Ms. Pappas-Rajotte was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2010. Following in her father's footsteps, Maria received her Juris Doctorate from John F. Kennedy University, School of Law where she was awarded Witkin awards in Torts and Community Property. Maria was also a two-semester member of the John F. Kennedy University Law Review.
Ms. Pappas-Rajotte's experience in the law began well before law school, working in civil litigation for the defense for almost ten years, Maria believes this was invaluable experience for her present representation of plaintiffs in personal injury litigation. "I know what arguments the defendants will make even before they think of them, because I worked on their side."
Ms. Pappas-Rajotte began her career as a legal secretary than attended St. Mary's College Paralegal Program where she obtained her paralegal certificate in 1994. Maria worked as a paralegal and paralegal manager for more than ten years at defense firms in Walnut Creek, Oakland and San Francisco. .
Today, Ms. Pappas-Rajotte almost exclusively focuses on the civil personal injury side of the firm's business as well as advising clients on estate planning and limited general matters. "For the last ten years I have helped hundreds of people through their personal injury crisis. Because I have been able to focus on this area for such a significant period pretty exclusively I have gained some important insights and a reputation with many of the big insurance companies. I believe this gives my clients an edge when it comes to settling their cases."
Ms. Pappas-Rajotte enjoys an undefeated record in opposing Motions for Summary Judgment when the firm handled Medical Malpractice cases. Maria has successfully negotiated six figure settlements in many difficult areas of personal injury law including slip and fall premise liability, low impact motor vehicle collisions, and third party criminal premise liability. "A lot of lawyers refuse to take on many of the difficult personal injury cases that I take because of the risk involved but I became a lawyer to help people and the people who need the most help are the ones who have the more complex cases. My father always fought for the "little guy" and well I feel the same way."
Maria was recently named to Lawyers of Distinction in 2018 and again in 2019 for Personal Injury Law.
