Marc Santamaria is the founding attorney of Santamaria Law Firm, P.C. Attorney Santamaria leads the law firm team and together with the team, they’ve assisted clients obtain various non-immigrant and immigrant visas (e.g., investor visas, work visas, marriage visas), humanitarian relief at USCIS and from Immigration Court (e.g., asylum, cancellation of removal), and many other types of immigration relief.

 

He and the firm have been recognized by several consulates in the Bay Area and community organizations for their work in advocating for immigrants. He supervises the staff in writing appellate briefs, pre-hearing statements, motions, and other legal documents for Immigration Court and USCIS. He is licensed to practice law in California and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 

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Attorney Santamaria has significant experience in teaching the law. He currently teaches LL.​M.​ Legal Research and Writing at UC Berkeley Law School. He is also a professor in the Immigration Law Clinic (“Clinic”) at San Francisco Law School. At the Clinic, he teaches removal defense and directs the externship program in which law students participate in cross training sessions with PhD psychology students to assist immigration clients with their various cases. He was also an SJD (PhD equivalent) Dissertation Committee Member at Golden Gate University Law School in which he guided his students in legal research and writing and conducted, or participated in their first and final oral defenses. 

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Attorney Santamaria obtained his communication skills from his background in teaching English to immigrants. He teaches English as a Second Language (“ESL”) at City College of San Francisco where he was voted as a member of the Academic Senate in 2017 where he served for about a year. He usually teaches basic level English because he enjoys exchanging language tips with students as he is currently learning Spanish. 

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Attorney Santamaria is a Christian and tries to glorify God through his work. He is married to Duong Nguyen Santamaria and is very grateful to her for working with him at the firm and being a great mother. They have a son who currently likes vehicles and Marvel characters. Attorney Santamaria interests include music, longevity and healthspan research, and movies.