President-Elect Candidate Statement: Mirna Martinez Santiago

President-Elect Candidate Statement: Mirna Martinez Santiago

9.8.2025

By Mirna Martinez Santiago

Show up. Speak up. Woman up.

Those are the words I live by. Those are the first words I tell my students when they walk into any Girls Rule the Law program.

It means that while it’s important to show up (to register, to join, to sign up), it is equally important to participate meaningfully. Even more important is the willingness to do the hard work it often takes to effectuate change for the betterment of society; to get the task done; to be in a state of “service.”

I joined the New York State Bar Association as a young lawyer in 2008. I have taken every opportunity offered to me (whether it was to speak on a panel, create a CLE program, Chair a Section, present before the House of Delegates or join the Executive Committee) to create value for and be in service to the Association. I went from receiving a “young lawyer” award in 2010 to the “trailblazer award” in 2025. NYSBA has been with me through every stage of my evolution as an attorney.

In deciding whether to run for President-Elect of the Association, I went back to the “Purpose” of NYSBA, as set forth in the Bylaws. What spoke to me as a new member and what continues to speak to me now, is the Association’s commitment to the Rule of Law and its determination to elevate the standard of integrity, honor, professional skill and courtesy in the legal profession. NYSBA’s bylaws call on all of us to apply our knowledge and expertise in the field of law to promote the public good. But that last line in Section 1. of “Purposes” is particularly important in these times: To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States and Constitution of the State of New York.

Who would not be inspired by that? Who would not want to be an integral part of that mission?

There are so many existential issues facing our profession right now. How will we fare with the advent of AI? How do we compete with machines, especially when clients are looking for cheaper and faster work product? How do we attract new members, when so many young lawyers see Bar Associations as an outmoded way of networking with other lawyers? How can we demonstrate— through actions, not words—that NYSBA and its members are willing to show up, speak up and do the work necessary to keep our profession and our Association indispensable in the decades to come? I stand ready to address these issues head on and work—shoulder to shoulder—with every willing member.