Maria M. Rivera-Ortiz

Managing Attorney

From DUIs to carjacking to white collar crimes, if you're in big trouble, you can rely on Attorney Rivera-Ortiz to help dig you out.

Having worked for the District Attorney's office, Maria Rivera-Ortiz knows that the system can make mistakes because of false allegations or over-zealous prosecutors and police officers.  While she believes that most prosecutors and officers are honest people doing a tough job, she also knows investigations can become focused on proving a defendant's guilt.

Maria works to maintain good relationships with prosecutors, judges, probation officers, clerks, and other players in the Massachusetts criminal and juvenile justice system.  Sometimes a successful result for a client is a "not guilty" verdict after a jury trial.  Other times, success may mean a guilty plea that does not involve a jail sentence.  Whichever the case, Maria's relationships help her to achieve the best results possible for her clients.

From the firm's early years, Maria's hard work and commitment to her clients has propelled her to Managing Attorney at the firm.  She is the towering figure in the area of zealous advocacy, and a role model for up-and-coming criminal attorneys. 

"When I met Maria, I was in awe of her because of the idea that she could be both a zealous advocate for her clients, and a mentor, trusted advisor, teacher, and counselor to others in the firm," says Irwin M. Pollack, Founder of the firm.

After two years of watching her bottom-line results relating to zealous advocacy, client satisfaction, and regional growth, Maria was recognized for her success in the Worcester and Western Massachusetts regions and made Managing Attorney of the firm - all at a time when other law firms were only focused on billable hours, the bottom line, and little else.

In addition to her Massachusetts practice, Attorney Rivera-Ortiz also appears before the United States Federal Court and the United States Supreme Court.  She received her undergraduate degree from Boston College, and her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University.  She is an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Worcester County Bar Association, and the Hampden County Bar Association.  Additionally, Maria is on the Board of the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts and an Attorney Advisor for the South High Community School mock trial team.