Heather Marie Drabek Prendergast

Heather Marie Drabek Prendergast

Aljijakli, Kosseff & Prendergast, LLC • Cleveland, OH
ImmigrationEmployment Law

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Contact

Email
Phone
(330) 785-7739
Address
33790 Bainbridge Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44139, US

Professional

About

Heather Drabek Prendergast is a member of Aljijakli, Kosseff & Prendergast, LLC, a boutique immigration law firm with offices in Cleveland, OH and New York, NY. Her practice focuses on: complex removal defense including trials, appeals, and federal court litigation; employment-based immigration for skilled professionals; family-based immigration; asylum; and naturalization. Ms. Prendergast is one of 21 Directors elected to serve on the Board of Governors for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), a national association of more than 15,000 attorneys and law professors who practice and teach immigration law. From 2015 to 2018, Ms. Prendergast chaired AILA’s National Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Liaison Committee where she met with senior ICE leadership in Washington, D.C. to resolve issues faced by immigrants and their legal counsel when dealing with the agency. She regularly speaks about immigration issues at local, regional, and national conferences, and serves on several conference planning committees as well as AILA’s Department of State Liaison Committee. Ms. Prendergast is an Adjunct Professor at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law where she teaches Immigration & Nationality Law. She is a graduate of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in Cleveland, OH and Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, and is admitted to practice in Ohio, New York, the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is an avid equestrian and runner.

About Immigration Law

Immigration attorneys help individuals and families navigate the complex immigration system. They assist with visas, green cards, citizenship, and deportation defense. Common matters include visa applications, green cards, citizenship, deportation defense.

Credentials

Education
2008 Cleveland State University - Cleveland-Marshall College of Law JD 2004 Skidmore College BA

Recognition & Involvement

Awards
2018 Ohio Rising Star, Super Lawyers 2017 Ohio Rising Star, Super Lawyers 2016 Ohio Rising Star, Super Lawyers 2016 President's Commendation Award, American Immigration Lawyers Association
Publications
2017 American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) AILA QuickTake for 2017 Spring ICE Liaison Meeting 2017 Bloomberg Law Quoted in: "Outlook 2018: More Scrutiny, Enforcement for Employment Visas" 2017 Rolling Stone Quoted In: "Trump Era Ushers In New Unofficial Policy On Asylum Seekers" 2017 Wall Street Journal Quoted In: "Immigrant Who Helped Build A Business Faces Deportation" 2017 Saratogian Quoted In: "Panelists at Skidmore College Discuss Immigration Issues Under Trump"
Associations
2018 - Present American Immigration Lawyers Association Member, Department of State Liaison Committee 2017 - Present American Immigration Lawyers Association Elected Director, Board of Governors 2015 - Present American Immigration Lawyers Association (Ohio chapter) CLE Planning Committee 2010 - Present American Immigration Lawyers Association Member 2010 - Present American Immigration Lawyers Association (Ohio chapter) Member
Speaking
2018 Chicago Midwest Regional Conference Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue – Advanced Topics in Family Based Immigration Part 1 2018 AILA Spring Conference Inside the Beltway with the ICE Liaison Committee 2018 AILA Georgia / Alabama Chapter Conference Motions to Reopen in Removal Proceedings 2018 AILA Annual Conference Who’s Watching? What the Government Knows About Your Client 2018 AILA Annual Conference ICE Open Forum
Updated: Mar 08, 2026