About Maria T
Maria T Patente combines scientific training, business education and a law degree in a practice built around older clients and their families. She began her academic path at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned a B.S. in Biology and Molecular Genetics. She later added an MBA in finance from San Francisco State University and completed a J.D. at American University Washington College of Law. The sequence of degrees gives her a range of perspectives on health, money and the legal tools people use when planning for later life.
After law school she moved into private practice and in 2014 opened her own firm, The Law Office of Maria T. Patente PLLC. She serves as owner and lawyer there. The firm handles matters commonly associated with elder law and estate planning, and it is organized around practical problem solving rather than a single style of advocacy.
Patente is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Virginia and New York. Those multi-jurisdictional admissions allow her to assist clients whose lives and assets span state lines. She maintains memberships in several professional organizations that reflect her professional interests. Those include the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys, the Virginia Association of Elder Law Attorneys and the Washington DC/Maryland Association of Elder Law Attorneys. She has also been a member of the Women’s Bar Association of D.C. since 2022.
Her background in biology and finance informs everyday work. Medical terms and billing structures can be dense, and financial planning often shapes the options available to a family. She draws on that mixture of coursework and on-the-job experience when preparing documents or advising on long-term care planning.
Clients typically consult her about Medicaid eligibility, asset protection, long-term care planning, powers of attorney, advance directives and estate administration. She prepares wills and trusts, and she represents clients in the probate process when a formal administration is required. She also assists families trying to coordinate care and legal authority for an aging relative.
Colleagues describe her work as practical and detail-oriented. She structures advice to be understandable to people who are new to the legal system. Since 2014 she has run her practice from The Law Office of Maria T. Patente PLLC. She currently concentrates on elder law, estate planning and probate matters.
