Dora Maria da Costa was born in Dores do Indaiá (MG), on March 28, 1951. She graduated in law in 1979 from the Catholic University of Minas Gerais, and specialized in Labour Law and Procedural Labour Law at the Federal University of Goiás .

She joined the Regional Labour Court of the 3rd Region (Minas Gerais), by public tender, as legal aid in 1979, being promoted to legal technician. As a civil servant, she was judge adviser and director of the Documentation, Legislation and Jurisprudence Services.

In 1987, she joined the judiciary as a Substitute District Labour Judge of the Regional Labour Court of the 10th Region (Distrito Federal / Tocantins). Between 1988 and 2002, she was a District Labour Court Judge of the 10th and 18th Regions, until she was promoted to Regional Labour Court Judge of the 18th Region (Goiás) – which she was elected president over the biennium 2005-2007.

In 2003 and 2004, she served as a Substitute Superior Labour Court Justice, to which she returned in March 2007, still as a substitute.

On May 17, 2007, she joined the Superior Labour Court as Justice, in a spot aimed to the judiciary career, where she took part in the First Chamber.

She is part of the 8th Chamber since November 2007 and the Specialized Section in Collective Bargaining (SDC) since March, 2014.

She was a Counselor of the Superior Labour Court Council (CSJT) in the 2014/2016 biennium.

She served as a Special Body member in the biennium 2011/2013 and 2017/2019.