BIOGRAPHY
Jacqueline B. Martinez, founder of JBM Legal, LLC, a full service law firm dedicated to providing legal representation to the Pittsburgh immigrant community since 2002. Currently, JBM Legal, LLC has multi-lingual and multi-cultural attorneys and staff with offices in La Habra, California and Pittsburgh, PA. Attorney Martinez is a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor’s of Science from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Ms. Martinez obtained her Juris Doctorate from the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona State University.
Prior to establishing JBM Legal, LLC, Ms. Martinez was in-house counsel to a large International IT company, where she gained extensive experience in the area of Employment Based Immigration and Global Immigration. Ms. Martinez’s current practice focuses on Business Immigration, but she also has extensive knowledge of Family Immigration, Naturalization, and Deportation and Removal proceedings. JBM Legal, LLC attorneys provide services to the immigrant community in the areas of criminal law, family custody and support law, Small Business Law and Litigation-General Practice. Ms. Martinez has had the privilege of representing large international corporations such as SciCan, Simpler, ImiFabi and SmartOps, to international investors from China, Turkey, Russia and Latin America, to individuals such as Pablo Sandoval from the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox, to Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith portrayed Dr. Omalu in the feature movie “Concussion”). Ms. Matinez has also represented many indigent clients on a probono basis and has established the John A. Meehan Citizenship Institute through the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, providing probono citizenship representation to the Western Pennsylvania Community.
Ms. Martinez has been a speaker and written for American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Allegheny County Bar Association, Washington County Bar Association, Suffolk University in Boston, and my others throughout the USA. Ms. Martinez has spoken at AILA National Conferences in San Antonio Texas, Las Vegas Nevada, Boston Massachusetts and Washington, DC.
BAR ASSOCIATION INVOLVEMENT
Ms. Martinez served as the Chair of the Pittsburgh Chapter of AILA, and the AILA National Board of Governors 2005-2006. Ms. Martinez has served on various AILA National Committees such as: Membership Committee, Waivers Committee, Hispanic Interest Law Group, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 AILA National Conference Planning Committee. Ms. Martinez has been asked to speak repeatedly at the AILA National Conference in the Advanced Naturalization Panel, and Family Fundamentals Tracks.
Ms. Martinez served as the Minority-at-Large Governor for the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She has served as the Chair of the Minority Bar Committee, the MBC-Membership Development Chair, and the chair of the Diversity Team. Ms. Martinez is currently the chair of the PBA Membership Development Committee, and the Immigration Law Committee. She is currently also serving as the Solo & Small firm representative on the Diversity Team and continues as chair of the MBC-Membership Development team. Ms. Martinez is currently a member of the Solo & Small Firm Section, and the Women in the Profession, and the Leadership Development Committee.
Ms. Martinez is currently serving on the Board of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, and is currently the chair of the Diversity Committee. Ms. Martinez has been active with the Allegheny County Bar Association since her active participation as a member of Young Lawyers Division Council, chairing the education committee. Ms. Martinez is currently serving on the Board of Governors, council of the Homer S. Brown division, a member of the Hispanic Attorneys Committee and past recipient of their “El Sol” award, a member and past council member of Solo & Small Firm and a longtime member of the Women in the Law Division.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Ms. Martinez has been an active member of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), serving on the board of directors and as a member of the legal committee, the public education committee and currently as co-chair of the Diversity Committee.
Ms. Martinez was also CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer for three years and is currently serving on the CASA board. Ms. Martinez is a member of St. Ursula Catholic Church and participates with the Latino Community at St. Regis Catholic Church and Casa San Jose in Brookline.
EDUCATION
- Cornell University-Bachelors of Science, School of Industrial and Labor Relations
- Arizona State University-Juris Doctorate, Sandra Day O’Connor, School of Law
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Third Circuit Court of Appeals