Andrea C. Martinez, Esq.

"When I was a junior in college at John Brown University, a group of human rights lawyers from the International Justice Mission presented at my college about the injustice in the world and how we can fight injustice through the legal system. After that presentation, I went back to my dorm room and felt a deep calling to become a lawyer to advocate for and defend people who didn’t have a voice. I went to law school after graduating from college with the sole purpose of becoming a “human rights lawyer.” The only problem was, I didn’t know precisely what the term “human rights lawyer” actually meant.

I went to Guatemala to work with IJM for nine months but quickly learned that I couldn’t live in Guatemala forever and use my U.S. law degree. I returned to the U.S. and began a federal judicial clerkship in Washington, DC. I worked as a federal law clerk and pondered how I could be a human rights lawyer in the U.S. I was also in the process of marrying my Honduran husband and filing a petition with the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security for his green card. I learned through filing my husband’s permanent residence petition that the U.S. immigration laws are incredibly complex. I enjoyed helping my husband gain legal status in the U.S. and came to realize how important that service is to immigrants in the U.S.

I love being around people from other countries (and using my Spanish language skills when I can), so serving immigrants felt like an excellent fit for me. I became passionate about helping immigrants navigate the U.S.’s immigration laws and quickly realized that IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS! I feel called to be an immigration lawyer and feel so grateful that God led me to this career. It is an honor to be able to serve and empower immigrants every day as an immigration lawyer."

Andrea’s work covers most aspects of immigration law, from family-based visas and naturalization to immigration court removal defense and humanitarian visas. Prior to entering private practice, Andrea Martinez served as a federal judicial law clerk to the Honorable Eric G. Bruggink at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C.

Andrea also worked for nine months in Guatemala assisting in the prosecution of child sex offenders with non-profit organization International Justice Mission. During law school, Andrea served as a summer law clerk to six immigration judges at the Arlington Immigration Court. She is fluent in Spanish.

Areas Of Practice

Admitted To Practice

• Missouri, 2007

Education

• J.D., American University Washington College of Law, 2007
• B.A., Cross-Cultural Services, John Brown University, Magna Cum Laude, 2004
• A.S., Broadcasting, John Brown University, 2004

Distinctions

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Missouri-Kansas (MO-KAN) Executive Committee

• 2020-2021: Immediate Past Chair
• 2019-2020: Chapter Chair
• 2018-2019: Chair-Elect
• 2017-2018: Vice Chair
• 2016-2017: Secretary