office liaison committee, acting as liaison between the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the West Palm Beach Field Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. He has also served on a number of committees within AILA, has spoken at AILA continuing education seminars and has been involved in AILA congressional advocacy initiatives, meeting with staff members of local U.S. Congressmen and Congresswomen.

Mr. Cavanaugh currently lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with his wife and children. Before relocating to Ponte Vedra Beach to open the Jacksonville office, Mr. Cavanaugh was very involved in the community in South Florida dating back to 2011. Mr. Cavanaugh was a candidate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s 2014 Man of the Year for Palm Beach where he helped raise money for cancer research and treatment. In 2015 he received the Pro Bono award for Immigration Law from the Palm Beach County Legal Aid Society for his significant pro bono service in the field of Immigration Law. Mr. Cavanaugh intends to continue his involvement in the community in Palm Beach County but now also plans on extending his service and involvement to the Jacksonville area as well.