About Marcela
Marcela Knaup built a legal career that crosses an ocean. Born and trained in Argentina, she holds licenses to practice in both Argentina and California. Her work ties together private international law, international transactions and immigration matters.
She completed her initial legal studies at Universidad Nacional del Comahue, earning her J.D. (Abogada) in 1989. After practicing in Argentina, she pursued further study in Europe, taking a specialization in Private International Law at the University of Salamanca in 2002. She later moved to the United States to deepen her understanding of comparative law and international commercial practice, earning an LL.M. in International Transactions and Comparative Law from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2005.
Knaup began her professional life in Argentine legal circles. She became a member of the Colegio de Abogados de Bariloche in 1996 and worked as an associate at the Law Offices of Vidal, Knaup & Zapata that same year. She also taught Private International Law at Universidad FASTA in 1999, combining academic work with practice. Those years established her grounding in cross-border legal questions and the municipal systems that interact with them.
After relocating to the United States, she worked as a legal assistant at Halverson & Associates in 2003 while completing her LL.M. studies. She joined the State Bar of California in 2009 and opened the Law Offices of Marcela B. Knaup that year. She has been involved in pro bono work through Bay Area Legal Aid since 2010, and she holds memberships in regional and national organizations including the Contra Costa County Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Her practice draws on formal training in private international law and international transactions. Case work has involved cross-border family and civil matters, immigration filings and the legal consequences that flow from differing national rules. She blends classroom experience and courtroom practice, and she has worked with clients seeking legal solutions that involve more than one jurisdiction.
Knaup maintains her office under the name Law Offices of Marcela B. Knaup and continues to serve clients in California while remaining a member of the Buenos Aires-area bar. Her current practice handles immigration matters and cross-border private international law issues.
