Vanessa Arno Martinez
ATTORNEY & CO-FOUNDER
Prior to her work at Arno Martinez Law, PLLC, Vanessa worked as a staff attorney for Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in Wenatchee, Washington for over four years. She focused on representing survivors of violence in rural eastern Washington. Vanessa represented minors and adult immigrant survivors of violence affirmatively, before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and defensively, before the immigration court and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Throughout law school, Vanessa volunteered with Casa Latina in their Workers’ Defense Committee/Comité de Defensa del Trabajador. Also during law school, Vanessa spent a summer as a clinical student at the Universidad Centroamericana—Bufete Jurídico in Managua, Nicaragua and later worked as a legal extern in the Granger office of NWIRP.
Vanessa currently serves on the board of the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington (LBAW). She is a Washington Leadership Institute (WLI) Fellow, class of 2018. Vanessa has volunteered at numerous One America Citizenship Days, particularly those sites hosted in rural locations.
Although not a native Spanish speaker, Vanessa committed to learning Spanish in law school in order to serve immigrant communities through her legal practice. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys spending time in nature.
Vanessa was first licensed by the Washington State Bar in 2013.
Paula Arno Martinez
ATTORNEY & COFOUNDER
Before starting her own law firm, Paula worked for Colectiva Legal del Pueblo for over four years in the Wenatchee office. Paula’s practice focuses on family-based immigration, U Visa, and, VAWA.
Before joining Colectiva, Paula worked as an Associate Attorney with Rios & Cruz P.S. in Seattle. Paula previously worked in Granger with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) organizing and conducting workshops and legal clinics regarding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in Eastern and Central Washington.
While in law school, Paula interned with the Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC), where she worked on U Visa and VAWA cases.
Paula served as a Commissioner on the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, and as the National President for Kappa Delta Chi, Sorority, Inc. in the past. Paula currently serves on the Wenatchee Pride Board, the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center Board of Trustees, and on the Wenatchee Valley College Board of Trustees.
Paula enjoys traveling, especially to visit her family in the great state of Texas.
Paula was first licensed by the State Bar of Texas in 2013.