Ms. Katerina Martinez Velez received her B.S. in Health Management from Saint Louis University in May 2020 and earned her J.D. from the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Law in May 2023.
During law school, Ms. Martinez Velez interned at the Office of the General Counsel of the University of Missouri, as well as at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri. During her final year of law school, Ms. Martinez Velez served as the Constitutional Law Dean's Fellow, in which she was responsible for assisting law students currently enrolled in the course.
While in law school, Ms. Martinez Velez was an executive member of the Board of Advocates, a student organization that focuses on developing and promoting the art of advocacy. Ms. Martinez Velez also served as the Associate Managing Editor and as the Layout and Design Editor of the Business, Entrepreneurship, & Tax Law Review of the University of Missouri School of Law, where her law article relating to Puerto Rico's unique taxation status was published. Ms. Martinez Velez also participated in extracurricular moot court.
After completing her final year of law school, Ms. Martinez Velez was selected by a panel of faculty as an inductee to the Order of Barristers, a national honorary organization that recognizes graduating law students who excel in advocacy skills. Ms. Martinez Velez is also the recipient of the University of Missouri School of Law Pro Bono Certificate.
Education:
- University of Missouri - Columbia School of Law, J.D., 2023
- Saint Louis University, B.S. Health Management, 2020
Honors & Awards:
- University of Missouri - Columbia School of Law
- Order of Barristers (2023)
- Pro Bono Certificate (2021)
Publications:
- Katerina Martinez Velez, Trouble in Paradise: Puerto Rico's Routine Exclusion from Federal Benefit Programs as a Result of the Alien-Citizen Paradox, 6 Bus. Entrepreneurship & Tax L. Rev. 132 (2022).
Bar Admissions:
- New York (2024)