Attorney Justin Alvarez (’97) Aids Women & Babies in the Fight for Life

As a boy, alumnus attorney Justin Alvarez (’97) was curious — and precocious.

At the age of 13, he developed an interest in the fields of business and law. “I was that strange child who would read law books at the library just to figure out what I could and could not do,” he recalls. “And I ran my fair share of small businesses, starting in middle school.” That interest became a lifelong passion, culminating in his work as the owner of the Alvarez Firm in Camarillo, California, a legal practice specializ­ing in real estate.

Around the same time, with no prompting from friends or family, he reasoned his way to the pro-life position. “I didn’t have any religious-based reasoning for thinking abortion was wrong, but I saw the science and the ethical implications,” he explains. “In the very early-stage zygote, you see a scientifical­ly clear, unique human individual. I was not focused on person­hood, or its meaning, only that scientific analysis, and I didn’t find any arguments that would refute that.”

From there sprang another lifelong passion: his work on behalf of unborn babies and their mothers. For more than 20 years, Mr. Alvarez has served on the Board of Directors of Obria Medical Clinics, a swiftly growing pro-life organization dedicated to bringing health care and pregnancy support to expectant moms around the country. In 2023, the Board elected him as its chairman.

Conversion, College & Career

While still a teenager, Mr. Alvarez also began the discernment that would ultimately lead him to Thomas Aquinas College and the Catholic Church.

Raised in a largely secular home, he became curious about the question of God, inspiring him to explore various faiths. “I was something of a deist to begin with,” he says. “Around age 15, I attended Mormon missionary sessions, studied world religions, and would sometimes attend up to four Christian churches on a Sunday.”

As he neared high school graduation, he sought to study philosophy and theology, and he wanted an undergraduate education that would prepare him well for law school. “The College’s program was perfectly suited to what lawyers do – read and analyze texts, interpret them, then discuss and argue about them,” he says. “I also learned that, even in those early days, TAC had many alumni who had attended very strong law schools, and so, even though the College was then small and young, it could help me get into a significant law school.” In 1993, he enrolled as a freshman on the California campus.

“Since the time I was 15, I had already been investigating various Christian churches,” he says. “This was my chance to see what the Catholics had to say!”

By all indications, he found it persuasive. Not long after arriving on campus, Mr. Alvarez began to attend Mass, at the encouragement of a friend. By the goodness of God’s grace, through the theological formation he received in class, and drawn by the intellectual clarity of Catholic doctrine, he en­tered the Church on the Easter Vigil of his sophomore year. “I received the ‘Grand Slam’ of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion that night!”

 “The College’s program was perfectly suited to what lawyers do – read and analyze texts, interpret them, then discuss and argue about them.”

When it came time to graduate, he could not decide between his childhood interests in law and business, so he opted for both. He enrolled at the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a juris doctor and a master’s in business administration. Today, his law firm provides legal advice and strategic guidance to business and property owners. “Many of my clients are busi­nesspersons,” he says. “So, they appreciate that I understand what they have to face as business owners.”

But before heading to law school, he took some time to consider if he had a priestly voca­tion and joined a young adult study group at a parish in Huntington Beach, California. After discerning that his calling lay elsewhere, he began dating his soon-to-be wife, Kelly, who ran the study group with her sister. Today, the couple has 10 children, including two cur­rent students on the California campus — Maximilian (’26) and Therese (’27) — and one alumna, Cecilia (’24), who graduated from the New England campus last spring.

“As I see my children attend and graduate from the College, I can see that the formation they received at home only contin­ues to grow and deepen,” says Mr. Alvarez. “TAC remains an incredible opportunity for forming the knowledge that will lead one to a happy and productive life.”

Saving Lives with Obria

Soon after graduating from Notre Dame, Mr. Alvarez took a job with a law firm in Orange County, California, across the street from a large abortion clinic. “On my lunch breaks, I would often go down and say a Rosary in front of the clinic,” he says. “Even­tually, I noticed a space for lease next door, and knew I wanted to get a pro-life clinic in that space.”

Determined to see his idea through, he reached out to Obria — then called Birth Choice Medical Clinics — and met with its founder, Kathleen Eaton-Bravo. Though the space he had in mind did not end up working out, the organization’s second counsel­ing clinic opened months later, just a few blocks away. Soon after, Mrs. Eaton-Bravo invited him to join Obria’s Board of Directors.

“One of the things I have always firmly believed in is loving the woman where she is, unconditionally, because she deserves to be loved for who she is.”

“I feel especially called to serve the crisis-pregnancy center movement, where you’re meeting women in crisis on the front lines,” says Mr. Alvarez. “One of the things I have always firmly believed in is loving the woman where she is, unconditional­ly, because she deserves to be loved for who she is, not just because she is carrying a baby. And when she feels that uncon­ditional, non-judgmental love, she can feel empowered to make the choice she didn’t think she had, and choose life for her child, choose to love her baby unconditionally as she was loved.”

For the last two decades, Mr. Alvarez has aided Obria in its quest to provide high-quality pro-life medical care and support to mothers and their unborn children. What started as one counseling center in Orange County has grown to include 21 medical clinics across 6 states, saving well over 1,700 lives in the past year alone.

“We recognized the need for a unified, national brand in or­der to effectively counteract internationally recognized organi­zations like Planned Parenthood,” Mr. Alvarez explains. “Though each one has local differences, all Obria clinics are united in our branding, standards, and, most importantly, our mission: to pro­vide comprehensive, compassionate medical health services consistent with the inherent value and dignity of every person.”

As Obria’s network grows larger, Mr. Alvarez is prepared to continue the fight for life, especially in the face of both external adversaries and unseen evils. “You can tell how effective you are by how much the enemy attacks you in spiritual combat,” he says. “In times of our greatest successes, the spiritual attacks on our board and employees grow in strength.”

While it can be daunting, this spiritual warfare inspires him to continue his good work: “When I see these attacks, I know we must be doing good things, because if Satan comes after us that much, he must really hate us and everything we achieve. Though the work is difficult and exhausting at times, I think about all the lives we have saved and will save, and know I have to keep going.”