Gabriela M. Lopez
Managing Attorney
Gabriela Lopez is an Oakland based immigration and criminal defense attorney who practices deportation defense for unaccompanied minors, individuals with criminal histories, post-conviction relief for immigrants, and criminal defense for immigrants and activists. In 2014, she founded The Community Law Office to provide low-income immigrant communities with competent legal representation and advocacy. Prior to becoming a solo practitioner, Ms. Lopez worked as an associate at a small San Francisco based law firm with a focus on family based immigration. She serves on the Board of Governors for the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice. Before law school, Ms. Lopez organized low wage cafeteria workers in the San Francisco Bay Area into labor unions and advocated for a living wage and worker retention for subcontracted workers. She earned her J.D. from The City University of New York School of Law. Ms. Lopez earned her BA from the University of California, Santa Cruz and double majored in Political Theory and Chinese History. Ms. Lopez has developed and conducted several “know your right” presentations for demonstrators, immigrants, and individuals affected by discriminatory policing and investigative practices. She has also conducted CLEs on representing demonstrators in criminal court, post conviction relief motions, and ethics. In 2016, Ms. Lopez received the Unsung Hero Award from the National Lawyers Guild.
