NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, July 7, 2022 - Proskauer, a leading international law firm, is delighted to announce that The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (“MCCA”) has named partners Monica Arora and Manuel Cachán as 2022 Rainmakers. MCCA honors attorneys from across the nation who have achieved success through innovative, consistent, and proactive business development. To be selected for inclusion, nominated attorneys must demonstrate a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion with outstanding pro bono and community service contributions.
Monica, who serves as co-head of the Private Funds Group, has more than 20 years of experience as a leading investment funds lawyer and advises clients across the full spectrum of investment funds, from large investment firms to start-ups. She has led billion dollar fundraises and transactions for some of the most prestigious names in the asset management industry.
“As lawyers, not only is it important to bring value to our clients, it is also important to make an impact on the communities in which we live and work. Thank you to the MCCA for naming me a 2022 Rainmaker, and recognizing ongoing efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion by the industry,” said Monica.
Monica is also a prominent figure in several pro bono and public service initiatives within Proskauer and the legal community, including holding key positions in the Proskauer Women’s Sponsorship Program and Mentoring Circle Program. Monica is also a board member of Her Justice, a non-profit that provides free legal assistance to women living in poverty in NYC, and is actively engaged with the New York City Bar Association’s Private Investment Funds Committee and the South Asian Bar Association of New York.
An experienced trial lawyer, Manuel Cachán is co-head of the Firm’s Trial Practice Group and manages complex and high-profile litigation matters across the country. As co-lead counsel for Monsanto in a case brought by a woman claiming that use of the herbicide Roundup caused her non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Manuel in 2021 helped secure a defense verdict for Monsanto in a five-month jury trial in California. Manuel is currently lead counsel in a four-plaintiff jury trial in St. Louis County making similar allegations against Monsanto. Previously, he served as trial counsel for Johnson & Johnson in its first-ever jury defense verdict in a case alleging that Johnson’s Baby Powder causes ovarian cancer.
Manuel has represented Fortune 500 companies before federal and state courts in breach-of-contract litigations, securities and banking actions, product liability lawsuits, professional malpractice cases, and suits brought under California’s Unfair Competition Law.
“It is an honor to be recognized alongside this group of lawyers who lead by example and deliver meaningful results in and out of the courtroom. I am proud to be named a 2022 Rainmaker by the MCCA and will continue to dedicate myself to advancing DEI initiatives within the legal and local communities,” said Manuel.
Manuel serves as President of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL) of Los Angeles and is on the boards of Public Counsel of Southern California and the Alliance for Children’s Rights. He is also an Honorary Trustee of the Mexican-American Bar Foundation, a member of the Chancery Club of Los Angeles, and of the Pacific Council on International Policy.
MCCA will honor the 2022 Rainmakers for their accomplishments at their annual Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference and at the 2022 Diversity Gala in New York City on Oct. 17-19.
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