Marlene Lara earned her Juris Doctor from Golden Gate University School of Law in May 2023. Prior to joining Fuerza Immigration Lawyers, she served as an Immigration Staff Attorney at La Raza Community Resource Center in San Francisco, where she represented individuals and families in immigration court and provided legal services to low-income communities.
Marlene has experience handling a wide range of immigration matters, including asylum, U visas, adjustment of status, family-based petitions, asylee relative petitions, and naturalization applications. In 2025, she also volunteered with the San Francisco Immigration Court’s Attorney of the Day program, assisting unrepresented immigrants facing deportation by providing same-day legal consultations and guidance on possible forms of relief.
Marlene is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and the first person in her family to graduate from both college and law school. Her personal background informs her deep commitment to providing compassionate and comprehensive representation to immigrant families navigating the complex immigration system.
She holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of California, San Diego, in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations and Psychology. During college, she volunteered at the Hall of Justice in downtown San Diego, where she assisted self-represented individuals with responding to unlawful detainers, filing temporary restraining orders, and completing name change applications.
While attending Golden Gate University School of Law, Marlene participated in the Immigration Clinic, where she helped asylum applicants prepare declarations for immigration court. She also interned with Open Door Legal, conducting research on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions and assisting Spanish-speaking clients with their immigration matters.
Education
- University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Bachelor of Arts, Political Science with emphasis in International Relations, 2019
- Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 2019
- Student Mentor, The Preuss School UC San Diego, 2017-2018
- Justice Corps Member, 2018-2019
- Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California
- Juris Doctor, 2023
- Public Relations and Communications Chair, Phi Alpha Delta, 2021-2022
- Mentor, Latin American Law Student Association, 2021-2023
- Mentor, HASSANI Mentorship Program, 2022-2023
- Vice Justice, Phi Alpha Delta, 2022
- Student Clinician, Immigration Clinic, 2023
- Specialization Certificates: Public Interest, Business Law, and Intellectual Property
Professional Association
- State Bar of California, Active member, 2024-Present
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2024-Present
- San Francisco La Raza, Latino Bar Association, 2025-Present
Languages
