Maria Spear
Maria is a caring yet zealous advocate for her clients. She understands the serious and sensitive nature of practicing as a licensed family law attorney in Riverside County. Being fully bilingual, Maria successfully advocates for and represents the Spanish-speaking communities in her area.
Background and Education
Growing up in a family of eight, Maria quickly learned the value of teamwork and the importance of achieving success via education. At the age of 10, she started mowing lawns during the summer for her family’s landscape business which her father still operates today in the Coachella Valley. Maria was the first in her family to attend college, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from San Diego State University. She discovered her passion for the law while working as a legal assistant at a boutique bankruptcy firm in Palm Desert, California. It was during her time there that she learned that she possessed the skills to be a great attorney. Through her experience working in a law office, she observed that the profession was in need of strong, loyal, and charismatic women, so she began her pursuit of a juris doctorate degree at Cal Western State University College of Law. Four years and two amazing children later, Maria graduated from law school, Magna Cum Laude and passed the California Bar Exam on her first attempt.
Law Practice
Maria has dedicated herself solely to the practice of family law since being licensed as an attorney. In addition to being a member of the California State Bar Association, she is also a member of Southwest Riverside Bar Association. Maria has represented clients in and out of court in all family law related matters throughout Riverside County including dissolution of marriage, legal separation, child custody and visitation, child support and spousal support and modification of support orders, property division, domestic violence restraining orders (DVTRO) as well as juvenile law, including adoption and guardianship petitions. Maria has a deep understanding of custody/visitation issues from the working parent and stay-at-home parent’s perspective. She has experience working with court appointed minor’s counsel, marriage and family therapists, and custody evaluators hired by the parties to help the court make orders in the best interest of the child or children involved. She has worked with these professionals on reunification therapy and navigated the mandatory Child Custody Recommended Counseling (CCRC) process that judges use as a guide to make temporary custody and visitation orders. She has advocated for clients before most, if not all, of the judges in her area so she can advise clients through the entire process efficiently and effectively. Overall, Maria thrives at providing not only effective advocacy for her clients but doing so in a sympathetic and compassionate manner.
Outside the office
When she is not working, Maria spends all her time going on adventures with her two boys and her husband. They enjoy everything from hiking, playing and attending sporting events, and traveling in and out of the country. Maria and her husband are involved in the Menifee Valley Sports and Valley Wide Sports organizations.