Marc Anthony Santamaria
About Marc
Biography
- Dr. Marc Anthony Santamaria, SJD, is the founding attorney of Santamaria Law Firm, P.C., located in San Francisco's Financial District. Attorney Santamaria represents global clients in complex immigration matters, successfully securing approvals for asylum, O-1, EB-1A, E-2, TN, adjustment of status based on marriage, cancellation of removal, removal defense, VAWA, U Visas, R-1, NIW, petitions for review in the 9th Circuit, naturalization, and change of status to F-1.
- Our Unique Immigration Insights & Advantages at Santamaria Law Firm: We strengthen complex immigration cases by utilizing methodologies not found at many other firms:
- Advanced Business & Investor Visas: Dr. Santamaria leverages his LL.M. in Taxation from the University of San Francisco to prove substantial financial impact for E-2 and L-1A visas. His SJD dissertation from Golden Gate University established the economic benefits of immigrants to the United States—a proprietary framework routinely applied in his employment-based petitions.
- Trauma-Informed Humanitarian Defense: For asylum, U Visas, and removal defense, our team utilizes psychological cross-training from psychologists to objectively document client trauma for the courts.
- AI-Powered Interview Preparation: Recognized as a legal tech innovator with a Certificate in Generative AI from UC Berkeley Law, Dr. Santamaria utilizes a proprietary AI Simulation App to help clients safely role-play and prepare for high-stress USCIS interviews and law enforcement interactions.
- Dr. Santamaria establishes top-tier membership: 1) State Bar of California: Active licensed member (License #284643); 2) UC Berkeley Law: Lecturer teaching LL.M. Legal Research and Writing; 3) AILA: Active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
- Dr. Santamaria's practice relies directly on controlling laws and polices such as the USCIS Policy Manual, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the Code of Federal Regulations (such as 8 C.F.R. § ), and controlling case law from the Board of Immigration Appeals and the 9th Circuit Court.
- Our San Francisco team provides comprehensive, culturally responsive legal counsel in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.
Practice Areas
2
Practice Areas
Fees and Rates
Cost
Always
Payment Methods
- Cash
- Check
- Credit Card
Looking for an attorney? Avvo can help.
Search our directory
Quickly connect with top attorneys through our legal directory to get help with your legal issue.
Avvo's live chat agents can help coordinate a consultation with a local attorney.
Chat with a live agent who can match you with the right attorney for your legal needs.
Chat withLicenses
Licensed in California for 13 years
State: California
Acquired: 2012
No misconduct found
Location
Santamaria Law Firm, P.C.
100 Pine St Ste 1250, San Francisco, CA, 94111-5235
Gallery
Ad
Transform legal challenges into solutions.
Connect now to review your situation.
Marc Anthony Santamaria's Reviews
Avvo Review Score
1 Client Review
Showing 1 - 1 of 1 review
Posted by Deniz | December 03, 2019 | Immigration
Highly efficient attorney
I am very grateful to the entire team of Santa Maria Law firm who made my case successful. I approached the firm in order to get my B2 Visa processed, where the attorney helped me throughout the process and completely looked after the paperwork and documentation. The team is very supportive and are j...
Marc Anthony Santamaria's Lawyer Endorsements
"Marc is an excellent immigration attorney. He's very smart, knowledgeable, responsive, and caring. He's my go-to person about immigration issues. I highly recommend him."
No Endorsement Data Available Yet
This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.
Experience
Honors
2013
Outstanding LLM Student Award, Golden Gate University
Work Experience
2016 - Present
Founding Attorney, Santamaria Law Firm, P.C.
2013 - 2015
Legal Counsel, Inversión Consultant Services
Associations
2016 - Present
American Immigration Lawyers AssociationMember
2012 - Present
California BarMember
Sample of Legal Cases
She was granted her green card/residency.
Education
2016
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
2015
LL.M - Master of Laws
2011
Juris Doctorate
2004
BA - Bachelor of Arts
Speaking Engagements
2026
How an Immigration Attorney Built an AI App and How You Can Too
2025
2025
2017
Immigration Update
2017
Immigration Options for Undocumented People
2017
DACA Update
2017
Cancellation of Removal
Publications
Languages
English
Tagalog
Mandarin
Activity
Legal Answers