Mia L. Garcia

• Obtained medical and adult-use marijuana licenses for cultivators, processors, dispensaries, and testing laboratories through license preparation across multiple states.

• Obtained medical marijuana licenses for Ohio operators through the administrative appeal process following unsuccessful initial applications.

• Prepared and presented policy recommendations and legislation to authorize hemp production in Ohio.

• Clients awarded tax-exempt status from the IRS following successful formation, Board guidance and management, and application.

• Successfully led a company’s response to a ransomware attack, involving FBI investigation, managing digital forensics, analyzing disclosure obligations, preparing notices to customers, and avoiding ransomware payment.

Education

• • Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D., Business Law Concentration, cum laude, 2017
• • University of California, Davis, B.A., 2012

Admissions

• State of Ohio

• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio

• U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Ohio

• U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Ohio

Professional Affiliations

• The American College of Financial Services, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy

• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member

Community Involvement

• Peninsula College Fund, Board Member (2023 – 2024)

• Foundations for Philanthropy, Cleveland Foundation (2021)

• Hospice of the Western Reserve, Direct Patient Care Volunteer (2017 – 2021)

  • Walk to Remember Committee (2019 – 2021)
  • ​Planned Giving Advisory Council (2019 – 2021)

• Ohio End of Life Options, Law and Policy Committee Member (2020 – 2021)

• West Side Catholic Center, Volunteer (2016 – 2021)

• Cleveland Leadership Center, On – Board Cleveland (Class of 2019)

• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, 3R’s Volunteer (2014 – 2018)

Firm Involvement

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (2017 – 2021)
• Women’s Initiative (2017 – 2021)

• Recognized among Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® (2022)

• Recognized by Ohio Super Lawyers as a Rising Star (2020 – 2021)

• Recognized among Twenty in Their 20s by Crain's Cleveland Business (2020)  

• Recognized for Excellence in Courtroom Advocacy by Order of the Barristers Honor Society (June 2017)

• “Foundations for Philanthropy: Mia Garcia shares her experience,” Cleveland Foundation (September 2021)

• “De-Mystifying Advance Directives,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (April 2021)

• "Transfer, Administration, and Taxation Issues for Marijuana-Related Assets in Estate Planning," Frantz Ward Client Alert (April 2020)

• “Beware of Tuition Clawback: US Court of Appeals Allows Bankruptcy Trustees to Recover Tuition Payments From Colleges,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (November 2019)

• “Ready or Not: Here Comes the CCPA (The California Consumer Privacy Act), Five Questions to Assess Your Company’s CCPA Readiness,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (November 2019)

• “GDPR Update: Lessons from a Year of Enforcement,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (August 2019)

• “Industry-Specific Cybersecurity Mandates: Looking Beyond Your Industry for Guidance,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (February 2019)

• “Blockchain– The New Real Estate “Fixer Upper”, Cleveland Bar Journal (October 2018)

• “Sixth Circuit Sides with Policyholder In Computer Fraud Insurance Coverage Dispute,” Frantz Ward Litigation News (August 2018)

• "Legislators and Business Leaders Pave Way for Blockchain Innovation in Northeast Ohio," Frantz Ward Client Alert (July 2018)

• “The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and What It Means for Your US-Based Company,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (June 2018)

• “Diversity Boosts Cleveland Business and Legal Community,” Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal (March 2018)

• “NLRB Reverts Back to Broad Joint Employer Test,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (March 2018)

• “NLRB Gives Employers Four More Reasons to Celebrate During the Holidays,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (December 2017)

• “House Moves Towards Easing “Joint Employer” Burden,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (November 2017)

• “President Trump Circumvents Congress, Seeks to Unwind the Affordable Care Act,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (October 2017)

• Co-Presenter, “Donor Advised Funds,” The Lemala Fund for Development Capacity (April 2022)

• Co-Presenter, "COVID-19's Impact on Estate Planning," Association of Corporate Counsel Webinar (October 2020)

• Panelist, "GDRP, CCPA, and the Ohio Data Protection Act: A Look at Where We Are Today," ACC NEO, Epiq, and Frantz Ward Seminar (March 2020)

• Moderator, “Drinking from the Data Firehose: Regulatory Enforcement," ACC NEO, Epiq and Frantz Ward Seminar (March 2020)

• Panelist, “Ace the Interview Panel,” Case Western Reserve School of Law (January 2020)

• Panelist, “Avoiding Data Privacy Liability,” Frantz Ward Litigation Seminar (September 2019)

• Co-Presenter, “Five Things Every Company Should Do Today for Cybersecurity/Data Privacy,” Association of Corporate Counsel (August 2019)

• Co-Presenter, “The Ohio Data Protection Act: Cybersecurity from the Employer Perspective,” Ohio Chamber of Commerce HR Academy, Webinar (August 2019)

• Panelist, “Rock the Interview Panel,” Case Western Reserve University School of Law’s Professional Development Day (February 2019)

• Featured in “Twenty in their 20’s,” Crains Cleveland Business (June 2020)

• Featured in “Attorney Finds Fulfillment Giving Back to Hospice of the Western Reserve,” Currents Magazine (December 2019)

• Featured in “Hospice of the Western Reserve’s ‘Walk to Remember’ Event,” WKYC Live on Lakeside (May 2019)