Resume

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Mayra Fornos, Esq. is an accomplished litigator and trial attorney with three decades of experience handling a wide range of civil matters, with expertise in the fields of catastrophic personal injury, including spinal cord injuries, vehicular accidents, premises liability, products liability, elder abuse and dependent adult care abuse, wrongful death, medical malpractice, employment discrimination, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), sexual harassment/abuse, family law and business disputes.

This experience, combined with Ms. Fornos’ unpretentious pragmatism, resolute work ethic, professionalism, and personable demeanor, has garnered the deep respect and appreciation of her peers from both the plaintiff and defense bars as well as the court. Her background and wealth of experience have compelled her to focus her talents on dispute resolution, and her resultant approach to the mediation process is guided by her commitment to providing litigants a forum to resolve disputes in an efficient and effective manner.

Ms. Fornos’ strong, positive approach to settlement is based upon bringing the stakeholders together in an atmosphere of reciprocal trust and fair conduct. She believes in the importance of establishing a platform of safety and trust among the parties, fostered by a deep dive into the facts of the case, in order to facilitate mutually beneficial resolutions. Ms. Fornos has been successful parlaying her keen legal acumen, her empathetic mindset, and her innate interpersonal skills to reach fair and judicious outcomes regardless of the complexity or difficulty of the case. Her careful and thoughtful practice of striving to walk in the shoes of each litigant has served her clients well.

Ms. Fornos has been unwavering in the development of her skills in alternative dispute resolution. She has served as a Settlement Officer and Mediator for the Los Angeles Superior Court in addition to receiving extensive training in mediation and conflict resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law, earning certificates in Mediating the Litigated Case and in Elder/Dependent Adult Care Mediation. She has participated as a judge and coach for the Straus Institute’s Mediator Competition, in addition serving as a judge for the American Association for Justice (AAJ) 2021 Virtual Student Trial Advocacy Competition.

Ms. Fornos is fluent in Spanish and draws upon a unique multicultural perspective, along with her respectful and patient approach, to effectively serve clients of many different backgrounds.

• Personal Injury
• Premises Liability
• Products Liability
• Elder Abuse/Dependent Adult Care Abuse
• Wrongful Death
• Sexual Harassment/Abuse
• Medical Malpractice
• Employment Discrimination
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Family Law
• Business Disputes

• Juris Doctor, University of West Los Angeles School of Law
• Bachelor of Business Administration, California State University of Long Beach

• Fornos Law Firm, APC, Founder
• Nelson & Fraenkel, LLP, Former Of Counsel

Ms. Fornos has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2011, Super Lawyers since 2012, and was named one of the Top 50 Women Attorneys in Southern California. She is a recipient of the President’s Award from the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), in addition to being a finalist for Advocate of the Year by the Women’s Caucus of the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC). The Westside Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network awarded Ms. Fornos with its prestigious “Women of the Year Award”. For her decades of steadfast legal work to improve the lives of individuals with catastrophic injuries and those in the disability community, Ms. Fornos received the Chairpersons Award from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities, in addition to the Ed Roberts Independent Living Award from the Dale McIntosh Center.

Ms. Fornos is frequently sought out as a speaker and moderator for legal seminars, as well as for expos and events for the injured and disabled community, including being a frequent legal lecturer for the Don Knabe Wellness Center’s “Law & Resource Day” at Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center, and for the Abilities Expo. She has also authored numerous legal articles, including The Disability Rights/Personal Injury Crossover Case in Public Accommodations (CAALA Advocate Magazine); Corralling the Evidence (CAALA Advocate Magazine); and Winning Your Case with Written Discovery (CAALA Advocate Magazine). Additionally, Ms. Fornos has been featured in the Daily Journal; Los Angeles Times; Culver City Observer; CAOC Forum Magazine; CAALA Advocate Magazine; Wheel:Life Online Magazine; and OYA Online Magazine. For a complete list of her speaking engagements and articles, please visit her website at www.MayraFornos.com.

In 2008, Ms. Fornos founded Ralph’s Riders Foundation in honor of her late husband. Ralph’s Riders Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which inspires and assists individuals with spinal cord injury and other life-altering injuries to achieve their highest level of independence, health, and personal fulfillment. She also serves on the Boards of Global Mobility, a non-profit organization which supplies wheelchairs to developing countries; Familia Unida, a non-profit providing services to the Spanish-speaking disability community; and Infinite Flow, an inclusive dance company. For many years, Ms. Fornos served on the Board of Project Support for Spinal Cord Injury/WYNGS, whose mission was to help rebuild lives after spinal cord injury.

• Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Beverly Hills Bar Association
• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), Emeritus
• Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
• Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC), Affiliate Member
• Loyola Law School, Civil Justice Program Steering Committee
• California Women’s Law Center, Former Board Member
• Culver City Disability Advisory Committee
• Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charity, Founding Friend
• South Bay Bar Association
• Southern California Mediation Association
• American Association for Justice (AAJ)