Michal Shinnar is Senior Counsel in the firm’s Labor & Employment Law and Whistleblower practice groups. She has a long track record of vigorously advocating for the rights of employees in many sectors and stations, from executives to low wage workers, and has helped recover millions of dollars for her clients. Ms. Shinnar has successfully represented employees in sex discrimination, disability discrimination, sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, race discrimination, age discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, non-compete agreements, and unpaid wages cases. Her practice includes all aspects of employment law, including discrimination, disability accommodations, employment contracts, non-competes, severance agreements, and wage and hour disputes. She was part of the litigation team that won the highly publicized $43.8 million settlement in Breen v. FAA, which made history as the highest settlement in an age discrimination case against the federal government. 

Ms. Shinnar has been recognized by her peers through appointments to leadership positions in her bar associations, and has been repeatedly invited to speak on key employment law topics. She currently serves as the chair of the National Employment Lawyers’ Association (NELA) Disability Law Practice Group and on the board of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers' Association (MWELA), where she chairs MWELA’s Luncheon Seminar speaker program.

Ms. Shinnar joined the firm in 2021 after over eight years of practicing at plaintiff-side employment law firms and having clerked for an Administrative Judge at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Ms. Shinnar received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law where she was a Stein Scholar, Public Interest Law Fellow. She received the Donald J. Feerick Prize in Labor Law and the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award, summa cum laude, as well as served as an editor on the Moot Court Team and a journal. During law school, she interned for the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor. She holds a B.A., cum laude, in History and Psychology from Barnard College, Columbia University.

Prior to law school, Ms. Shinnar worked as the psychiatry research coordinator for a major behavioral health hospital, where she worked on clinical studies for improved pharmacological treatments for patients with schizophrenia and other severe psychotic disorders.

Ms. Shinnar presented her research findings at the American Psychiatric Association's annual conference. Her background in medical research informs her work advocating for individuals with disabilities, as well as guides her work with statistical data in class action cases. Ms. Shinnar believes in a client centric approach to cases, where plans a case strategy around the client’s personal and professional goals. She believes in being thorough, tenacious, and strategic to advocate for her clients.