Adrian Fontecilla, Susan Gutierrez, Rafael Medina, Greg Rasin and Evandro Gigante

November 2, 2015 (NEW YORK) – As part of Proskauer’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, special guest Rafael Medina joined us for an evening of conversation and cocktails on October 29. The Hispanic/Latino Lawyers Affinity Group hosted the event, which took place in New York and connected via videoconference to our offices in Boca Raton, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Newark and Washington, D.C.

Medina is the head of labor & employment law at McDonald’s Corporation and a longtime firm client. Since 1991, he has overseen and managed employment litigation for McDonald’s in the United States. He also is his team’s liaison on all social media and diversity issues within the company.

Litigation associate Adrian Fontecilla introduced Medina. Susan Gutierrez, a Litigation associate who frequently works with Medina as a member of his Proskauer team, posed questions and moderated the conversation.

Medina described his early life and education, and how his career took him to Puerto Rico to work for the National Labor Relations Board and then a small law firm that did a lot of labor work. McDonald’s recruited him and he joined the company in 1991. He advanced through positions of increasing responsibility and has been in his current role since 2007.

How, Gutierrez asked, has the state of diversity in the legal profession changed over the course of his four decades as a lawyer? Medina responded both that it remains a challenge and he’d like to see much more progress. For his own part, he has championed diversity within McDonald’s and has made a point of hiring minority lawyers for his department and requiring that outside law firms include diverse associates when staffing his matters.

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs annually from September 15 to October 15. Proskauer celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

At Proskauer, diversity is a core value and a fundamental element of our culture and history. As a firm, as professionals and as individuals, we benefit from the breadth of views and the unique contributions that a diverse workforce brings to our organization. The insight gained from this collaborative approach propels us to fresh perspectives and creative solutions in the service of our clients.