The Law Office Of Schoenleber & Waltermire / Specializing in Immigration Law



Michael W. Schoenleber	Mr. Schoenleber became an attorney in 1980 soon after obtaining his law degree, J.D., from the UCLA School of Law. He first worked as a staff attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance in Delano, CA, then for a short time as a Deputy District Attorney in Yolo County. He has been practicing primarily in the area of immigration and nationality law since 1983. He has been certified as a specialist in immigration and nationality law by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California continuously since 1989. Furthermore, he served a full term on the Immigration and Nationality Law Advisory Commission of the Board of Legal Specialization from 1998-2001. He has been honored by his colleagues as a “Northern California Super Lawyer” in the immigration law category each year since 2005. He was the principal attorney for the immigrant in two published federal court decisions: Singh v. INS, 94 F.3d 1353 (9th Cir 1996)(Fijian asylum); and Vang v. INS, 146 F.3d 1114 (9th Cir. 1998)(Hmong asylum). Earlier in his legal career he co-authored a law review article in the environmental field. See M. Steinberg and M. Schoenleber, Riparian Rights to Salinity Control, 19 PACIFIC LAW JOURNAL 1143-1164 (1988). Between college and law school he spent several years working in agriculture, first on a cattle breeding ranch in San Diego, then as a packing foreman in a large Valencia orange packing house in Irvine, CA. He received his B.A. from Stanford University in Anthropology in June 1972. As part of that university program he spent six months living and studying in Mexico City. He wrote a case study on the history of the Mexican agrarian reform program. He is fluent in Spanish and enjoys traveling, reading, skiing, walking, bodysurfing, and bridge.

Mary M. Waltermire	Ms. Waltermire was an Associate Attorney in this office for more than five years before becoming a partner in 2002. She received her J.D. from King Hall, UC Davis School of Law in 1995. She received BAs in International Relations and History from UC Santa Barbara in 1984. She has been certified as a specialist in immigration and nationality law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization since 2003. Ms. Waltermire served from 2009 to 2012 on the Immigration and Nationality Law Advisory Commission of the California Board of Legal Specialization and was the Commission's chair from 2012-2013. She has been honored by her colleagues by being designated as a “Northern California Super Lawyer” in immigration law each year since 2009. Before joining the firm, Ms. Waltermire served as a law clerk to Judge Harry Pregerson of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Before attending law school, she worked several years for a non-profit international refugee assistance agency in the capacities of caseworker, office director, and deputy regional director. Ms. Waltermire also worked as a supervising attorney at UC Davis School of Lawï¿½s Immigration Law Clinic in 2001. She has served on the Clinic's Alumni Council since 2007. Among her other community activities, she served for more than ten years on the Board of Directors of the Southeast Asian Assistance Center (SAAC), a local non-profit assisting refugees. She authored a law review article on regulatory changes to the U.S. asylum system. See Mary M. Waltermire, An Analysis of the Clinton Administration's Proposed Asylum Reform Regulations, 1 U.C. Davis J. Int'l L. & Pol'y 1 (1995).


Jennifer Martin	Ms. Martin is an Associate Attorney with our firm. She received her law degree (Juris Doctor, J.D.) from McGeorge School of Law with a business law concentration in 2016. She obtained her bachelor's degree (B.A.) from UC Davis with a major in political science and minor in economics in 2012. During law school, Ms. Martin worked at McGeorge School of Law's Immigration Clinic as well as private firms specializing in immigration, family, probate, and employment law. She is a native Spanish speaker and enjoys spending time with family, volunteering, and movies

Andrea J. Barrios	Ms. Barrios is an Associate Attorney with our firm. She received her law degree (Juris Doctor, J.D.) from Michigan State University College of Law in 2013 and her bachelor's degree (B.A.) in Philosophy from the University of California Berkeley in 2008. During law school, Ms. Barrios worked at the Michigan State University College of Law's Immigration Clinic and its Housing Clinic. She also worked for the Yolo County Public Defender's Office in Woodland, California for two summers. In her free time, Ms. Barrios likes to watch football, Netflix, and cook. She is a native Spanish speaker.


Ana Maria Mejia	Ms. Mejia works as a Senior Legal Assistant. She was an attorney at law in Colombia. She received her law degree in 1988 from The University of San Buenaventura in Colombia. As an attorney for more than twelve years, Ms. Mejï¿½a worked in General Corporate Law, Trademark and Health Registration issues. Ana Maria's native language is Spanish and she attended a bilingual French high school in Colombia. She immigrated to the United States in 1999. Since her arrival she has worked in the immigration law field.

Ana Rosa Salas	Ms. Salas works as a Senior Legal Assistant. She was an attorney in Mexico. She received her law degree in 1995 from the Autonomous University in Guadalajara. As an attorney for three years in Mexico, Ms. Salas worked in General Corporate Law, Business, Civil, Labor, and Family issues. She also was a law teacher at the ï¿½Unicoï¿½ College in Guadalajara, Mexico. She worked for almost two years at the Consulate General of Mexico in Sacramento, California as an Assistant in the Protection and Documentation Department. She immigrated to the United States in 1999.

Maria de Jesus Serrano	Ms. Serrano works as a Senior Legal Assistant. She was an executive secretary in Mexico. She received her diploma as a Secretary and Private Bookkeeper in 1979. Ms. Serrano worked for many years for the International Bank in Mexico. She also worked for the State of Durango, Mexico. She and her family immigrated to the United States in 1999. Maria enjoys playing volleyball and bowling in her spare time. She is married and has three sons.

Diana Garcia	Diana is a receptionist and Legal Assistant at our firm. She received her B.A. in Business Marketing from California State University, Sacramento. While attending Sacramento State, Diana was a board member of Mujeres Ayudando la Raza, which is a nonprofit, community-based service organization that focuses on promoting higher education and raising social and cultural awareness in the Latin community. She has more than six years of experience working in customer service. When she is not working, you will find her spending time with her friends and family, traveling, watching soccer, and going out to dance. Ms. Garcia is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Kevin Serrano	Mr. Serrano works as a Legal Assistant at our firm. He received his B.A. in History from Sacramento State University in 2018. He immigrated to the United States as a child from Durango, Mexico with his family. When he isn’t at work, he enjoys traveling, watching movies, dancing and playing with his dog. Mr. Serrano is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Please contact us with any questions and we look forward to meeting you!