ABOUT US

Andres Ortiz is an immigration lawyer in California and a highly sought after authority on the potential adverse immigration consequences of criminal convictions and plea deals (“Padilla Opinions”). Attorneys from across the nation and the world consult Andres on a regular basis for his expertise in how to resolve criminal cases without triggering deportation or removal. Andres has leveraged his criminal-immigration knowledge to represent noncitizen clients in state and federal criminal courts as well as before immigration courts across the country.

A graduate of Loyola Law School, Andres has been the recipient of numerous awards for his work. He was named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers and was Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy’s pro bono attorney of the year for 2016.

Andres handles cases in immigration court, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the U.S. District Court for the Central and Southern Districts of California and the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Immigration Section Executive Committee as well as an ICE Public Advocate Field Liaison.

Admissions:

• Supreme Court of California (12/2011)
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (12/2012)
• Central District of California (12/2011)
• Southern District of California (03/2017)
• All Immigration Courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (05/2012)

Education:

• Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA
  • Juris Doctor (05/2011)
•  University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
  • Alliance for Catholic Education
  • Master in Education (07/2006)
• St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX
  • Bachelor of Arts, Political Science (05/2004)
  • Varsity Soccer

PUBLICATIONS:      

• “Deferred Entry of Judgment and P.C. § 1203.43” Author, CEB Criminal Law Journal, Summer 16, Vol. 16, Issue 3.
• “Same Crime, But Different Consequences” Co-Author, Daily Journal (06/2015)
• “Federal Immigration Controlled Substance Considerations in the Age of State Marijuana Laws” Co-Author, Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (12/2014) (republished in CEB Marijuana blog)
• “Pleas and Consequences: Attorneys Must Adequately Advise Noncitizen Clients of How a Criminal Plea Can Affect Immigration Status” Co-Author, LA Lawyer Magazine (11/2014)

PRESENTATIONS:   

• “Supreme Court Updates (2016 Term)” Los Angeles County Bar Association, Immigration Section (07/2017)
• “Advanced Crimmigration: The Categorical Approach After Mathis” Los Angeles County Bar Association, Immigration Section (10/2016)
• “Waivers In Removal Proceedings” 2016 AILA Waivers Conference, American Immigration Lawyers Association (08/2016)
• “Avoiding IAC by Knowing ICE” Los Angeles County Bar Association Indigent Criminal Defense Appointments Panel (11/2015)
• “The Two-Step Process for Determining the Immigration Consequences to a Crime” Orange County Public Defender’s Office (06/2015)
• “Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions” Orange County Bar Association, Immigration Section (02/2015)
• “What a Difference a Day Makes!” (Rethinking Aggravated Felonies Under Prop 47 & Penal 18.5) Lunch with the Experts, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Immigration Section (12/2014)
• “The Dream Is Now” Loyola Marymount University, Student Affairs Mission and Identity Committee (11/2014)
• “Civil Rights in the Context of Immigration” League of United Latin American Citizens California State Convention (05/2014)
• “DREAM Act(s): What Makes a Person an American?” Education Pioneers (07/2012)