Ana S. Mendieta

Ana S. Mendieta graduated with a Licenture in Law from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras. Soon after graduation she initiated her legal career when she began to work for the Honduran Department of Justice, serving as a Special Agent under the supervision of the Attorney General. There, she led investigations which resulted in the prosecution of a number of individuals involved in various types of criminal activity, ranging from violent crimes to white collar crime. After a successful tenure with the Office of the Attorney General, Ms. Mendieta moved on to the Supreme Court of Justice of Honduras where she served as a clerk to the Chief Justice and as the Executive Director of the Judicial Gazette of the Supreme Court. Through these positions, Ms. Mendieta edited, compiled, and published the first yearly judicial and administrative report of the Supreme Court. She also edited and published the Judicial Gazette, which comprised briefs and decisions dealing with the Common Rules of Law as well as other topics of national interest, relating to judicial reforms taking place in Honduras dealing with women's and children's rights and the newly established criminal procedure of Honduras. 

In the United States, Ms. Mendieta served as a volunteer for the Guardian Ad Litem Program in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit in Collier County Florida. As an officer of the court, she was appointed to represent the best interest of the child in dependency hearings. Being a multilingual advocate, many of the children represented were the progeny of immigration center detainees. Realizing that the amount of aid she was able to provide to the children and their families was limited – due to her status as a volunteer – Ms. Mendieta decided to pursue a law degree in the United States, which she obtained from the Ave Maria School of Law, in Naples, Florida. Seeing the need for fair, just, and affordable legal representation to low-income immigrants, and with over 15 years of experience in immigration services, Ms. Mendieta continues to assist those in need.