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Andy Beltran: A Marine’s Mission for Justice

By Susan Cushing

As the sun dips below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the bustling city, a Marine veteran stands resolute in his corner office, a far cry from the battlefields he once traversed. With a disciplined mind forged in the heat of combat, he now fights a different kind of battle—one for justice in the courtroom. This is the story of Andy Beltran who transformed his military resolve into a thriving career as a personal injury and criminal defense attorney. With each case, he not only seeks to uphold the law but also to honor the values of courage, integrity, and perseverance instilled in him during his service.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Beltran is the only child of hardworking immigrant parents. From an early age, Beltran saw firsthand what dedication looked like. His parents, who both worked tirelessly to build a secure future for their family, instilled in him the values of hard work and resilience. Watching them persevere day in and day out, Beltran learned that success required more than ambition—it demanded consistency, discipline and a willingness to push beyond his limits. Inspired by their example, he set high goals for himself and embraced a drive that would propel him through life’s challenges, both in his time as a Marine and later as an attorney, with the same unwavering commitment his parents had shown him.

“My mother came from El Salvador and my father from Mexico,” he says. “I have tremendous respect for both of them. I watched how hard they worked for wages that didn’t seem to come close to compensating. My father always worked hard at manual labor positions, such as delivering lumber and my mother was an electronic technician. Today, I feel very blessed to be in this position, to have the opportunity to help people and earn a good living while doing so.”

A Calling to Serve

A gifted and dedicated soccer player, the young Beltran also felt an early calling to military service. As a youth, he was a U.S. Naval Sea Cadet in the Bryce Canyon Division out of Encino, California. In that program, Beltran participated in various summer trainings to learn about and train with Field Corpsman, Hospital Corpsman, Airman, Seabees and became SCUBA certified. Those experiences not only bolstered his sense of purpose and self-discipline but whet his appetite for his next journey as a United States Marine.

“Growing up, I loved watching war movies such as ‘Saving Private Ryan’, ‘Full Metal Jacket’, ‘Platoon’ and ‘Heartbreak Ridge,’” he says. “I was also into reading about warrior cultures such as the Samurai, Spartans, Romans, etc. I joined because it was, and is, my belief that military service is honorable and I specifically chose the Marine Corps because I always perceived them to be the toughest, and they appeared to earn the highest respect. I was attracted to the whole ‘first to fight’ aspect.

“So, in November of 2001, I started boot camp,” he adds. “I served as an infantry rifleman and served with the Second Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team (2nd FAST) and Second Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, Fox Company. While in 2nd FAST, I deployed to Iraq in 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We conducted countless convoy operations missions and secured Saddam’s palace in Baghdad, which then served as the Coalition Provisional Authority HQ. We earned our combat action ribbon during that service.”

Danger was constant and everywhere, and gunfire from the enemy wasn’t the only threat. While stationed on one of Uday and Qusay Hussein’s compounds, the heat and lack of air conditioning weren’t the only discomforts.

“I used to sleep on a cot with my rifle leaned against the wall and holding my pistol on my chest,” Beltran recalls. “I did that because there were wild hyenas that roamed the area. They used to laugh at us every night. (lol). We even began setting traps for them, but they were too smart and always took our bait.”

Return to Civilian Life

After courageously serving in countless missions, Beltran’s return to civilian life left him temporarily without direction.

“When I graduated from high school, I never really considered going to college,” he admits, “my only plan was to become a Marine. But once I was out it seemed to be the Montgomery GI Bill made going to college the only logical next step. So, I enrolled in a local community college to pursue a business degree.”

After the action he’d experienced overseas, the classroom was too tame – or maybe he just wasn’t ready. After a couple of semesters, Beltran stored his books and was back in action.

“I started community college in 2005 when I got out. But to be honest, I hated being there,” he says. “I went back to work for a defense contractor, Triple Canopy which took me back to Iraq to do security. I did that for about a year and three months. Then I came back home and went back to school.”

It wasn’t long before once again the classroom became too confining, and Beltran was back to working security this time for Blackwater Worldwide.

“I was on a PSD team that provided security to various embassy personnel, and visiting diplomats, including Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, while they went to various government buildings throughout Baghdad,” he says.

They say three times is the charm, and for this Marine, that adage proved true. After returning home once more, he found himself back in the classroom at Glendale Community College. This time, however, he was under the guidance of Arthur Khachatourians, a professor who would profoundly alter the course of his life.

“He taught a course on business law,” Beltran recalls, “and it really piqued my interest in the law. He was an excellent teacher. He taught the class so well, and the material was so interesting to me that it got me thinking that I could see myself becoming an attorney.”

That enthusiasm propelled him to earn a Bachelor of Science in business administration, with a focus on business law, from California State University, Northridge. Equipped with this foundation, he was primed to embark on the next phase of his education at Southwestern Law School as well as earning a Master of Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University.

Finding Fulfillment

Now, with over a decade in law and as a partner at one of the state’s most successful firms, Beltran is open about his enthusiasm for his career.

“We had a First Sergeant that used to tell us, ‘All you devil dogs running around the field shooting targets thinkin’ I can’t believe I get paid for this s***.’ And you know what, that’s how I feel about being an attorney fighting for my clients. I can’t believe I get paid for this.”

With experience from hundreds of missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he understands the critical importance of sound decision-making and staying one step ahead of the opposition. Beltran has seamlessly integrated these skills and lessons into his career as a trial attorney, bringing the same strategic mindset and discipline to the courtroom.

“It is no surprise to anyone that the Marine Corps is very mission oriented,” he says. “I bring that mindset with me every day that I practice law. I treat every case as if it is a mission to me. In the Marine Corps, we planned for various missions in Iraq when I was there in 2003. I apply the same mission planning principles to planning for trial, as I would for planning for warfare.”

One of these “skirmishes” was particularly significant to Beltran, partially because it involved a fellow veteran.

“One of the cases I was particularly proud of involved an Army veteran who was deported because of a conviction that dated back to the ’90s,” Beltran says. “He was originally from England. He was brought here as an infant and had been in the United States his whole life. He had served a full enlistment in the ’70s and was honorably discharged. He proudly served our country and then was deported because of one mistake in his past.

“I filed a motion to vacate his conviction because he didn’t knowingly and intelligently understand the immigration consequences of entering his guilty plea. Happily, I was successful, and his conviction was set aside, and his case was dismissed. He has since become a naturalized U.S. citizen, and he continues to send me photos of him with his grandkids. That was a very rewarding outcome to me.”

Betran first met his partner, Damon Rogers, while serving as his intern at another firm. Since, the two have developed a dynamic partnership.

“We work closely, almost hand-in-hand, on every case,” Beltran says. “We complement each other well—he’s stronger in some areas, and I’m stronger in others. I think we make a great team. Our focus is aligned, and we approach each case much like a mission, with careful planning and a solid strategy. Our commitment to our clients has produced successful results in criminal and civil trials, and in negotiating significant settlements for our clients.”

Continuing to Serve

Beltran continues to remain fully committed to protecting and defending the U.S. Constitution by ensuring that his clients are fully aware of their constitutional rights. He is currently an attorney member of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association’s Critical Response Team.

“As an attorney member of the USCCA’s Critical Response Team, I receive calls around the clock from the CRT hotline when members are involved in self-defense incidents. Many of these incidents have involved a USCCA member who used a firearm in self-defense,” he says.

Beltran recently obtained a favorable outcome for one member out of the Van Nuys Courthouse.

“Jeremy used his firearm in self-defense after an aggressor and his friends followed Jeremy to his apartment building and threatened him,” he says. “Jeremy called 911 to report the incident and then called the CRT hotline. When police arrived, they arrested him. I had already received the call from the CRT hotline to inform me of the incident and immediately dropped what I was doing and began driving to Jeremy’s location. When Jeremy was arrested, they booked him on attempted murder charges and his bail was $2 million.

“The District Attorney’s office charged him with assault with a semi-automatic firearm causing great bodily injury and offered nine years in state prison if Jeremy entered a guilty plea. We rejected the DA’s offer and fought the case for almost two years until I had a meeting with the deputy DA handling the case at the time. At the meeting, I presented all the evidence supporting that this was a legitimate self-defense incident. After she reviewed the evidence I presented, she agreed with me, and we resolved the case with a plea to a misdemeanor carrying a loaded firearm without a permit. He was sentenced to one year of informal probation.”

From the battlefields to the courtroom, Beltran has never been one to back down from a fight. As a highly decorated Marine, he’s faced challenges most of us could only imagine. Now, with the same grit and dedication that earned him countless honors in service, he stands up for those who need it most as a personal injury and criminal defense attorney. Whether he’s helping a client navigate a personal crisis or defending their rights in the courtroom, Andy Beltran brings a warrior’s discipline and a fierce sense of justice to every case.

Rogers | Beltran LLP

6700 Fallbrook Avenue Suite 280
Los Angeles, CA 91307
(213) 900-9004
RogersBeltran.com
@SoCalFirm

Andy Beltran: A Marine’s Mission for Justice

A Calling to Serve

Return to Civilian Life

Finding Fulfillment

Continuing to Serve

Rogers | Beltran LLP

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