Maria was the First Assistant in the Winnebago County States Attorneys Office in 2020 and 2021. While in that office, Maria supervised the Criminal and Civil Bureaus and implemented new policies and procedures pertaining to the investigation, charging and prosecution of criminal cases. Prior to going to Winnebago County, Maria was an Assistant States Attorney with the Cook County States Attorneys Office in Illinois for nearly 30 years until her retirement in 2019. While in that office, she was Supervisor of the Third Municipal District, where she oversaw the prosecution of felony, misdemeanor and traffic offenses from approximately 25 suburbs of Chicago, the Illinois State Police and the Cook County Sheriffs Department. Prior to holding that position, Maria was the Supervisor of the Homicide/Sex Unit in Chicago, the Supervisor of the Domestic Violence Division and was a Deputy Supervisor in the Traffic Division. She has prosecuted numerous complex and high-profile murder and sex cases, and has extensive experience handling physicians, psychiatrists and forensic experts in DNA, fingerprints, trace evidence, blood spatter, cell tower analysis, pathology and water deaths. While in that office, Maria was an in-house trainer of over 1000 assistant states attorneys on numerous constitutional issues and trial advocacy skills. In 2002 and 2003, Maria worked for Freeborn & Peters in Chicago, where she defended companies in civil litigation. Maria has lectured at local and national conferences, and trains prosecutors from throughout the state of Illinois on trial advocacy skills, legal issues, rules of evidence and ethics. In addition, Maria conducts trainings for the Chicago Police Departments new detectives as well as detectives seeking their Lead Homicide Investigator certification, and for police officers throughout northern Illinois through North East Multi-Regional Training (NEMRT). Maria taught trial advocacy classes at Northwestern University School of Law, where she received the Joan M. Corboy Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching Advocacy and Professionalism, and The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

Company Firm

McCarthy & Valentini LLC

Firm Mailing

700 Commerce Dr Ste 500
Oak Brook
Illinois-Upstate
60523-8736
United States of America

Fellow Since

September 25, 2020

Practice Areas

  • Prosecution

Chapter

  • Illinois-Upstate

Committee(s)