Kathrin S. Mautino, APLC

Kathrin S. Mautino became interested in immigration law when she filled in for a receptionist who was out on medical leave at an immigration practice in the late 1980s. At the time, the 1986 Amnesty program was in full swing, and Ms. Mautino was able to see how a qualified and compassionate attorney could make a difference in an immigrant family’s life. 

Attending the University of San Diego School of Law, Ms. Mautino served as the Immigration Editor of the Law Review and graduated cum laude in 1990. Before going to law school, Ms. Mautino received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Literature with minors in Mathematics and the History of Philosophy.

After graduating from law school, Ms. Mautino worked for the United States Department of Justice as part of the Attorney General’s Honors Program, assigned to the Immigration Court in Los Angeles, California. She then entered private practice, working for two years at a major San Diego law firm, focused on business immigration. Ms. Mautino then joined the immigration law firm of Baxley and Mautino, later renamed Mautino and Mautino when partner Neil Baxley semi-retired. When her partner (and father) Robert Mautino retired, the name changed again.

The State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization recognized Ms. Mautino as a Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law in 1998, a designation she has maintained to the present time. In any given year, there are fewer than 200 attorneys who are so designated in this field. In 2012, Ms. Mautino became a member of the California State Bar’s Immigration and Nationality Law Advisory Commission and served as Vice Chair and then Chair in 2016-2017.

A frequent writer on immigration and citizenship related topics, Ms. Mautino sits on the editorial boards of Bender’s Immigration Bulletin and the Journal of Immigrant Health and is frequently asked to speak on immigration and citizenship topics for local, regional, and national groups. She is regularly listed by Best Lawyers of America and Super Lawyers.

Ms. Mautino taught immigration law at local San Diego colleges and provides expert advice to local government and semi-government agencies and officials, as well as businesses and private individuals around the world. She represents the government of Finland in San Diego as Honorary Consul. In 2012, she became a Knight, First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

While Ms. Mautino’s practice covers virtually all types of family and business immigration issues, she is recognized nationally as an expert on United States citizenship and nationality matters.