Maria believes that excellent lawyering means listening first, advocating boldly, and helping clients move forward with dignity and confidence."
Maria Hawkins is a Board-Certified Family Law Specialist and a North Carolina Certified Parenting Coordinator with deep experience advocating for families and individuals through some of life’s most challenging transitions. With over a decade of litigation practice across Wake County and throughout North Carolina, Maria has built a reputation for thoughtful strategy, clear communication, and zealous, but compassionate, representation.
Maria’s practice includes child support and custody matters, alimony, and family financial issues — including complex equitable distribution — always with an eye toward practical solutions and long-term stability for her clients. She has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star (2020–2026) and is regularly honored among Legal Elite by Business North Carolina, reflecting both peer respect and exceptional professional achievement.
Raised with humble beginnings, Maria brings tenacity and empathy to her work — values shaped early in life and reinforced every day in practice. She believes that excellent lawyering means listening first, advocating boldly, and helping clients move forward with dignity and confidence.
Outside the courtroom, Maria is deeply rooted in the Raleigh and greater Triangle community, where she is active in local service, her church, and civic engagement. She enjoys being outdoors, reading across genres, and spending time with her husband, their two children, and their family dog — who keeps everyone moving. A lifelong sports fan and proud North Carolinian, she rarely misses a chance to cheer on her hometown Tar Heels.
Time with her family — whether on a trail, at a game, or simply gathered at home — is what grounds and inspires her work.
