The Association of Latino Marin Attorneys (ALMA) is a non-profit, unincorporated association of lawyers living or working in Marin County. The In Spanish, the word “alma” means “soul.” In Aztec symbolic art, the soul is represented by the butterfly, hence our butterfly glyph logo.

The mission of ALMA is to facilitate pro bono services to the needy Latino community, mentor Latino law students attending Bay Area law schools, and support the cultural values, economic interests and social dignity of the Latino community in Marin County.

Under the guidance of President Catalina Lozano, a Professor at U.C. Hastings, ALMA ended 2016 with a number of important accomplishments. ALMA members were active in the Minority Bar Coalition’s initiatives and were in attendance at the June MBC annual mixer and the Unity Night Awards in November.

ALMA devotes significant resources to mentoring and otherwise supporting Latino law students. In September we hosted our third annual La Raza Law Student Reception at the Marin Brewing Company, with a record turn-out with close to 50 students and 30 attorneys at the event. The reception is a “beginning of the school year” launch of our mentoring efforts, where we match an attorney with two or three students. The attorney provides mentoring, resources and professional contacts as students move through their first and second year courses of study and embark on the sometimes intimidating process of summer employment and post-Bar interviewing.

Thanks to Aldo Mercado, of the Boss Law Firm, and Public Defender Jose Varela, ALMA became a Community Partner with the 39th Mill Valley Film Festival’s “Viva El Cine” program of Spanish-language films in 2016.

The year 2016 also saw several ALMA members elected or appointed to the bench and recognized by the community. ALMA congratulates its former President Sheila Lichtblau on her successful election to the Marin County bench. ALMA was proud to endorse her run. ALMA is also proud to see the well-deserved appointment of Victoria Argumedo, of the US Department of Justice, to the Federal Immigration Court in San Francisco beginning in February. Finally, ALMA’s Christine Soto DeBerry, Chief of Staff of the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, was the recipient of the Community Trailblazer’s Award sponsored by the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association.

As the New Year begins, ALMA members are attending training sponsored by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association. This training is a preliminary to coordinating with San Rafael’s Canal Alliance in its efforts to help the Latino community prepare for challenges expected to be posed by the new administration.

To learn more about ALMA, visit our website Membership is open to all and annual dues are only $50/year.