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Maria D. Villa is a principal of the law firm of Lathrop & Villa in Rolling Hills Estates, which she co-founded in 1992. She has an active state and federal appellate practice and has practiced in the areas of employment and business litigation, and plaintiff’s class action litigation. Ms. Villa was featured in the Daily Journal in connection with her work on the Pinney v. Great Western Bank class action. She is admitted to practice before the California Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Central and Eastern Districts of California.
Ms. Villa received her B.S. in Business Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and her J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. During college, she served as Vice President of M.E.Ch.A. and was the campus coordinator of the M.E.Ch.A. student outreach program. During law school, Ms. Villa was an active member of La Raza Law Students Association and was co-chair of La Raza’s Fundraising Committee. Ms. Villa served as a volunteer law student at the Labor Defense Network of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. As a third-year law student, Ms. Villa used her legal training and bilingual skills to advocate the rights of primarily monolingual employees in administrative hearings before the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.
Ms. Villa was the first Hispanic attorney to be elected to the State Bar Board of Governors in 1999 and served as vice president and treasurer. She also served as chair of the Stakeholder Relations Committee for the State Bar and is a founding fellow of the State Bar Foundation. Ms. Villa is a founder and member of the Latina Lawyers Bar Association. She is a member and former president of the Mexican-American Bar Association of Los Angeles County. Ms. Villa is a lifetime member and former deputy regional president of the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Since graduating from Loyola Law School, Ms. Villa has remained active with her alma mater. She has served on the Latino Scholarship Committee and on the Women’s Roundtable steering committee. In 1998, Ms. Villa and her husband and law partner Steve Lathrop endowed the Loyola Law School Maria D. Villa Scholarship, which provides financial support to deserving Latina law students. She is a founding board member of the nationally recognized Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic and is lifetime member of the Loyola Law School’s Dean’s Forum.
Ms. Villa has served on numerous boards, including Women Lawyers of Los Angeles, California Women Lawyers, Hispanic Professional Roundtable, and the editorial board of the Los Angeles Lawyer magazine. She served by appointment to the Court and Community-Focused StrategicPlanning Team for Los Angeles County and to numerous Los Angeles County Bar committees. Ms. Villa also served by appointment to the State Bar Court Judicial Evaluation Committee by the California Supreme Court.
Ms. Villa is the recipient of the Latina Lawyers Bar Association Mary V. Orozco Abriendo Caminos Award, the Mexican American Bar Association Benito Juarez Attorney of the Year Award, The Dolores Huerta Foundation Adelita Community Service Award, the American Bar Association Difference Maker award, The Loyola Law School La Raza Alumna of the Year Award, and the Loyola Law School Board of Governors Alumni Recognition Award for outstanding service to the law school and to the community.
Ms. Villa immigrated to the United States from Tijuana, Mexico at the age of two and was raised in Redondo Beach. She is the eldest of seven daughters. Ms. Villa obtained United States citizenship in 1979. She speaks and writes Spanish fluently. She lives in Palos Verdes Estates with her husband and teenage son.
Ms. Villa continues her work to keep the doors of opportunity open for students through mentorship and scholarships.