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Deborah Misir is a partner in the firm’s Commercial Litigation department. She has over 25 years of experience representing a wide array of clients, including U.S. federal agencies, local government entities, employers, unions and individuals.  Deborah’s practice focuses on labor and employment, internal investigations, legal compliance, risk management, civil trial and appellate litigation, international, public policy and legislation. 

Deborah has personally handled hundreds of litigation matters, including oral arguments before almost all of the U.S. federal courts of appeal.  She also develops corporate ethics compliance programs, conducts internal investigations, and provides public policy and legislative advice for government and association clients.

Prior to joining Cullen and Dykman, Deborah practiced commercial, labor, international and immigration law at Lally & Misir LLP, and served in a variety of leadership roles in federal and local government.  Among other things, she served in Washington DC, as Ethics Attorney for the White House Counsel’s Office; U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor; Chief of Staff of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); Counsel to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force (FTTTF); Counsel to the U.S. Delegation to United Nations’ International Maritime Organization, and recently on Long Island, as Town Attorney for the Town of Huntington.  Deborah’s experience in senior government roles provides unique insight to creatively and efficiently represent clients in the most complex and challenging of legal matters.

Deborah is active in the legal community, serving as Chair of the Suffolk County Bar Association’s Committee on Labor and Employment, President of the Indian American Bar Association of Long Island, and Member of the Nassau County Committee on Equal Justice in the Courts for the 10th Judicial District.

Practice Areas

Commercial Litigation Appellate Litigation Civil Rights and Employment Litigation Labor Law Large Exposure, Catastrophe and Event Response Corporate Commercial Contracts Corporate Finance Formations and Governance Energy Transactions Project Development Internal Investigations Unit Labor and Employment Not-for-Profit and Religious Organizations Municipal, Zoning, Land Use and Permitting

Industries

Admissions

  • New York
  • Massachusetts
  • Eastern District of New York
  • Southern District of New York
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Education

  • J.D., University of Minnesota Law School, 1996
  • M.A., University of Chicago, 1994
  • B.A., University of Chicago, 1993

Professional and Community Activities

  • Chair, Suffolk County Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Committee
  • Member, Suffolk County Bar Association
  • Member, Nassau County Committee on Equal Justice in the Courts for the 10th Judicial District
  • Member, Nassau County Bar Association
  • President, Indian American Bar Association of Long Island
  • Member, Huntington Chamber of Commerce
  • Previously, Visiting  Professor, Touro Law Center
  • Previously, Adjunct Professor, George Washington University Law School
  • Previously, Member, Alumni Board, University of Chicago’s Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences

Speaking Engagements

  • May 3, 2023, Hauppauge, NY “Overview of New York Municipal Cybersecurity Law: The Best Offense is a Good Defense,” CLE course taught for Suffolk County Bar Association, Allen Sak Municipal Law Seminar.
  • December 7, 2021, Mineola, NY “Legal Challenges to OSHA’s COVID Healthcare ETS: Where Do Employers and Employees Stand?” Presentation sponsored by The Federalist Society of Long Island.
  • December 2, 2021, Nassau Bar Association, Mineola, NY “Legal Ethics and Equal Justice under the Law: Promoting Fairness and Justice as Members of the Legal Profession,” CLE course taught for Nassau County Committee on Equal Justice in the Courts and Nassau Academy of Law.
  • March 24, 2015, Hempstead, NY, “Law, Politics, and the Judiciary in the George W. Bush Presidency,” Panel at The George W. Bush Presidency Conference sponsored by Hofstra University, Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency.
  • February 16, 2013, New York, NY, “Politics and Government” Panel at the 15th Annual North American South Asian Law Students Association (NASALSA) Conference at Columbia Law School.
  • May 22, 2012, Mineola NY, “Was the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act a Proper Exercise of Congressional Authority Under the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause?” Panel Discussion sponsored by The Federalist Society of Long Island/ Nassau County Bar Association/ Hofstra Law School.
  • May 17, 2012, New York, NY, “The Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act,” CLE course.
  • October 27, 2011, Old Westbury, NY, “The Proposed Redistricting Commission Requires a New York State Constitutional Amendment,” Testimony before the New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment.

Honors and Awards

  • U.S. Department of Justice, Special Achievement Award, Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force, 2002

Publications

  • “The Murder of Navroze Mody: Race, Violence, and the Search for Order,” published in Contemporary Asian America: Multidisciplinary Reader New York University Press 2000.

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