Class of 2008-09 Domestic Violence Clinic  Georgetown University Law Center 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 662-9000

Profile:

Mariela was a Clarence Darrow Scholar at the University of Michigan Law School, where she was an Executive Editor of the Michigan Law Review and a student in the Child Advocacy Law Clinic.  She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Texas-Austin with highest honors and special honors with degrees in Plan II Honors and Spanish Literature.  As the former Managing Attorney for the Domestic Violence/Family Law division at Ayuda, the District’s leading provider of services for low-income immigrant victims of domestic violence, Mariela counseled hundreds of victims of violence while managing Ayuda’s legal and social service program.  Additionally, Mariela managed Ayuda’s domestic violence outreach and media efforts and participated in Spanish-language print, radio and television programs.  She was also active in domestic violence advocacy and non-profit associations and coalitions—participating and presenting at several conferences— and worked extensively in fundraising efforts.  Mariela was named a Rising Legal Star by the Hispanic Bar Association of Washington and is a member of the Family Law Section Steering Committee of the DC Bar and of the Domestic Violence Unit Task Force of D.C. Superior Court.  Before her service at Ayuda, Mariela was an associate at Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLP, where she practiced in the areas of employment discrimination, director and officer insurance liability and appellate law.  Moreover, she represented various individuals through her pro bono practice, including successfully obtaining asylum for a client on the basis of sexual orientation and HIV status.  Before moving to DC, Mariela clerked for the Supreme Court of Texas.

As the Supervising Attorney for Georgetown Law’s Domestic Violence Clinic, Mariela has numerous responsibilities.  For example, at the beginning of her fellowship, she handled a complex matter that involved cross-petitions and five separate criminal cases.  Ultimately the case was resolved favorably, and she noted that the client was overwhelmingly pleased.  Mariela also supervises the Georgetown law students while they are handling cases through the Domestic Violence Clinic.  Following intensive litigation training for the students that took place at the end of August, as well as a number of substantive seminars, the students were able to do their own case pickups at the Domestic Violence Intake Center.  Mariela worked with the students at the intake center in their discussions with potential clients.  On the day of case pickup, the students also conduct the emergency temporary protection order (TPO) hearings.  Mariela works with the students on their written and investigatory advocacy in preparing for their Civil Protection Order (CPO) cases, and she helps the students represent the client in direct examination.  She supervises the students through their case preparation, written drafts, oral advocacy, and exhibit collection.  Mariela also participates in teaching part of many clinic seminars.  For example, she taught a section on cultural competency, an introduction to domestic violence law, a section on visitation and paternity, and she co-taught a class on case-pick up and intake procedures.  She also prepared an entire class session on the intersection between domestic violence and immigration law, an area in which she has substantial experience.  Regarding non-fellowship activities, Mariela has continued to remain active in supporting Ayuda, where she previously worked, which is a public interest organization that protects the legal rights of low-income immigrants in the DC area, focusing on immigration, trafficking, domestic violence and family law issues.  She also participated in a domestic violence advocacy day at the District of Columbia City Council building, talking to council staffers about the need for increased funding for domestic violence services in DC.   She is also active with the DC Bar Family Law Section, and facilitated a program at the courthouse that brought together representatives from all of the family court branches and DC practitioners.  The event was designed to give practitioners an opportunity to ask questions from the court representatives and to learn how to represent their clients more effectively in the different branches of the court.