As one of very few attorneys from Puerto Rico in the Upper Midwest, I have a responsibility not only to my clients and my firm, but to my home country, my family, and all the teachers and mentors I have had along the way.
For Carlos, it would be easy to feel by the amount of stress that comes with providing quality service to his labor and employment and litigation clients. To keep himself motivated, Carlos is reminded of Joe DiMaggio’s answer to the question of why he always played hard: that there might be someone in the crowd who has never seen him play. Carlos says, “I often think that I might be the first person from my country that my client, my colleague, or the judge presiding over the case might have ever met, and that motivates me to be at my best at all times.”
Carlos finds creative and expansive solutions for his public and private sector labor and employment and litigation clients on their most pressing issues, including:
- Discrimination and retaliation
- Sexual harassment
- FMLA
- Wrongful terminations
- Wage and hour matters
- Unfair labor practices and labor relations
- Workers’ compensation
- Workplace safety
- Federal contractor issues
- General civil litigation
- Premises liability
- Personal injury
- Insurance litigation
- Contract litigation
Carlos is equally comfortable relating the strengths and weaknesses in the case to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company as well as the rank and file on the line. Clients appreciate Carlos’ expressive personality.
Fully bilingual, Carlos advises and trains employers with English and Spanish-speaking unionized and non-unionized workforces on how to handle day-to-day issues that arise from managing employees. He also has tried cases before U.S. courts and agencies, including the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, the Northern District of Illinois, and the First and Seventh Circuits, U.S. Court of Appeals. Carlos has also tried cases before the State of Wisconsin EEOC, Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, OSHA, the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, FINRA, and the NLRB.
Thought Leadership
Thought Leadership
- “Is Your Law Firm Truly Committed to Diversity?,” Wisconsin Lawyer, September 8, 2020
- “The Impact of COVID on the American Workplace,” El Conquistador Newspaper, April 16-22, 2020
- “House Passes Bill Which Would Narrow Definition of ‘Joint Employer,’” MWH Law Group, November 15, 2017
- “Carlos Pastrana: From Puerto Rico to the Midwest,” Wisconsin Lawyer, June 1, 2016
Professional Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Hispanic National Bar Association
- Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee
- National Employment Law Council
- State Bar of Wisconsin