Biography
Mirna is a highly experienced lawyer with over 25 years of experience. She is a member of the firm’s Insurance Solutions Practice Group, focusing principally on insurance coverage analysis and litigation.
With a deep understanding of policy interpretation, claims handling, and litigation strategies, Mirna provides her clients with insightful counsel and aggressive advocacy to protect their interests. She carefully reviews policies and provides detailed coverage opinions on complete coverage issues. Whether resolving disputes through negotiation or litigation, Mirna is committed to delivering strategic and results-driven solutions.
Mirna lectures on an array of topics, including insurance. She has written legal articles that have been published in the New York Law Journal, the New York State Bar Association Journal, and Association’s Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section Journal. She also authored two chapters on subrogation and anti-subrogation for the American Bar Association’s Handbook on Additional Insureds.
Mirna has been featured in Latina Magazine, The Grio talk show, Reuters, PLI, National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) Magazine, and NBC News, among other media.
In 2018, Mirna founded Girls Rule the Law (www.girlsrulethelaw.org) to introduce middle and high school girls to the law and to provide them the opportunity to interact with mentors in the legal, judicial and legislative fields.
Mirna graduated from New York University and the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School. She also obtained an Employment Law Certification from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Education
State University of NY School of Law at Buffalo, J.D., 1995
New York University, B.A., 1992
Honors
New York State Bar Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Trailblazer Award, 2025
Marquis Who’s Who in America, 2025
Second Judicial District Trailblazer Award for Youth Engagement and Education, 2024
Latino Judges Association Hon. Frank Torres Award for Commitment to Diversity, 2024
United Nations Council of Women Award, 2023
Bronx Borough President Citation of Merit for Advancing Women’s Rights, 2023
Hispanic National Bar Association’s Latina Executive Leadership Program (1 of 14 nationally), 2019
New York State Bar Association: Torts, Insurance & Compensation Law Section Award for Outstanding Chair (Diversity), 2012
New York State Bar Association: Sheldon Hurwitz Young Lawyer Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Practice of Law in the Field of Insurance, 2010
Languages
Garifuna
Spanish
Professional Leadership
Co-Chair, New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), Task Force on US Territories, 2022-2024
Executive Committee Member, New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), 2020-2023
Director, Board, Defense Association of New York, 2020-Present
Director, Board, New York Bar Foundation, 2020—Present
Co-Chair, NYSBA, Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, 2019-2022
Founder and Chief Executive, Girls Rule the Law, Inc., 2018 to present
Delegate to the New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates, 2017-2023
Chair, NYSBA Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section, 2015-2016
Defense Association of New York Diversity Initiative, Planning Committee, 2014-2016
Community
In 2018, Mirna founded Girls Rule the Law (www.girlsrulethelaw.org) to introduce middle and high school girls to the law and to provide them the opportunity to interact with mentors in the legal, judicial and legislative fields.
Presentations
“Deconstructing Race and Bias in the United States,” New York Law School, 2025
“From Lemmon to Liberation,” New York State Judicial Institute, 2025
“Alternative Careers to the Law,” National Association of Women Lawyers, 2025
“Strategic Thinking for Leadership,” New York State Bar Association Leadership Academy, 2025
“Enhancing Workplace Belonging through Inclusive Language,” New York State Office of the Attorney General, 2024
“Creating an Inclusive Legal Environment through Language,” New York State Bar Association Annual Meeting, 2024
“New York’s Equal Rights Act,” Panel Discussion, New York State Bar Association, 2024
“Succession Planning for Diversity,” Panel Discussion, New York State Bar Association, 2024
“Advancing Women in the Legal Profession,” Panel Discussion, Defense Research Institute Annual Meeting, 2023
“Respectful Communication: Cutting Across Macroaggressions,” New York State Office of the Attorney General, 2023
“Overturning the Insular Cases and Restoring Rights to the People of the US Territories,” SOMOS Puerto Rico Conference, 2023
“Why Political Participation Matters,” The Female Quotient, Panelist, 2023
“Changing the Narrative on Capacity and Disability,” New York State Office of the Attorney General, 2023
“Removing Improper Gatekeeping into the Law in New York,” The Eboni K. Williams Show, the Grio, Television Appearance, 2023
“Blasting through Bias: Interrupting Unconscious Bias,” New York City Housing Judges, 2022
“Communicating Across Differences: Why Interrupting Bias Matters,” New York State Bar Association, 2022
“Laboratories for Inclusion: Lessons from Law School,” New York City Bar Association, 2022
“Recognizing and Interrupting Bias,” New York Title Association, 2022
“Increasing Diversity by Interrupting Implicit Bias,” Defense Association of New York, 2022
“How to Recognize Implicit Bias in the Courtroom,” New York City Civil Court Judges Training, 2022
“Recognizing and Interrupting Bias in the Financial Sector,” Euclid Financial, 2022
“Increasing Diversity and Inclusion by Interrupting Microaggressions in the Courtroom,” NY County Special Masters’ Program, 2022
“Implicit Bias, Racism and why we need things like CRT,” Mid-Hudson Library System, 2021
“Why Interrupting Bias Matters in Legal Spaces,” New York County Lawyers Association, 2021
“Interrupting Implicit Bias in Legal Spaces," Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys, 2021
"Tackling Microaggressions for a More Inclusive Workplace," NYC Economic Development Corporation, 2021
"Recognizing and Interruption Implicit Bias," California Applicants' Attorneys Association, 2021
"Law and Community in the Battle Against Hate," Panel Discussion, Asian American Bar Association, 2021
"The History of Juneteenth and the Continued Fight for Anti-Racism in the United States," NYSBA, 2021
“Deconstructing the Codification of White Supremacy in the United States,” NYSBA, 2021
"Tackling Microaggressions for a More Inclusive Workplace," NYS Judicial Institute, 2021
“Conversations About Race: How to Be Anti-Racist,” New York City Economic Development Corporation, 2021
“Confronting Colorism and Anti-Black Sentiment in Latinx Culture,” Hispanic National Bar Association, 2021
“Recognizing and Interrupting Implicit Bias in Criminal Justice,” NYS Association of Defense Lawyers, 2021
“Interrupting Implicit Bias in Sentencing,” Criminal Court Judges’ Session, NYS Judicial Institute, 2021
“How to be Actively Anti-Racist,” Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.C., 2020
“Why Recognizing and Interrupting Implicit Bias is Critical for Criminal Justice,” Legal Aid Society, 2020
“Recognizing and Interrupting Implicit Bias in Legal Spaces,” Queens County Bar Association, 2020
“Everything You’ve Wanted to Know About Race but Were Too Afraid to Ask,” Fragomen Worldwide, 2020
“Capacity: Assessing the Way We Discuss Disability and Aging,” NYS Judicial Institute, 2020
Criminal Justice in the Wake of George Floyd,” New York State Bar Association, 2020
“Recognizing and Interrupting Implicit Bias in Legal Spaces,” Sive Paget & Riesel, 2020
“Capacity: Assessing the Way We Discuss Disability and Aging,” NYS Judicial Institute, New Judges, 2020
“Overcoming the Impostor Syndrome as Women of Color,” Seton Hall Law School, 2020
“Increasing Equality at Work for Women of Color,” Constance Baker Motley Symposium, New York State Bar Association, 2020
“Changing the Narrative on Capacity: Interrupting Bias Against the Disabled,” Fross Zelnick, 2020
“Interrupting Implicit Bias in the Courtroom,” New Judges Seminar, NYS Judicial Institute, 2020
“Why Interrupting Bias Matters in Legal Spaces,” Carter Ledyard, 2019
“Creating a More Inclusive Work Environment by Interrupting Implicit Bias,” Corporate Counsel Institute, 2019
“Interrupting Implicit Bias to Master Cultural Competence,” 2 sessions, NYC Bar Association (for Association employees), 2019
“Why Interrupting Bias is Critical in Legal Spaces,” Tarter Krinsky & Drogin, 2019
“Implicit Bias: A Primer,” Albany Law School, Capital District Women’s Bar Association, 2019
“Creating a More Inclusive Work Environment: Why Interrupting Implicit Bias Matters,” NYC Bar Association, 2019
“Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias: Interrupting Implicit Bias,” Oneida County Bar Association, 2019
“Boosting Innovation and Profit in Legal Spaces by Being More Inclusive,” Fross Zelnick, P.C., New York, NY 2019
“Mastering Cultural Competence by Interrupting Implicit Bias,” two (2) sessions, NYS Judicial Institute, 2019
Publications
“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and the Myth of Meritocracy,” NYSBA Journal, April 2022
“#MeToo: Building Inclusion to Break Down Barriers,” with Taa Grays, Mishka Woodley and Clotelle Drakeford, NYSBA Journal, March 2022
Handbook on Additional Insureds, American Bar Association Treatise, Second Edition, 2018 (Chapters 8 and 15E – Subrogation and Anti-Subrogation and Commercial Auto, respectively)
“Handling your first deposition as a new lawyer,” New York Law Journal, January 2016
“Avoiding the Pitfalls in the Tripartite Relationship between the Carrier, the Insured and Counsel,” New York State Bar News, July 2015
Handbook on Additional Insureds, Chapter 8, “Subrogation and Anti-Subrogation” and Chapter 17(E), “Commercial Auto,” American Bar Association Treatise, October 2011
“New York’s Anti-Subrogation Law Update,” Torts, Insurance & Compensation Law Section Journal, Spring 2011
“The Case for Diversity,” Torts, Insurance & Compensation Law Section Journal, Winter 2009
“The Defense Attorney’s Guide to Maintaining a Relationship with an Insurance Carrier,” Torts, Insurance & Compensation Law Section Newsletter, May 2008