About Ray
Ray Maldonado studied religious studies at Arizona State University before going on to law school. He earned a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 2007. Those years shaped a legal approach informed by classroom study and courtroom exposure.
He began his professional life in public interest and labor organizations. His résumé includes positions with the United Farm Workers of America and the AFL-CIO. He also worked for the American Civil Liberties Union, where he engaged in civil liberties advocacy. Those roles gave him experience in organizing, policy work and litigation support.
Maldonado moved into public defense, serving at the Cochise County Public Defender's office and later at the Federal Public Defender's Office in Tucson, Arizona. There he defended clients in serious criminal matters and handled federal litigation. The combination of labor, civil liberties and public defense work broadened the kinds of disputes he took on and the courtroom skills he developed.
He is the founder and principal lawyer at Ybarra Maldonado Law Group. At the firm he manages cases and other attorneys, and he continues to take on individual client matters. He also created and coordinates the Legal Observer Project, a program that trains and deploys observers to monitor demonstrations and public events.
Maldonado is admitted to practice in Arizona, before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and before the U.S. Supreme Court. His background crosses trial and appellate work, and his litigation experience spans civil rights, labor-related claims and criminal defense. He draws on experience from both advocacy organizations and defender offices when evaluating cases and choosing litigation strategies.
Today he leads the Ybarra Maldonado Law Group while maintaining a caseload in civil rights, labor and criminal defense matters. He represents clients in trial and appellate proceedings and oversees the firm's work on public events monitoring through the Legal Observer Project. He currently represents clients in civil rights, labor and criminal defense matters at Ybarra Maldonado Law Group.
