OUR TEAM

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Jose Z. Marin, Esq.

Founder and Attorney at Law

Jose Zamudio Marin founded Jose Marin Law in 2013. Jose is licensed to practice in the State of California, and is admitted to the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Fifth Circuits. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2013. Jose served in the United States Marine Corps for close to 10 years. He was meritoriously promoted ahead of his peers and received multiple service awards, including a fifth gold star in lieu of his fifth award of the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal.

During law school, Jose worked in both the public interest sector and private practice. He provided pro bono legal services at the nonprofit Bay Area Legal Aid in their San Rafael and Richmond offices; and worked at the firm Mallison & Martinez on issues involving complex litigation, class action lawsuits, unlawful discrimination, and wage and hour claims.

At JML, Jose provides legal services in areas of immigration and employment law in different forums, including administrative, state and federal court. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and Aids Legal Referral Panel (ALRP). Jose has volunteered as an advocate at La Raza Centro Legal in the Worker’s Rights Program in San Francisco.

Jose’s hobbies include long distance running, dining out, traveling, and spending time outdoors.

Melanie Kehr, Esq.

Associate Attorney

Melanie Kehr is an associate attorney at Jose Marin Law. She graduated magna cum laude in 2008 from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and attended the American University Washington College of Law in Washington D.C., where she graduated cum laude in 2011. During law school, Melanie was a member of the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law; and worked in the Women & the Law Clinic, where she represented survivors of domestic violence at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and helped human trafficking survivors obtain immigration benefits. Melanie is licensed to practice in New York and is a member of the D.C. Bar. Her California practice is limited to federal immigration law. She also is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

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After law school, Melanie worked at the nonprofit Bay Area Legal Aid in San Francisco with the Domestic Violence Prevention practice, where she helped low-income survivors obtain restraining orders, divorces, custody and visitation rights, and child support at the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. She also assisted undocumented survivors with U-Visas, employment authorization, and permanent residency.  

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Melanie joined JML in 2016 and specializes in a variety of family-based and humanitarian immigration matters. She has experience representing clients with asylum applications both affirmatively and in removal proceedings; U- and T-Visas; immediate relative petitions, adjustment of status and naturalization; and motions to reopen with the Immigration Court and Board of Immigration Appeals. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the Aids Legal Referral Panel (ALRP).

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In her free time, Melanie enjoys documentaries, indie music concerts, exploring coastal California with her husband, and fashion.  

Gervy Jhon Tesoro, Esq.

Of Counsel

Gervy Jhon Tesoro is Of Counsel at Jose Marin Law. He specializes in various areas of immigration law, guiding clients through the Department of Homeland Security’s complex administrative regulations. Jhon assists JML clients with Inadmissibility Waivers, Special Immigrant Visas, and Work/Student Visas.

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As a son of immigrants himself, Jhon has dedicated his academic and professional career to protecting immigrant rights. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, minoring in both Chicano/a Studies and Workplace Studies. After college, he joined the Coalition for Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) as their Development Coordinator. While at CHIRLA, Jhon worked on statewide campaigns including Rapid Raids Response under Bush, Operation Return Back to Sender, Stop the Raids, and Mobilize Immigrant Vote. Jhon credits CHIRLA’s grassroots community organizers in shaping his legal career because he gained invaluable advocacy skills from his work with community activists.

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After graduating from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2013, Jhon worked for a variety of immigration law firms in the Bay Area. During these years, he gained practical experience in both removal defense and business immigration. In 2016, Jhon opened his solo firm, Tesoro Law, which serves the diverse legal needs of Bay Area immigrants. 

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In his personal life, Jhon is an avid cook, budget world traveler, and huge Ru Paul’s Drag Race fan.