











An attorney that understands

María Mendoza grew up outside of El Paso, Texas. Her mother was born in Durango, Mexico and later migrated to the United States. María has witnessed first hand the poverty and difficulties that so many immigrants face. As a teenager, Ms. Mendoza dreamed that it was possible to achieve more than what society expected of her and this ability to dream of a better life ignited her legal career. Today she fights to defend clients in both immigration and personal injury law.
Languages

Spanish

English
Practice Areas
Immigration
United States Nationwide
Personal Injury
Maryland and the District of Columbia
Recognition and Associations

American Immigration Lawyers Association
Recognition and Associations
American Bar Association
2010 – Present
Appellate Committee, 2012-2013
District of Columbia Bar, D.C. Bar Leadership Academy Inaugural member, 2013
Publications Committee, 2014 – Present
District of Columbia Defense Lawyers Association
2013 – Present.
Publications committee, 2013- Present
Gateway Community Development Corporation
2014 – Present
Board of Director, 2014 – Present.
Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia
2009 – Present
Vice President for External Affairs, 2014
Vice President for Internal Affairs, 2013
Board of Director, 2012
Secretary, 2011
Task Force on Advancing Latino Attorneys, Co-Chair
Employer Outreach Committee, Co-Chair
Endorsement Committee, Board Liaison
Professional Development Committee
Legislative Affairs Committee
Public Interest Committee
Equal Justice Awards Committee, Co-Chair
Hispanic National Bar Association
2006 – Present.
DREAM Initiative Task Force, Secretary
Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy,
Inaugural Member
39th Annual Convention Plenary Subcommittee Co-Chair
Immigration Reform and General Counsel roundtable plenary sessions, 2014
Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia
2009 – Present
Secretary, 2014
Amicus Committee Chair, 2012-2013
Diversity Committee Co-Chair, 2013
Mentoring Committee Co-Chair, 2013
María G. Mendoza is a highly skilled and experienced lawyer whose mission is to help her clients obtain work authorization and gain legal residency status in the United States, including, when possible, without leaving the United States to attend consulate interviews abroad. She has successfully handled thousands of immigration cases and has won cases for clients that other lawyers said were not winnable. Many of her clients have complex and difficult situations due to issues such as illegal entries into the United States, prior deportations and criminal convictions and have spent decades trying to find a solution to fix their papers. Due to her vast experience, knowledge and creativity, Ms. Mendoza is able to create winning solutions for her clients.
In the District of Columbia and Maryland, Ms. Mendoza, through her team of attorneys, fights for the rights of the injured in automotive accidents including bus accidents, pedestrian accidents, drunk driving accidents and commercial vehicle/trucking cases involving catastrophic injury and death.
After graduating from law school at age 23, Ms. Mendoza started her legal career as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Vanessa Ruiz of the D.C. Court of Appeals, the equivalent of the Supreme Court for the District of Columbia. She was a 2009-2010 law fellow for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute where she worked on national policies that would uplevel the Latino community. Before turning her focus to immigration and personal injury law, Ms. Mendoza’s prior clients included governmental entities of Puerto Rico, large corporations and Ms. Mendoza litigated hundreds of actions, in administrative, state and federal courts on behalf of her clients. She worked with some of the best lawyers in Washington D.C. before she founded her own law firm.
A staunch advocate for immigrants, underserved communities, and women; Ms. Mendoza is involved in a number of national and local civic organizations. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and served on the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia for several years at the beginning of her career. She also served as a Board Director for the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia and previously held leadership positions with the D.C. Bar.
Ms. Mendoza understands the plight of Latino immigrants, Latino families, and other underserved communities very well. Her mother, who was born in Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico, came to the United States as part of the Bracero program, where she and her immediate family did the jobs most Americans don’t want to do — picking onions and other agricultural produce under the hot sun for very little pay and under poor working conditions. Ms.Mendoza’s father was born and raised in New York City and grew up amongst tremendous poverty and street crime. Ms. Mendoza grew up outside of El Paso, Texas, in a community riddled with domestic violence, gangs, street crimes, single-parent households, and other challenges that often accompany poverty. As a teenager, Ms. Mendoza dreamed that it was possible to achieve more than what society expected of her and this ability to dream of a better life ignited Ms. Mendoza’s legal career. Ms. Mendoza uses her ability to think outside the box to help her clients achieve their very own American dreams.