LEAD Advisory Board

Carlos C. Martinez graduated from Santa Clara University in 2015 and is a former LEAD Scholar. At Santa Clara, Carlos served as a Community Facilitator and Immersion Coordinator, received the inaugural Bronco of the Year award, and was selected to be the student keynote speaker for the 2015 Chicano/Latino Senior Graduation Ceremony. 

After working as a capital defense investigator for the state of California and a criminal defense investigator for a public defender’s office in Harlem, Carlos received his J.D. from Harvard Law School. After graduation, Carlos clerked for two federal judges. Currently, he is a trial attorney at Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP, a litigation boutique in San Francisco, California.

Carlos is passionate about mentoring first-generation students and helping demystify pathways to law school. He actively mentors current Santa Clara students and regularly speaks on career panels.