About Maria
Maria Trafton took a circuitous route into law. She studied global and African studies as an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and finished her B.A. in 2010. That academic background gave her a broad grounding in international affairs and social issues before she turned to legal study. She earned her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law in 2014.
Her early legal work began the year she graduated. In 2014 she joined Cundy and Martin, LLC as an associate lawyer. The same year she volunteered with Mid Minnesota Legal Aid, handling matters for clients who would otherwise lack legal help. Those two roles gave her exposure to both firm practice and public-interest work. They also offered practical courtroom and client-contact experience at the outset of her career.
Colleagues describe her as steady and pragmatic. In a firm setting she has taken on case preparation, client interviews and drafting court filings. In the legal aid setting she assisted with intake and helped guide clients through legal processes they found confusing. She has worked on matters that required balancing procedural detail with the real-world stakes facing clients.
Her professional roots are in Minnesota law. She has practiced in that jurisdiction since beginning her work in 2014. That local focus shapes how she approaches cases and client relationships. She understands the state court system and local rules. She also brings experience from two very different legal environments: a private firm and a legal aid organization.
At Cundy and Martin LLC she remains on the firm’s roster and continues to represent clients in Minnesota. Her practice draws on the courtroom and client-service work she began early in her career. She handles matters on behalf of the firm and provides direct representation to clients who come through the office.
Outside of casework she has kept ties to the communities that informed her studies and early volunteering. Her academic background in global and African studies remains part of how she frames legal problems. She keeps practicing law at Cundy and Martin LLC in Minnesota, where she focuses on client representation for the firm.
