Maria has exclusively represented injured individuals since graduating from the University of Puget Sound School of Law (now Seattle University School of Law) in 1983. She received her B.A., cum laude, in 1980 from the University of Washington. She is a recognized expert in personal injury litigation and has tried multiple medical negligence cases to seven figure verdicts, including anesthesia errors and failure to diagnose pulmonary embolism. She was the lead attorney in two landmark victories for insurance consumers in Washington State. She has been a frequent speaker and author in the areas of personal injury litigation and insurance.

Maria has held numerous leadership positions in the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, serving on its Board of Governors since 1992 and as its President from 2000 to 2001, and has also received multiple honors from the organization, including the President's Award in 1994 and the Alvin A. Anderson Award in 2008 for her extraordinary efforts to preserve the civil justice system. She has been a member of the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America) since 2002, serving in multiple leadership positions and being twice-honored with the organization's Wiedemann-Wysocki award. She serves on the King County Bar Association's judicial screening committee and is a past co-chair of that committee. She has served on the Washington State Jury Commission and the Washington State Bar Association's Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Task Force, and previously served as a Special District Counsel to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

Her professional honors include the National Order of the Barristers, a listing in Who's Who in America, a recognition by her peers with an AV rating in Martindale-Hubbell and long-time selection as a "Super Lawyer" by Washington Law & Politics.