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Practice Focus
Maria chairs the firm's Corporate Department and serves on the Management Committee.
Her practice concentrates on the rapidly changing areas of technology and intellectual property transactions, litigation and counseling. She also provides strategic counseling and general corporate representation to start-up and emerging companies. A significant portion of Maria’s practice involves advising clients on matters involving, intellectual property protection, licensing and transferring, electronic contracting, domain names, data security regulation and compliance, consumer privacy, web site development and maintenance, web site audits, co-branding, strategic alliances, hosting, data protection and electronic communications in the workplace.
Maria's practice also includes litigation involving non-competition agreements, theft of trade secrets, unfair and deceptive business practices, and trademark and copyright infringement in both state and federal courts. She also practices before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Maria lectures and writes regularly on intellectual property, Internet, e-commerce, electronic communications and related topics.
- Counseling businesses in connection with privacy and data security regulation and compliance, including consumer privacy, data security breaches, and e-commerce-related issues.
- Representing businesses with regard to development and implementation of document retention policies and compliance programs.
- Counsel a number of businesses in connection with the recovery of domain names from cybersquatters and on domain name strategies, domain name acquisition and the protection of intellectual property rights on the Internet, including through international proceedings of ICANN.
- Counseling businesses in connection with privacy and data security regulation and compliance, including consumer privacy, data security breaches, and e-commerce-related issues.
- Representing businesses with regard to development and implementation of document retention policies and compliance programs.
- Counsel a number of businesses in connection with the recovery of domain names from cybersquatters and on domain name strategies, domain name acquisition and the protection of intellectual property rights on the Internet, including through international proceedings of ICANN.
- Counsel to software and web site developers with regard to development, license and maintenance agreements.
- Counsel to a national financial institution in connection with multiple litigation matters.
- Advising businesses with regard to online sweepstakes and contests.
Counsel to authors, software developers and others in protecting their copyrighted works against unauthorized copying and distribution.
- Advising manufacturer of vitamin, mineral and nutritional supplement products with regard to intellectual property protection and enforcing intellectual property rights.
- Representing businesses with regard to technology, software and/or content development and licensing transactions.
- Counsel to a manufacturer of yogurt and yogurt-related products in connection with negotiation of technology-related agreements and protection of intellectual property and trade secrets and other confidential information.
- Counsel to a number of start-ups and small businesses with respect to intellectual property and Internet and e-commerce related issues.
- Advising businesses with regard to strategies to protect their trade secrets and other confidential and/or propriety information.
Education
B. A., Wellesley College
J. D., Boston College Law School
Honors
Maria was the recipient of The Boston Lawyers Group Award as the first Latina to become a partner in a member firm in 1996. The Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys recognized her in 2003 with its Las Primeras Award for her unique contributions, vision and leadership within the Latino community in Massachusetts. In 2005-2008, Maria was selected by Law & Politics as a Massachusetts “Super Lawyer,” and since 2007, a New England Super Lawyer, both in the field of Intellectual Property. She received the 2007 “Diversity Heroes Award” given by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and the Massachusetts Bar Association at their annual “Excellence in the Law” event, which celebrates achievement and distinction in the profession. In 2008, she was named as one of the “20 on the Move, Hispanic Executives Making an Impact in Boston” by the Boston Business Journal and El Planeta. Maria was selected in 2007 as one of the "Top Ten Women Lawyers in Boston" and in 2009 as one of the “Top Ten Corporate Lawyers” by Women's Business Boston.
Memberships and Admissions
Maria is admitted to practice in Massachusetts. She is a former Trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation. Maria chaired the Boston Bar Journal's Board of Editors (2001-2004) and served as a member of the Council of the Boston Bar Association (1999-2002). She is a member of the Boston Bar Association, the Women's Bar Association, and the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Community Involvement
Maria has been active in a number of community organizations and as a panelist in Bar-sponsored programs, among others. She is Past-President and a former member of the Board of Directors of the South Shore Women's Business Network in Massachusetts. Maria is currently serving on the Wellesley Development and Outreach Council, an advisory council to the Board of Trustees, the President and the Office of Resources and Public Affairs of Wellesley College. She is a former member of the Advisory Board of the Boston Chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, ALPFA. She is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the International Institute of Boston/International Institute of New Hampshire.
Maria is a native of Managua, Nicaragua, and is fluent in Spanish.
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