Maria Santos

María F. Santos Villarreal is a litigation and dispute resolution attorney in Holland & Knight's Monterrey office. Ms. Santos provides counsel in administrative, civil and commercial matters. Ms. Santos has a distinguished legal background, and her career spans judiciary, public administration and private practice.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Santos clerked at Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), where she was responsible for drafting court opinions on complex constitutional, criminal, civil and administrative cases. Before her tenure at SCJN, Ms. Santos held key legal leadership positions within public administration. In these roles, she drove initiatives in regulatory affairs and public policy development and was also involved in the streamlining of government processes.

Prior to entering the public sector, Ms. Santos gained foundational experience at a local law firm in Monterrey, advising clients on parliamentary and political law, government affairs, corporate compliance and risk management.

Complementing her professional practice, Ms. Santos is committed to pro bono legal service and has served clients in civil, family and criminal law matters through a gender perspective, in addition to promoting animal well-being.