Mauricio Cardona

Mauricio Cardona is an attorney at Sandpoint Estate Planning in Sandpoint, Idaho. His practice areas include civil and commercial litigation, exempt securities, FCPA compliance, due diligence for complex commercial transactions, energy law, government law, and general business advising. He has extensive experience helping clients structure investment offerings that have raised tens of millions of dollars, conducting due diligence on multimillion-dollar international transactions, overseeing internal investigations for multinational corporations facing FCPA compliance issues, and assisting businesses in establishing governance protocols to protect owners from liability.

Mr. Cardona earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law, where he was awarded the Philip G. Hubbard Human Rights Award for his work in founding the Center for Worker Justice. He also received the Dean’s Award in Contracts and Sales Transactions and served as an Immigration Fellow at the University of Iowa’s Legal Clinic. His legal experience includes internships with Briggs and Morgan and Xcel Energy in Minneapolis. During law school, he was actively involved in leadership roles, serving on the Dean’s Advisory Council on Diversity, the Pro Bono Society, and as President of the Latino Law Student Association and Vice President of the International Law Society.

Mr. Cardona also holds an MBA from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Science in International Business from Bradley University. Before pursuing law, he worked as an account executive for an international manufacturing company, gaining extensive experience in GSA programs and compliance. He also served as a project coordinator for a design-build contractor specializing in the energy industry, where he earned a reputation for his customer-focused approach and ability to coordinate design, manufacturing, delivery, and post-sale services.

Following law school, Mr. Cardona worked as a staff attorney for a Christian nonprofit, representing clients in immigration proceedings. He later joined the Dane County District Attorney’s Office, where he prosecuted thousands of cases and conducted over 30 trials, including Wisconsin’s largest Possession with Intent to Deliver synthetic cannabinoids case. He also represented the state in Dane County’s Operating While Intoxicated and Diversion Drug specialty courts.

Currently, Mr. Cardona serves as a Commissioner on the Idaho Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs and holds leadership roles in several community organizations, including as a board member of the Sandpoint Kiwanis Club and Bonner Classical Academy, Vice President of the Sandpoint Community Resource Envision Center, and founding member and Vice President of the Idaho St. Thomas More Society.

Mr. Cardona is licensed to practice in Idaho, the United States District Court for the District of Idaho, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He is also a registered civil case mediator through the Idaho Supreme Court, a member of the Idaho Mediation Association, and a FINRA arbitrator.

A native Spanish speaker, Mr. Cardona is fluent in both Spanish and English.