Mari Inoue is admitted to the Bar of the State of New York, and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin (High Honors) and the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law. While she was a law student, she gained experience as an intern at private immigration law firms. She also spent significant portion of her law school education in immigration law as she was part of the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Clinic. Upon graduating from law school, she gained experience at an immigration law firm in New York City. She also worked as an adjunct professor for the CUNY School of Law, and taught immigration law to students in the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Clinic. She is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).