About Christina
Christina Wilkes began her academic path at Smith College, where she completed a B.A. in Government and Latin American Studies in 2000. She went on to earn her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School in 2004. Those years shaped an early interest in public-interest work and the law’s role in immigration and community advocacy.
Her legal career moved quickly into nonprofit practice. She served as an Equal Justice Works Fellow after law school, first with Just Neighbors in 2004 and then with Ayuda in 2005. She stayed on at Ayuda and moved into leadership roles, becoming Children’s Project Director in 2006 and later Legal Director in 2008. Those posts involved direct client services, program development and supervision of legal staff in matters affecting immigrant families.
In 2012 she joined Grossman Law, LLC as a partner. Five years later she left to start her own firm. In 2017 she founded Wilkes Legal, LLC, where she is a founder and partner. Throughout this period she also maintained a presence in professional associations. She has been active in the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 2012 and served in several volunteer leadership roles in the D.C. chapter, including vice chair positions on CBP-related committees and a Maryland legislative committee in 2013–2014. She joined the Maryland State Bar Association’s Immigration Section Council in 2016 and has served as chair of Ayuda’s Board of Directors beginning that same year.
Wilkes is licensed to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and she is admitted to practice in the Fourth Circuit and the D.C. Circuit. Her work has combined direct representation and organizational leadership. She has handled cases that require interaction with federal agencies and appellate advocacy, and she has overseen programs that serve children and families, reflecting a mix of client work and policy-oriented practice.
Today she leads Wilkes Legal, LLC, a practice she established to continue immigration representation and related appellate work. She continues to participate in bar and nonprofit governance while managing the firm’s casework. Her current practice focuses on immigration matters and related federal litigation.
