Attorney

attorney

Ximena Puente-Arnao

Ximena was born in Lima, Peru and immigrated with her family to the United States at the age of two. Growing up she witnessed the challenges her parents faced as they navigated the complex U.S. immigration system. Her family’s own story and experience as immigrants motivates her passion to advocate zealously and creatively for her clients in immigration court. She takes great pride in cultivating a trusting relationship with her clients.

Ximena’s immigration practice involves all areas of immigration law, including family and employment-based immigration, non-immigrant visas, removal defense, deferred action and asylum law. Ximena represents clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, before the Executive Office of Immigration Review and Board of Immigration Appeals. In her family law practice, she represents clients before the Superior Courts of California in San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties.

During law school Ximena was a member of the Latinx Law Student Association, the Vice President of the Family Law Student Association and a member of her law school’s immigration clinic providing pro-bono representation to members of the local community. She completed a portion of her legal studies at the Inter-American Program in Guatemala, a program designed to take an inter-cultural approach to legal education. Here, Ximena completed substantive law courses taught in Spanish with a focus on improving and better understanding cultural and professional differences to better serve clients in the United States hailing from the northern triangle region- Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Ximena interned at various non-profit legal agencies providing pro-bono services to refugees, unaccompanied minor children and victims of domestic violence. She is certified as a Domestic Violence Advocate under California state law §1037.1(a)(1) allowing her to provide direct client services to survivors of domestic violence. She is most passionate about helping refugee children and victims of domestic violence.

Ximena is a dual American and Peruvian citizen having been born in Lima, Peru. She is a fluent native speaker of both English and Spanish. Ximena lives in San Francisco and enjoys playing tennis, gardening and cooking.

Education

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC, MCGEORGE SCHOOL OF LAW
Juris Doctor

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Los Angeles
B.A., Political Science

Memberships

• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Member
• The Bar Association of San Francisco, Member
• San Mateo County Bar Association, Member

Bar Admissions

• California (#332429)

Certifications

• Certified Domestic Violence Advocate, California Evidence Code Section §1037.1(a)(1)

Pronouns

• She/Her/Hers