Maria Diory F. Rabajante

Maria Diory F. Rabajante (“Diory”) is a doctoral researcher in the Department of Public Law, where she examines out-of-court dispute resolution mechanisms in online content governance.

Before joining the Institute in 2024, she was a research associate at Goethe University Frankfurt in the Research Train­ing Group (Graduiertenkolleg) “Standards of Governance”. Prior to these roles, Diory spent nearly a decade in legal prac­tice as a litigator and dispute resolution lawyer, gaining experience from law firms in Manila and Berlin. A Philippine-qualified lawyer since 2014, she has extensive experience in complex civil and criminal litigation, alternative dispute resolution, intellectual property, and industry-specific disputes. Alongside her legal practice, she conducted bar review lectures on Philippine procedural law. Her experience as a litigator informs her critical perspective on the procedural and institutional design of out-of-court dispute resolution mechanisms in online content governance.

Diory earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of the Philippines–Los Baños, graduating cum laude and first in her class; a Bachelor of Laws/Juris Doctor from San Beda University–Manila; and an LL.M. in International Dispute Resolution from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, receiving a Best Student Award for outstanding academic performance.