About Mario
Mario Zapata studied political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating in 2002. He moved on to Chapman University Fowler School of Law and earned his J.D. in 2006. Those years set the stage for a career rooted in the intersections of law and public life.
He began his legal practice the year he finished law school. In 2006 he joined Nicastro Piscopo, APLC as an associate attorney. That early period provided day-to-day courtroom experience and exposure to the rhythms of client work. After several years in private practice he opened his own office. By 2014 he was listed as the managing lawyer of the Law Office of Mario Zapata.
Zapata is licensed to practice in California and holds admission to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. His professional affiliations reflect the areas of law that occupy his practice. He has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 2014 and belongs to the Los Angeles County Bar Association and its Immigration Section, both also listed from 2014 onward. His ties to the Orange County legal community date back to 2007, when he joined the Orange County Bar Association and the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association.
Those memberships track with the subjects he handles in his office. Over the years he has handled matters that move between state and federal forums and that touch on immigration procedures. He represents individuals and families at various stages of administrative and judicial process, and he appears in filings and hearings that require both legal research and practical courtroom work.
Colleagues describe him as methodical in case preparation and steady in court. He balances legal research with client-facing tasks, working to explain options and next steps in plain language. The practice he runs operates out of his namesake firm and serves clients who need counsel in matters that often involve cross-jurisdictional questions and federal filings.
Outside of litigation and filings, Zapata has maintained a steady presence in bar association activities over the last decade and a half. That engagement includes the local county bars and national immigration groups, reflecting both a regional base of operations and ties to practitioners across the country. He currently practices at the Law Office of Mario Zapata, where his work focuses on immigration law.
