D.C. Bar Names Erum Mirza as Its First In-House General Counsel
July 24, 2020
The District of Columbia Bar has named Erum Mirza, a former assistant general counsel and compliance counsel with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board), as its first in-house general counsel.
Mirza will begin serving in this new role August 3.
Mirza worked at CFP Board from 2016 to 2019 where she oversaw contracts, handled trademark enforcement and protection matters, and worked closely with its Board of Directors’ Governance Committee. As compliance counsel, she represented CFP Board at professional misconduct proceedings before its Disciplinary and Ethics Commission. Prior to joining CFP Board, Mirza was an attorney at Potomac Law Group in Washington, D.C., a full-service “virtual” law firm, from 2011 to 2013.
Prior to that, she was an associate at Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C., where she handled investigations and compliance, legislative and government affairs, and SEC and other financial litigation matters. Mirza also was an associate at Kaye Scholer in the firm’s Washington, D.C., and New York offices where she counseled clients on a variety of litigation matters.
She also served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown Jr. (retired) in the District of New Jersey. Mirza earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and B.A., with high honors, from Rutgers University.
“I am thrilled to join this stellar Executive Team as the D.C. Bar moves forward with its next set of strategic priorities and continues to serve as a model for other integrated bars across the country,” Mirza said. “I am honored to be entrusted with this responsibility and am looking forward to serving the Bar in this capacity.”
As the Bar’s in-house general counsel, Mirza will provide legal advice and support to the Bar’s chief executive officer, senior leadership team, staff, and the D.C. Bar Board of Governors. As general counsel, she will represent the Bar’s interests in legal matters, act as policy and risk advisor on operations and major initiatives, and oversee, plan, organize, and direct the legal activities of the Bar.
“We are very excited to welcome Erum as the Bar’s first in-house general counsel,” said D.C. Bar CEO Robert J. Spagnoletti. “Her experience in assessing and managing risk is an important addition to the current leadership team and will help the Bar meet the priorities of its new five-year strategic plan. The D.C. Bar and Pro Bono Center Boards, management, and staff will benefit from having ready access to Erum’s knowledge and expertise in important legal matters ranging from contract management to board governance.”
