Meet Astrid Carolina Montealegre of Orange

Today we’d like to introduce you to Astrid Carolina Montealegre.

Hi Astrid Carolina, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born to Nicaraguan parents who received political asylum from the United States in 1979. I hold a Juris Doctor from Loyola School of Law Chicago and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Masters in International Human Rights, International Law, and International Relations from Escuela de Altos Estudios Jurídicos, Sevilla, Spain. My BA in Political Science is from Loyola Marymount University, and I have been active in the field of Human Rights for over 20 years.

In 2000, I was selected as one of 12 yearly Hansard Scholars to work in the United Kingdom House of Commons. During that time, I collaborated closely with members of parliament, under the leadership of Majority Whip, Graham Allen, to analyze the European Union’s newly enacted Human Rights Act and its potential impact on the judiciary. Soon after my time in London, I worked with the Government of Nicaragua Attorney General’s Office for Human Rights, investigating citizen complaints about human rights abuses.

For several years, I assisted the migrant community in Illinois through the Illinois Migrant Legal Assistance Project, providing migrant farm workers with information on relevant substantive legal issues, including wage disputes, employment conditions, housing, public benefits, civil rights, immigration unemployment, and workers’ compensation. While working with the Permanent Mission of Nicaragua in Geneva, I guided working groups on contemporary forms of slavery and presented interventions and presentations on human rights issues before the United Nations, specifically the Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC). At the Legal Services Center for Immigrants in Chicago, Illinois, I prepared petitions for immigrant women under the Violence Against Women Act and drafted Habeas Corpus petitions for detained non-citizens and emergency stay of removal, which were filed in the United States District Court, Seventh Circuit.
I have spoken on behalf of the Nicaraguan Diaspora Civil Society before the Organization of American States to the Inter American Commission of Human Right and before the United Nations to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

I am the founder of Viva Nicaragua Libre, a Facebook page with just over twenty-nine thousand followers, dedicated to reporting human rights abuses committed by the Ortega-Murillo Regime. I am a founding member and supervising attorney for the Nicaraguan American Human Rights Alliance- an organization dedicated to providing legal supervision to those seeking asylum due to political persecution. I served as the founding Coordinator for ConeXión Nica USA during its first semester in 2020. For the past ten years, I have been focusing on private practice in Southern California, and since April 19, 2018, primarily on corporate and immigration law. I am a candidate for my Master in Business Administration and expect to graduate from Barowsky School of Business at Dominican University this December 2025.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a Latina lawyer, my journey has presented encounters with racism and sexism in both social and professional spheres. However, rather than allowing stereotypes and others’ worldviews to limit my contributions to society, I have learned to find the humanity in every situation and every person, transforming each challenge into a new opportunity. Facing a milieu of challenges has allowed me to craft and strengthen my resilience so that I may be a stronger advocate for the rights of others who do not have the same privileges that have empowered me along my journey. I am grateful to God daily for granting me with his grace and for allowing me the privilege of creating a positive impact in the lives of other members of my community who lack access to resources and to justice.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am mostly proud of empowering others who want to provide access to justice to those with limited resources, either as volunteers or as a business model. I have mentored leaders of nonprofits and entrepreneurs to help them design an efficient network of resources and I have taught them how they can leverage their network to help serve their community and create a positive legacy.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
The first step before you can find a good mentor is to is to identify you passion- a real world need that you would like to help meet or a community you feel a devotion for serving. The next step is to do your homework and identify organizations and individuals that are currently serving the community or providing the service you connect with. Finally, reach out to the board members of those organizations become a volunteer and participate at events that are in support of the community or cause you are passionate about. When you put your knowledge to action through the principle of empowerment you and your mentor will find each other.

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• Website: https://www.acmlegal.info
• Instagram: ACM Legal Services
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acmlegalserv
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/astrid-montealegre-892ba660
• Other: https://instagram.com/Mi_abogada_nicagringa