Yadira Santana – Gastelum Law
Yadira was born in Glendora, California, and moved to Las Vegas at the age of 3. Yadira is a first-generation Mexican-American and was the first in her family to attend college. She obtained her Bachelors degree at the University of Reno. During undergrad, Yadira was able to study abroad in Israel where she took a class on Refugee Mental Health. Yadira majored in English Literature and minored in Philosophy Law & Ethics.
During her first year of Law School, Yadira attended California Western School of Law in San Diego. She completed her first year top 5% of her class and received a full-ride scholarship. Upon the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yadira moved back to Las Vegas to be close to her family and subsequently transferred to Boyd School of Law.
During her time at Boyd, Yadira was an executive board member of La Voz, Boyd’s Latinx Student Organization, the Organization of Women Law Students (OWLS), and a member of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA). During her last year, Yadira was sent to Washington D.C. to support Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings. Thanks to Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen and Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Yadira was allowed inside the Senate to view the televised hearings in person.
Yadira completed a judicial externship in the Eighth Judicial District Court with the Honorable Margaret Pickard. She received the Clinic Legal Education Association Externship Award during Boyd’s 2022 Commencement Ceremony due to the work she completed during her externship.
Upon graduating from Boyd School of Law, she was a law clerk in the Eighth Judicial District Court with the Honorable Robert Teuton, who has a specialized Dependency calendar.
Yadira is licensed to practice law in Nevada.
Yadira has been involved in a number of Nevada Appellate matters, including, alimony, child support, third-party rights, guardianship, legal custody, physical custody and jurisdictional issues.
When she is not working, Yadira enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with her cat. She also loves trying new things, especially if they are out of her comfort zone.