Our Team
Hover over any team member’s photo to read more about their motivations and expertise.
Helen Lawrence is the Managing Attorney of this practice which she started in 2011. She is the Chapter Chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Northern California Chapter. Prior to starting her own practice, Helen worked with criminal defense attorneys on the intersection of immigration and criminal law and completed a fellowship at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center focused on immigrant youth, juvenile justice and gangs. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 2009, where she was involved in the school’s International Human Rights Clinic and Immigration and Refugee Clinic. Helen received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles where she majored in international development studies and minored in Spanish. She is inspired by immigrants’ contributions, strength and resilience.
Helen Lawrence
she/her
Managing Attorney
Laura Jones graduated from UCLA
School of Law, specializing in the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy as well as Critical Race Studies. At UCLA, Laura participated in the Immigrants’ Rights Policy Clinic and was a law clerk with the Dilley Pro Bono Project, working with women and children detained in the family detention center. Laura also served as a publications editing assistant for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and was a Discourse Editor for UCLA Law Review. Prior to law school, Laura was a fourth-grade transitional bilingual teacher in Houston, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Scripps College, where she majored in sociology and legal studies. Laura is dedicated to social justice and immigrants’ rights and feels privileged to work with inspiring clients every day.
Laura Jones
she/her
Supervising Attorney
Danny Martinez graduated from
Stanford Law School, where he participated in the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, coordinated a project tracking immigration policy changes implemented by the Trump Administration, and was the editor-in-chief of the Stanford Journal of International Law. Before law school, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, West Africa, taught English in France, and worked as a paralegal in New York. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Boston College, where he majored in political science. Danny is passionate about advocating for immigrants’ rights and excited to work alongside clients to help achieve their goals.
Danny Martinez
he/him
Supervising Attorney
Armando Aguilar López graduated from UC Davis School of Law, where he participated in the UC Davis Immigration Law Clinic and conducted research on credibility adjudication and immigrants' rights for Professor Raquel Aldana and Dean Kevin Johnson. During law school, he interned at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) and the Alameda County Public Defender Immigration Unit, where he worked at the intersection of criminal and immigration law. Armando received his Bachelor of Science from Santa Clara University, where he majored in Economics. Armando's passion for immigrants' rights stems from his parents’ deportation. He feels honored to work alongside our clients as they navigate the legal system.
Armando Aguilar López
he/him
Law Fellow Attorney
Esmeralda Morales is a senior paralegal at the Law Office of Helen Lawrence. She focuses on affirmative adjustment of status, naturalization, DACA and U-visa applications. She also provides legal support in defensive immigration cases. Esmeralda has worked with undocumented crime victims, unaccompanied minors, DREAMers, and immigrants escaping violence and persecution for 7 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Esmeralda is committed to defending and promoting immigrants’ rights through her work as a paralegal.
Esmeralda Morales
she/her
Senior Paralegal
We believe that black lives matter
The Law Office of Helen Lawrence strongly condemns the recent murders of Breonna Taylor, Amaud Arbery, and George Floyd and the countless others who have been murdered by police brutality and racism in the United States.
As a law practice that advocates for the rights of immigrants and routinely challenges law enforcement’s illegal conduct, we vehemently oppose police brutality and racism in our community and broader nation. We stand in solidarity with the black community and acknowledge their leadership in the fight against racism. We will continue fighting for social justice. In the meantime, we are looking for ways that we can be stronger allies to the black community. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us.