Public Interest Advocate to Award-Winning Counsel

Marissa Marquez, B.A. ’04, has been named Senior Counsel of the Year for a Nonprofit or Governmental Agency by the Association of Corporate Counsel Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook, recognizing her leadership and impact as an employment attorney.

As senior counsel at Houston Methodist, Marquez leads the labor and employment counsel team responsible for handling Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation requests. She serves as the department’s employment law expert, conducting research on complex issues involving the ADA, Title VII, FMLA, and wage-and-hour laws. Marquez has navigated a rapidly changing legal landscape that includes executive orders affecting employment and HR policies, shifts in immigration law, evolving Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance and emerging issues surrounding artificial intelligence in the workplace.

After graduating from Baylor with a degree in English literature, she attended the University of Texas School of Law, where she quickly gravitated toward public-interest work. Over the years, Marquez built a résumé that included Gonzales & Gonzales Attorneys at Law in Austin, Wayne Wright Personal Injury Lawyers, the City of Houston’s Office of Inspector General, Texas Children’s Hospital and Legacy Community Health. By the time she joined Houston Methodist in 2021, Marquez had a distinguished record of leadership across several prominent organizations.

That commitment to service extends beyond her legal practice. Marquez has volunteered with organizations including the Texas Civil Rights Project’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Immigration Clinic and Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas. She also has served on the boards of Texas CASA, the League of Women Voters – Houston and The Texas Lyceum.

“My best days are when anyone from Houston Methodist Hospital says our conversation helped them in some way, or helped them learn something new, or they are simply feeling better about the situation I assisted them with,” Marquez said.