Monica M. Guilarte was born on August 2, 1985. Her grandparents and her father immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1967. Monica grew up hearing stories of her grandparents’ struggles after they arrived in the U.S., which instilled in her qualities of strength, determination, and drive.
She attended River Hill High School in Clarksville, Maryland and graduated in 2003. It was there she discovered it was her dream to become a lawyer.

Monica pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida. She made the Dean’s List and was inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society. In the spring of 2007, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology.
Afterwards, she moved back to Maryland, where she was hired as a receptionist at Shapiro & Mack. This experience reinforced her dream of becoming a lawyer.

Monica was accepted to the University of Baltimore School of Law and began taking night and summer classes while still working full time at Shapiro & Mack. She was able to work her way up the ladder at the firm, holding positions as a legal assistant and eventually paralegal. As a paralegal, Monica worked in the criminal defense, personal injury and collections practices. She graduated from law school in December 2010.

Monica passed the Maryland Bar Exam on her first try in February 2011. This allowed her to become an associate attorney at Shapiro & Mack. She was the lead attorney handling the Collections Department, and also gained experience handling personal injury cases, criminal and traffic matters, numerous motor vehicle administration hearings and protective/peace order hearings.

On January 28, 2015, the Law Office of Monica Guilarte officially opened.