El Chapo's attorney also sings for her clients
Mariel Colón Miró, a self-described singer who became a lawyer, goes by Mariel La Abogada on stage. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Mariel Colón Miró exists in two seemingly separate worlds.
Some days you will find the 32-year-old working as a criminal defense attorney out of her New York City office. In her seven years of practice, she has represented numerous high-profile clients in their criminal trials. That list includes Jeffrey Epstein as well as Joaquín “El Chapo” Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, whom she continues to counsel.
But her love of music has equaled her passion for justice. Which is why Colón Miró began professionally singing regional Mexican music a few years back. Known as Mariel La Abogada—Mariel the Lawyer in English—the Puerto Rico native not only performs in concert, but she also has released numerous singles.
“I say that I’m a singer who became an attorney,” Colón Miró says.
Much like the stories in the epic ballads she sings, fate played a role in Colón Miró’s journey to criminal defense. After graduating from Hofstra University’s law school in 2017, she took to scanning Craigslist for job opportunities while waiting for her New York bar exam results. A law firm advertised for a paralegal to help translate Spanish for a defendant. She applied.
Once the practice hired the soon-to-be lawyer, they notified her that their client was Guzmán, the notorious leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Facing federal charges that included narcotics trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder, the Mexican national would face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment if convicted.
Colón Miró, who does criminal defense work, walks past reporters at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia courthouse in 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)Colón Miró prides herself on her ability to build relationships and connect with others, a skill she feels sets her apart from many other attorneys. She says her parents taught her to treat others as you’d like to be treated, so she spoke with Guzmán the same way she’d speak with anyone else. Through these conversations, they got to know each other.
“I want to learn about you. I want to know who you are,” she says, referring to the way she builds trust with clients. “What have you lived through? Who is your family? What led you to this moment in life? Because the more I understand, the more you’re gonna get the best of me.”
Once Colón Miró was a full-fledged attorney, Guzmán ensured she stayed with his legal team. Even though he was found guilty of all counts and currently is serving a life sentence, the defense attorney continues help him translate his legal documents and providing support for his pro se petitions.
And here’s where her music crosses paths with her lawyering life.
Ballad power
The music video for her newest release, “La Señora,” features Emma Coronel Aispuro, Guzmán’s wife, whom Colón Miró also represented. Released in September 2023 from federal prison, Coronel Aispuro served a little under two years after pleading guilty to charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering.
The corrido, through powerful trumpets and passionate vocals, tells of Coronel Aispuro’s life as only a traditional Mexican ballad can. The lyrics speak of her heartache and resilience, of “years in the shadows” and of loyalty even in absence.
“La Señora” will appear on Colón Miró’s first EP, which is expected to be released early this year. Yet Coronel Aispuro’s infamous husband most likely will never hear the recorded version of the tune that honors his wife. Guzmán is incarcerated at a supermax federal prison and doesn’t have access to a radio.
But Colón Miró has her voice. And being one of a select few permitted to visit Guzmán allows her to sing it to him in person, albeit surrounded by prison guards. She says that with many of her other clients, music acts as a bridge to understanding.
“I’m the same person, just in two different professions, I guess,” Colón Miró says. “But I’m not going to stop being who I am, right?”
This story was originally published in the February-March 2025 issue of the ABA Journal under the headline: “Lyrical Lawyer: Besides providing legal advice to ‘El Chapo,’ this attorney sings for her clients.”
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