Archives: Our Team
Lance Curtright
Lance Curtright, a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, serves as the Managing Partner of DMCA. He has practiced immigration law since 2001 and is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Curtright was selected for inclusion in the Thomson Reuters Corporation Super Lawyers© list, Forbes Advisor list, and in the 2016-2025 editions of The Best Lawyers in America © by Woodward White, Inc. Under Mr. Curtright’s lead, DMCA’s Litigation Section was awarded the 2013 Best Litigation Department of the Year by Texas Lawyer magazine. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University ... Read more
David Antón Armendáriz
David is a partner at De Mott, Curtright & Amendariz, LLP (DMCA), in San Antonio, Texas. David is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University (now known as Texas State University) and he holds a Juris Doctorate from The University of Texas School of Law. Prior to joining DMCA, he litigated federal civil rights cases with The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law of Texas. Prior to that, he was an attorney at Balber Pickard Battistoni Maldonado & Van Der Tuin, PC, in New York, New York and he clerked for the Hon. William J. Cornelius, Chief Justice for ... Read more
Marisol L. Pérez
Marisol Pérez is a native of San Angelo, Texas. She graduated from St. Mary’s School of Law in the year 2000 where she was awarded the Richard Green Spirit of Social Justice Award in recognition of her clinical work on behalf of clients in San Antonio and South Texas. Marisol began practicing law in 2001 at DMCA. In 2004, she joined the Southwest egional Office of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) as a staff attorney. She served as the immigrants’ rights attorney handling litigation and legislative matters for nine states. While at MALDEF, she participated in several ... Read more
Paul B. Hunker
Paul B. Hunker III, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, is a partner at DMCA, LLP. Prior to joining DMCA he spent his entire legal career representing the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He served as the Chief Counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, Dallas Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA). Mr. Hunker graduated magna cum laude from Marquette University in 1989 and from Georgetown University Law Center in 1992 where he was a member of the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal. Mr. Hunker also serves as ... Read more
Monica N. Saenz
Monica is a native of McAllen, Texas. While at SMU, she belonged to several honor societies and was the Hearing Board Chair for the University Hearing Board. Monica was also a Board Member of the University Honor Council. While in law school, Monica was an Octa-finalist in the Jenkens & Gilchrist Annual First-Year Moot Court Competition and Executive Articles Editor and Staff Writer for The Scholar: St. Mary’s Law Review on Minority Issues. She also studied abroad at St. Mary’s Institute on World Legal Problems in Innsbruck, Austria. Before joining DMCA, Monica worked at a local law firm practicing criminal ... Read more
Claudia Baellow
Claudia Baellow, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, is the managing attorney of the business immigration group. Prior to joining DMCA, she practiced employment-based immigration with law firms in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Ms. Baellow graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with a double-major in History and Latin American Studies. She received her Juris Doctorate from the American University, Washington College of Law (WCL). Ms. Baellow was a member of WCL’s Administrative Law Review, and a student-attorney for the International Human Rights Law Clinic. She also interned with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the ... Read more
Alejandra Martinez
Alejandra Martinez is a Partner at DMCA and Managing Attorney of the Austin office, where she plays a central role in shaping the firm’s immigration and federal litigation practice. Since beginning her career in immigration law in 2018, she has built a reputation for thoughtful advocacy, technical precision, and deep respect for the individuals and families she represents. She is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in both 2025 and 2026. Born in Minnesota to immigrant parents and raised in a Spanish-speaking ... Read more
Kathrine ‘Kat’ Russell
A native of San Antonio, Texas, Kat brings more than fifteen years of experience representing children, families, and adults in complex immigration matters. Her career reflects a steady commitment to careful advocacy, practical problem-solving, and the belief that strong legal representation can bring clarity and stability during moments of profound uncertainty. Kat began her immigration practice in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where she represented unaccompanied immigrant children with the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR). She later relocated to New York City, serving as a Pro Bono Coordinator with Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) and ... Read more
Amy Thomas
Amy is a native of San Antonio and a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. After law school, she worked as an associate with Joseph De Mott from 1994 to 1996 primarily handling employment-based immigration cases. After a hiatus from the practice of law, she joined DMCA in 2012 where she has worked on both employment-based and family-based immigration matters of many kinds. Her employment-based immigration experience includes achievement visas (extraordinary ability EB-1, national interest waivers, and O-1 visas), PERM labor certification, business petitions, and non-immigrant visas including TN, H-1B, E-2, B1/B2, and F-1. Her affirmative experience ... Read more
Robert A. Jimenez
Robert Jimenez practices primarily in the area of criminal law and has represented clients in a broad array of both felony and misdemeanor cases. Robert is committed to aggressively defending clients at each stage of their case and possesses the skill and determination needed to be successful in trial. In addition to defending the rights of the accused, Robert also practices family law and helps immigrant children who have been abused, abandoned and neglected apply for residency here in the United States. Whether in the criminal arena or family court, Robert has dedicated his profession to protecting those who need ... Read more
Brisa Gadea
As a first-generation Mexican American born to immigrant parents, Brisa has always been driven by a deep sense of determination and a commitment to making a difference. Growing up in El Paso, Texas, she experienced firsthand what the immigrant community could do for our country and the injustices they faced. From her experiences, Brisa felt compelled to lend her support to those in the immigrant community. With a solid educational foundation, she graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a certification in violence prevention and intervention. Determined to further ... Read more
Grethel Villarreal
Grethel Villarreal Cantu is a licensed immigration attorney with a deep-rooted commitment to advocating for immigrant rights and justice. Born and raised in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Grethel‘s early life in Mexico and later in McAllen, Texas, provided her with a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing immigrant communities. She later moved to San Antonio, Texas, where she completed her high school education and has since made it her home. With a strong sense of justice and determination, Grethel earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Afterward, Grethel earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary’s ... Read more