Marleny Sanchez

Marleny Sanchez is an immigration attorney at Claxton Law PLLC, focused on affirmative asylum, Form I-589 preparation, and humanitarian relief for immigrant families. Admitted to the Missouri Bar and holding a JD from Charleston School of Law and an LL.M. in Energy Law from Vermont Law School, Marleny brings a detail-oriented, story-focused approach to complex humanitarian matters.

About Marleny Sanchez

Marleny grew up in East Texas as one of a small number of Hispanic students in her class. What drew her to law was seeing vulnerable people in her community, especially those who felt they did not have a voice, being taken advantage of or mistreated. She saw undocumented workers hired and then not paid, because the people exploiting them knew the workers would be afraid to report it. That experience pushed her to become an advocate for people who are vulnerable, afraid, or unsure of where to turn for help.

Marleny earned her Juris Doctor from Charleston School of Law in 2021, where she received the CALI Award in Constitutional Law and served as Trial Advocacy Board Member, President of the Immigration Law Society, and Secretary of the Latino Law Student Association. She later earned an LL.M. in Energy Law from Vermont Law School in 2025, with a focus on natural resources, environmental law, administrative law, and related regulatory subjects.

She began building immigration law experience in law school, including clerking at an immigration law firm from 2020 to 2021, and has continued through immigration-focused work, contract attorney assignments, client consultations, legal drafting, document review, and case preparation.

Practice Areas

Marleny's practice at Claxton Law concentrates on affirmative asylum and humanitarian immigration matters:

• Affirmative Asylum — full I-589 preparation, from client declarations to supporting evidence packets.
• Form I-589 Preparation — client declarations and affidavits, country conditions documentation, cover letters, exhibit lists, and organized filing packets.
• Immigration Hardship Waivers — briefs and supporting evidence for extreme-hardship waivers of inadmissibility.
• Client Intake & Case Preparation — detailed intake, document review, chronology building, and case-strategy support.
• Country Conditions Research — evidence gathering and documentation for asylum and humanitarian claims.
• Legal Drafting & Document Review — motions, declarations, and supporting-evidence packages for immigration matters.

Credentials & Admissions

Marleny's credentials combine a JD with an LL.M. and active bar admission.

• Missouri Bar — licensed attorney admitted to practice.
• CALI Award in Constitutional Law — awarded at Charleston School of Law.
• Trial Advocacy Board Member — selected after reaching the final round of an internal competition at Charleston.
• President, Immigration Law Society — Charleston School of Law.
• Secretary, Latino Law Student Association — Charleston School of Law.

Education

Marleny holds two graduate law degrees together with an undergraduate degree in communication, with study spanning immigration, constitutional, energy, and administrative law.

• Master of Laws (LL.M.), Energy Law — Vermont Law School, 2025. Focus areas included Energy Law, Natural Resources, Environmental Law, Administrative Law, and related regulatory subjects.
• Juris Doctor — Charleston School of Law, 2021. Focus areas included immigration law, energy law, construction law, products liability, product defects, and intellectual property.
• Bachelor of Arts in Communication — St. Edward's University. President's Award Scholarship recipient.

Languages Spoken

Marleny is bilingual and consults directly with Spanish-speaking clients, which is essential when documenting sensitive testimony for asylum and hardship-waiver cases.

• English — full fluency.
• Spanish — full fluency.

Client-Centered Approach

Marleny's approach is detail-oriented, compassionate, and story-focused. She believes a strong case begins with truly understanding the client's experiences, timeline, fears, and goals. She takes the time to listen carefully, organize facts clearly, identify supporting evidence, and help present each client's case in a way that is both legally strong and personally meaningful.

Immigration cases can be overwhelming and emotional, so she focuses on clear communication, patience, and making sure clients understand what is happening in their case. Many humanitarian matters involve fear, trauma, separation, or uncertainty, so she works to create a space where clients feel safe, respected, and understood while she works through the legal issues with them.

Working alongside Diane Claxton, Daliana Gomez, and the wider Claxton Law team, Marleny contributes a careful, evidence-first approach to affirmative asylum and hardship-waiver work.

Get in Touch with Marleny

If you are considering an affirmative asylum application, preparing to file Form I-589, or exploring an immigration hardship waiver, Marleny and the Claxton Law team are ready to listen and help.

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