About Me

Mariam Zhorzholiani is the founder of the Foreign Trained Lawyers Association (FTLA), a legal practitioner, and a Notary Public of State of New York. Through her extensive education covering both the Georgian legal system and American legal institutions, Mariami has dedicated herself to such areas as legal education, immigration issues, professional development, and access to information within the American legal environment.

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Born in Georgia, Mariami holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), with distinction, received at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, after which she proceeded to pursue her legal studies in the United States. Later in life, she gained her Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from Penn State University with a major in Corporate Law, Immigration and Migration Law, and Public Interest Law. Mariami has also benefited from further studies through various courses from like Harvard Law School and World Intellectual Property Organization.

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The viewpoint of Mariami is based not only on her education but also because of her practical understanding of the complexities involved in American legal and immigration matters being an educated lawyer from abroad. Her educational and professional experiences have increased her resolve to promote education and provide clear paths for internationally trained lawyers to enter the U.S. legal field.

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The establishment of the FTLA came from Mariami’s recognition of a common and very basic problem facing all foreign-trained lawyers: the lack of proper and easily accessible information related to LLM, credential evaluation, bar exam, and career options within the American legal system. She realized that there were many highly qualified foreign-trained lawyers who could not get ahead because of the lack of proper information rather than the lack of skill or qualifications.

To solve the above-mentioned problem, she established the FTLA as an educational and professional organization whose sole purpose was to assist foreign-trained lawyers in better understanding the legal career landscape in the United States. By doing so, she hopes to provide them with an easier way of understanding and navigating the legal career landscape in the United States.

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The very essence of the work performed by Mariami is underlined by her conviction that no matter where you come from and what background you have, your talent, ambition, and professional potential must not be confined by your geographical location or ignorance of some information. The future of the legal profession can be seen through the prism of openness of this profession to diversity of experience, foreign cultures, and cooperation with representatives of other nations.