Professor Mencini is the supervising attorney for the Immigration Clinic in the Law Offices of Chicago-Kent. The Immigration Clinic handles immigration cases dealing with family- and employment-based petitions, non-immigrant visas (H-1B, work, student, visitor), adjustment of status, fiancé(e) and spouse visas, labor certifications, naturalization, asylum, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions, removal defense in Immigration Court, unlawful presence and other waivers, and assessment of the immigration consequences of criminal accusations and convictions. Before joining the Chicago-Kent faculty in 2011, Professor Mencini was the principal attorney of Ana M. Mencini & Associates PC and the Immigration Law Group, where her work focused primarily on immigration matters. A native of New York state, Professor Mencini graduated from Lake Forest College as a Richter Scholar with a B.A. in English. She then attended DePaul University, where she earned a M.A. in writing. Professor Mencini earned her law degree from Chicago-Kent, where she graduated in the top 13 percent of her class. During law school, Professor Mencini was managing editor of the Chicago-Kent Law Review, and she was a finalist in the law school's moot court competition. The daughter of an immigrant (her father is from Colombia), Professor Mencini is an active advocate in the immigration debate. She participates in advocacy efforts for the reform of immigration laws. She contributes to the immigrant community by representing select clients in removal proceedings on a pro bono basis, and she is a frequent volunteer at events such as World Relief DuPage's naturalization workshops. While volunteering with the Midwest Immigrant and Human Rights Center, Professor Mencini won asylum for clients from Colombia who were fleeing persecution from the FARC, a far-left guerrilla insurgency. Professor Mencini has spoken on the topic of immigration law at the DuPage County Bar Association and at the Chicago Bar Association. She has also delivered "Know Your Rights" presentations at various churches. Professor Mencini is licensed in the state of Illinois and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).