Of Counsel · Arbitrator | International Strategic Advisor
Bar registration
New York State Bar; Dominican Republic Bar
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, Foreign Lawyers Graduate Program
- Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, LL.B.
Practice areas
Certificates
- The Best of DR Abroad (Revista Mercado, 2025)
- Latino Trailblazer Award, LatinoJustice (2013)
- Professional Achievements Award, Presidency of the Dominican Republic (2011)
- Award for Service to the International Legal Community, Dominican Bar Association (2008)
- 20 Leading Latinas in Business, Hispanic Enterprise (2007)
- 100 Most Influential Hispanics, Hispanic Business (2006)
Memberships
- ICC Institute of World Business Law
- ICC-USA Arbitration Committee (leadership role)
- Chair Emeritus, USCIB Sole Practitioners’ Subcommittee
- Dominican member, Permanent Observatory on the State of Arbitration in Latin America (ALArb)
- Advisory Board member, Arbitration Journal of CEU San Pablo University (Madrid)
- Board Member, Latin American International Arbitration of Peru
- Founder, Chairwoman and President, Dominicans on Wall Street, Inc. (DOWS)
Publications
- Co-author, with Yves Derains, Introduction to Investor-State Arbitration (Kluwer Law International, 2018)
- Key Takeaways for States in Preventing and Managing International Disputes, in International Arbitration with Sovereign States, Chapter 8 (Elgar Publishing, 2026)
Languages
- English
- Spanish
- French
- Italian (working knowledge)
- Portuguese (working knowledge)
- Turkish (basic)
Josefa Sicard-Mirabal is an experienced New York-based international arbitration and business transactions lawyer and Of Counsel at Sarı & Kılıç Attorneys at Law. Her career spans legal systems, cultures and languages. She is an independent arbitrator, party counsel and strategic advisor in national and international arbitrations under institutional and ad hoc rules. In the transactional sphere, she has represented international and domestic clients in joint ventures; sales and agency agreements; distribution and licensing agreements; mergers and acquisitions; and banking and securities matters in the construction, energy, telecommunications and food products industries. She is also a mediator and a Special Master to the Appellate Division, First Department, of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. She is listed on major institutional arbitral rosters in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
Ms. Sicard-Mirabal began her legal career as a judge in the Dominican Republic. During her six-year tenure, she rendered decisions in commercial, civil and labor matters. She continued her practice in the United States as an associate at Thelen Reid & Priest and as a partner at Winston & Strawn and Greenberg Traurig. This combination of judicial, advocacy and transactional experience equips her with a deep understanding of distinct legal systems, diverse approaches to dispute resolution, and the cross-cultural fluency required to draft agreements effectively.
From 2011 to 2020, she served as an External Member of the Sanctions Committee of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), an anti-corruption tribunal that reviews fraud and other prohibited practices connected with IDB-financed projects. She heard and decided on appeal more than 45 cases arising from infrastructure projects in member countries, including Bolivia, Costa Rica, Haiti, Paraguay, Peru and Spain. From 2006 to 2015, she was Executive Director, formerly Regional Director, of Arbitration and ADR for North America for the ICC International Court of Arbitration/SICANA and Director of Dispute Resolution Services of the United States Council for International Business (USCIB)—ICC USA, contributing to the administration and development of international arbitration and ADR in North America.
She has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law since 2010, teaching International Business Transactions and International Arbitration Practicum for LL.M. students, and previously teaching Introduction to Investor-State Arbitration. She has been a guest lecturer on international commercial and investment arbitration at Harvard University, Columbia University, Boston University, Northwestern University, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Sapienza Università di Roma, Universidad de Montevideo, and Koç University in Istanbul.