Mercedes Colwin Honored with the 2025 PLUS Foundation Excellence in Diversity Award
Minneapolis, MN (October 24, 2025) – The PLUS Foundation is delighted to announce that Mercedes Colwin, Founding Partner New York City office of Gordon & Rees LLP, will be awarded the 2025 PLUS Excellence in Diversity Award. This prestigious recognition will be presented at the 38th annual PLUS Conference being held from November 10-12 at the JW Marriott Hotel Grande Lakes, Orlando, Florida. The annual conference provides an incomparable platform for industry professionals to come together, learn and celebrate outstanding achievements in professional liability insurance.
“Mercedes’s recognition as the 2025 PLUS Excellence in Diversity Award winner reflects her remarkable leadership and tireless dedication to preserving human rights. Her work consistently uplifts and inspires others in the professional liability community.” shared Michelle Klein, President, PLUS Foundation. The Foundation presents the prestigious award annually to a member of the insurance industry who supports the mission of the PLUS Foundation through their actions to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry.
The award uses a selection process that looks for someone employed in the insurance or professional liability industry or a company or industry that supports insurance or professional liability insurance and show support of diversity, equity, inclusion, and allyship. The award is given to someone who has impacted the industry and prioritized the need for diversity within the industry.
Mercedes Colwin, a highly successful trial attorney, is the founding partner of GRSM’s New York City Office. She handles a wide variety of litigation, including employment law, commercial litigation, class actions, products liability, professional liability, wage and hour class actions, defamation and related First Amendment claims, civil rights violations and criminal law. Mercedes has defended thousands of cases throughout the country to a favorable result and won over ninety percent of her numerous trials and arbitrations. She regularly litigates business disputes and defends corporations and executives of Fortune 500 companies accused of wrongdoing, including claims of sexual misconduct. Prior to private practice, Mercedes served as an Administrative Law Judge for the New York State Division of Human Rights. During these nine years of service, while a partner at a major regional New York law firm, she presided over three thousand cases brought under federal and state discrimination laws.
Mercedes has received several significant honors. Forbes Business American Airlines named Mercedes one of the six most influential women in America. The list includes dignitaries such as former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Notre Dame Law School presented Mercedes with the prestigious Graciela Olivarez Award for outstanding achievement as a leading Hispanic lawyer of the highest ethical and moral standards. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor received the same award. MultiCultural Law magazine also profiled Mercedes in a Leadership Interview titled, Reaching Back to Diversify the Legal Professional. For the last several years, Law Dragon selected Mercedes as one of the leading corporate employment lawyers in the country. This distinction celebrates her illustrious and exceptional contributions to the legal profession. Widely regarded as a top national legal analyst, she regularly appears on television to discuss critical legal issues affecting the nation.