SHELSEA MONTIEL

Shelsea Montiel is an attorney at Franco Law Group. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. As the daughter of immigrant parents, she was exposed from an early age to the challenges and inequities within the immigration system, which sparked her deep interest in immigration law.

Shelsea graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a specialization in Chicanx and Latinx Studies. During her time at Berkeley, she took courses on immigration and incarceration in the United States, where she was inspired by the stories of marginalized and undocumented individuals and the challenges they faced within the detention and prison systems. The resilience and strength reflected in these stories reinforced her commitment to representing and advocating for underrepresented communities.

She later continued her legal education at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where she earned her Juris Doctor. Throughout her academic journey, she maintained a strong commitment to community service and immigrant advocacy.

While at Berkeley, Shelsea also participated in the Student Immigration Relief Clinic (SIRC), an organization dedicated to educating students and community members on immigration-related issues. She also volunteered at the monthly Immigration Clinic organized by Asian Law Alliance in the Bay Area, where she assisted low-income and Spanish-speaking individuals with interpretation and preparation of their naturalization applications (Form N-400).

Today, as an immigration attorney at Franco Law Group, Shelsea is committed to educating, representing, and empowering marginalized and underrepresented members of her community. Her goal is to make immigration information more accessible while providing legal representation rooted in empathy, knowledge, and dedication.