Martinez speaks at CWC’s Feb. 19 banquet

By Marc Robertson - Editor | February 11, 2026

The Cotulla Woman’s Club has invited high school alumnus and San Antonio-based attorney Maralicia Martinez to give the keynote address at the organization’s annual fundraising banquet on Thursday evening, February 19.

The event marks the 66th time that the club has hosted the fundraiser, spotlighting the academic accomplishments and career goals of the top three students in each class at Cotulla High School. Recognition will also be accorded to the student members of the school district’s National and Junior National Honor Society chapters.

Funds raised at the banquet are used for scholarships to Cotulla High School graduates pursuing their higher education.

The event begins at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Betty Avant Cafetorium on the Cotulla High School campus. Tickets at $15 are available in advance from any Woman’s Club member, or from Marcena Martinez at the cafetorium.

The club invites successful CHS alumni to speak at their banquets, representing a broad range of career paths in science, research, education, public service, the law, the armed forces, and the entertainment industry, among others.

Martinez is the daughter of George and Elizabeth Martinez and was the 2017 Cotulla High School valedictorian. She now serves as an attorney at Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP in the firm’s San Antonio office, where she represents taxing entities in their property tax collection.

After graduating from Cotulla, Martinez attended St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in both English and criminology, graduating Cum Laude in May 2021.

While at St. Mary’s, she was a member of the university’s Honors Program, was named a President’s Ambassador and became an executive member of the university’s Student Government Association.

She went on to attend Texas Tech University School of Law, where she earned her law doctorate in May 2024. While attending law school she was a member of the university’s Criminal Defense Clinic, handling upwards of 20 criminal cases as a fully enrolled law student. She was also an active member of the University’s Trial Advocacy Program, competing in national mock trial competitions throughout the country. She was awarded the William R. Moss Trial Advocacy Award for her achievements in trial advocacy.

Martinez passed the uniform bar exam in July 2024 with a score high enough to practice in any UBE jurisdiction and was admitted into the Texas State Bar in October the same year.

She joined the Linebarger firm in February 2025 and now works closely with local leaders from Bexar County and the surrounding area.

Martinez describes growing up in a community where she now has the opportunity to serve as an immensely rewarding experience. She hopes to continue to grow in her role at the firm and looks forward to an abundant legal career ahead of her.

She is a member of both the San Antonio Young Lawyers Association and the Bexar County Women’s Bar Association. She has been selected to join the 2025-2026 “Lead South” Class through the

South Texas Business Partnership, a leadership cohort for up-and-coming leaders in their respective fields, and is set to graduate from the program in May this year.

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