Who We Are

We are a ten-lawyer law firm dedicated to practicing Immigration law exclusively. Joseph B. De Mott, our founding partner, has been practicing immigration law in San Antonio since 1976. The firm handles all types of Immigration cases including employment based, family based, labor certifications, all non-immigrant visas including E, F, H, L, J, O, and R Visas, outstanding professor/researcher petitions, National Interest Waiver petitions, asylum applications, deportation hearings, bond hearings, citizenship applications. In addition to English, we are fluent in Spanish, and also speak French, German, Korean, Japanese, Urdu and Hindi.

Joseph De Mott

Founding Partner

Joe obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and his law degree from the University of Nebraska. He was licensed to practice law on January 5, 1976, and was certified as a Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in December 1981. Joe is the founding partner of the law firm. Over his career Joe has helped many thousands of immigrants with all aspects of Immigration Law including deportation hearings, employment and family based immigrant visas and non-immigrant visas, citizenship, asylum, labor certifications, bonds, paroles, removal of conditions, etc., etc.

Ruth Lozano McChesney

Managing Partner

Ruth Lozano McChesney, born in Mexico, immigrated to the United States as a child when her father took a position as a medical doctor with a Texas hospital. She was raised in a Spanish speaking home and has resided in San Antonio since 1994. She has practiced with the firm since 1998 and has managed it since 2000.

Lance Curtright

Partner and Lead Attorney in Litigation

Lance Curtright, a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, has practiced immigration law since 2001. He is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Mr. Curtright has successfully represented hundreds of clients in deportation proceedings. His successes include the published decision Matter of Lamus, 25 I&N Dec. 61 (BIA 2009) (Immigration Judge may not deny a motion to reopen based solely upon the government's opposition). He has written articles about the applicability of the unlawful presence bar to immigrating to the United States and has spoke about immigration law related issues at immigration law conferences.

David Antón Armendáriz

Partner

David is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University (now known as Texas State University) and he holds a Juris Doctorate from The University of Texas School of Law. Prior to joining DMCA, he litigated federal civil rights cases with The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights under Law of Texas. He was also an attorney at Balber Pickard Battistoni Maldonado & Van Der Tuin, PC, in New York, New York and he clerked for the Hon. William J. Cornelius, Chief Justice for The Texas Sixth Court of Appeals. While at The Lawyers' Committee, he was co-counsel on Martinez-Aguero v.

Stephen Aguilar

Associate Attorney

Stephen A. Aguilar practices primarily in the areas of immigration, family, and criminal law. He has represented clients throughout Texas in naturalization and adjustment of status interviews, and in divorce and criminal hearings.

Mr. Aguilar earned his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, and his J.D. from St. Mary's University in San Antonio. While in law school, he served as staff writer and Comment Editor on the St. Mary's Law Review Editorial Board, allowing him to develop strong written advocacy skills to serve our clients on motions before the immigration court and appeal briefs to the Board of Immigration Appeals.

Patricia Barbee

Associate Attorney

Patricia Barbee is a native Texan who was raised in McAllen, TX. She holds an Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked for several years for magazines and newspapers before attending St. Mary's University School of Law. Ms. Barbee received her J.D. from St. Mary's in 2007, and was admitted to the Texas Bar that same year.

As an immigration attorney Ms. Barbee focuses on permanent residence and naturalization petitions, guiding clients through the process from application to interview and approval. She has also represented clients in immigration court.

Scott Benson

Associate Attorney

He wasn't born in Texas, but Scott Benson got here as fast as he reasonably could.

Scott gained his first exposure to immigration law in 2001 as an attorney for a non-profit organization in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he represented hundreds of immigrants and refugees before federal agencies and the immigration court system. Many of these people also had needs above and beyond immigration, and Scott represented them before state courts and administrative courts in matters ranging from guardianship to criminal defense to public benefits adjudication.

Shahid I. Malik

Associate Attorney

Shahid I. Malik graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2004 and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Sciences. He then earned his Juris Doctor Degree from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas and was a Staff Writer for The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Minority Issues.

Andres Perez

Associate Attorney

Andres Perez was born in Monterrey, Mexico and immigrated to the United States as a child. He was raised in San Antonio, Texas and considers it his home town. Mr. Perez practices in multiple areas of law and has been licensed in Texas since 2005.

As an immigration attorney he focuses on litigation before the immigration courts and has appeared in immigration courts throughout Texas and in Virginia. Mr. Perez also practices criminal defense and family law and often uses those skills in representing immigration clients in Texas courts.

Marisol L. Pérez

Associate Attorney

Marisol L. Pérez is a native of San Angelo, Texas. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Texas-San Antonio and her law degree from St. Mary’s School of Law, where she received the Richard Green Spirit of Social Justice Award in recognition of her clinical work on behalf of low-income people in San Antonio and South Texas.