Four USD School of Law Alumni Recognized as the Best Immigration Attorneys in San Diego by Forbes Advisor
SAN DIEGO (June 24, 2024) – Four University of San Diego (USD) School of Law’s alumni have been recognized as the Best Immigration Attorneys in San Diego by Forbes Advisor.
Congratulations to the following alumni:
Jan Joseph Bejar ‘83 (JD) is an immigration lawyer with over four decades of experience in the field. He was raised in Mexico City and is fluent in both English and Spanish. He is certified as a specialist in immigration law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. In addition to practicing law, Bejar served as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law and led its Immigration Law Clinic from 1994 to 2013. San Diego Magazine named him a Top Lawyer in 2020. He also received the Ohtli Award, which is the highest honor granted by the Mexican government for service to the Mexican community living in the United States.
Kathrin S. Mautino ‘90 (JD) developed an interest in immigration law after filling in for a receptionist at an immigration law practice who was on medical leave. She worked with the U.S. Department of Justice at the immigration court in Los Angeles before transitioning to private practice. She is a board-certified specialist in immigration and nationality law. Mautino handles a broad spectrum of family and business immigration matters, including citizenship and naturalization, employment-based visas, family immigration and issues related to removal and deportation. She serves on the editorial boards of Bender’s Immigration Bulletin and the Journal of Immigrant Health. She frequently speaks on immigration topics at local and national events.
Jonathan D. Montag ‘94 (JD) represents individuals in matters pertaining to removal, asylum, fiancée visas, family-based visas, naturalizations and immigration appeals. He is a board-certified immigration and nationality law specialist. Montag has lectured at various conferences for AILA and the State Bar of California on topics related to immigration law. Montag has also testified as an expert witness in court on immigration law.
2023-24 USD School of Law Alumni Board of Directors member Teodora D. Purcell ‘02 (JD) has more than two decades of experience in all aspects of U.S. immigration law. She provides assistance to individuals on matters related to citizenship, employment, refugee or humanitarian relief and other immigration issues. She also advises Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies on strategies around bringing and retaining foreign workers to the United States. Purcell is actively engaged in pro bono work and mentors junior attorneys, law students and fellow women lawyers. She is certified as a specialist in immigration and nationality law by the California State Bar.
About the University of San Diego School of Law
Each year, USD educates approximately 800 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, public interest law and taxation.
USD School of Law is one of the 84 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks 30th nationally among U.S. law faculties in scholarly impact and 41st nationally in past-year faculty downloads on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN). The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.