Marlene was born in Miami, Florida in 1973. She graduated from Florida International University with a B.A., with honors, in 1993, and thereafter attended Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C., where she received a Master of Science in Foreign Service in 1996. While in Washington she interned at the Organization of American States in the Office of the Secretary General. In 1998, she obtained her J.D., with honors, from the University of Miami School of Law where she was awarded the Claude M. Olds Scholarship and was Vice-President of the Global Trade Society. While attending law school, Marlene interned for the Honorable Linnea Johnson, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and also clerked for Aballí Milne Kalil, P.A. during her final year.

Upon her admission to the Florida Bar in 1998, Marlene joined the firm as an associate, where she works primarily in the international practice with an emphasis on estate and tax planning and international transactions. Marlene is fully fluent in Spanish and proficient in French and Portuguese.