Wagner E. Dantas

Attorney

Biography

Wagner E. Dantas is an experienced trial attorney representing clients in federal and state courts in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Georgia. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and is known for his organized, compassionate approach to complex criminal and civil matters.

Wagner most recently practiced at the Law Office of Wagner E. Dantas, where he represented private clients in a wide range of cases, from criminal misdemeanors to serious felony offenses, including complex drug cases, homicide, and sexual assault matters. His practice also included civil representation in matters involving personal injury, family law, contract disputes, and immigration.

From 2022 to 2023, Wagner served as an Assistant Public Defender with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in Montgomery County, where he represented indigent adults charged with felony offenses in Circuit Court. In this role, he managed a demanding caseload through all stages of criminal trial litigation, gaining extensive courtroom and trial experience in high-stakes cases.

Wagner previously practiced for over a decade in Washington, D.C., representing both private and court-appointed clients in the District of Columbia Superior Court, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. His work during this period included serious felony defense as well as civil litigation.

In addition to his domestic practice, Wagner has significant international legal experience. He served as an attorney-clerk at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, where he worked for the judges presiding over the trial of Radovan Karadžić. His responsibilities included drafting motions, orders, decisions, and judgments during both the pre-trial and trial phases of the case.

Wagner has also held academic appointments abroad. From 2010 to 2012, he served as a Lecturer at The Hague University Law School, teaching courses in criminal law and procedure, public international law, litigation, arbitration, and intellectual property. He also co-coordinated the Comparative Law specialization and served as a tutor, thesis advisor, and mock trial judge.

Earlier in his career, Wagner worked extensively in public defense, including roles with public defender offices in Georgia, Florida, and Washington, D.C. He has represented juveniles and adults accused of crimes ranging from misdemeanors to capital offenses and has participated in all phases of criminal litigation, from arraignment through appeals. He also served as a law clerk with the Georgia Innocence Project, where he worked on habeas corpus litigation involving DNA evidence for individuals on death row.

Education

→ Advanced LL.M., Leiden University Law School, Leiden, Netherlands
→ Juris Doctor, University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law, Washington, D.C.
→ Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, City University of New York, York College

Education & Court Admissions

→ Maryland
→ Washington, D.C.
→ Georgia

Professional Memberships

→ District of Columbia Bar Association
→ Georgia Bar Association
→ Maryland State Bar Association
→ Montgomery County Bar Association
→ American Immigration Lawyers Association

Languages

→ Portuguese (Native)
→ English (Fluent)
→ Spanish (Fluent)