Mario was born in Buffalo, New York in 1972. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1994 with degrees in Government and History. While at the College of William and Mary, he was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, an honorary society for leadership and academic achievement. In 1997, Mario graduated from the William and Mary School of Law, ranking ninth in his law school class.
Immediately following law school, Mario clerked for United States Magistrate Judge James E. Graham in Brunswick, Georgia. Following his clerkship and prior to joining the Strom Law Firm, Mario served as an Assistant Public Defender in DeKalb County, Georgia. Mario also served as special counsel to the Center for Prisoners’ Legal Assistance in Georgia and assisted inmates with Habeas Corpus petitions and wrote the litigation manual for inmate litigation under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983.
Mario joined Strom Law Firm in February 2000. He is a member of the South Carolina, Georgia and New York State Bars. He is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, United States District for the District of Colorado, The Supreme Court of Georgia, and all state courts in South Carolina, Georgia, and New York.
Mario has also been admitted pro hac vice in numerous federal courts, including: The Northern District of Florida, The Southern District of Florida, The Northern District of Alabama, The Middle District of North Carolina, The District of Connecticut, The District of New Jersey, The Southern District of Iowa, The Southern District of California, The Central District of California, and The Northern District of California. Mario has also practiced in a number of other Federal courts in Multidistrict litigation.
Mario represents individuals in class actions, social security disability, worker’s compensation, personal injury including traumatic injury, defective products including defective drugs, nursing home neglect, and predatory lending cases. Some of the most tragic but rewarding cases involved representing the childhood victims of sexual abuse.
Mario defends criminal cases in State and Federal Courts in South Carolina as well as the Southern District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, and the Middle District of Georgia. Additionally, Mario has litigated appeals in state and federal courts in South Carolina and Georgia and has appealed cases to the United States Supreme Court.
Honors and Awards:
- Omicron Delta Kappa
- Legal Writing Instructor, University of South Carolina School of Law, 2003 – 2006
Mario is a member of the American Association for Justice, South Carolina Association for Justice, South Carolina Bar Association, Georgia Bar Association, and New York Bar Association.
Mario lives on St. Simons Island with his wife Gwen and two children, Clare and Wesley. He attends St. Simons Community Church and enjoys kayaking on Dunbar Creek and cheering on the Buffalo Bills. Mario also has a black belt in Isshin Ryu Karate. Mario serves on the board for Glynn Visual Arts and has assisted a number of political candidates seeking local office in Glynn County.
