CARLOS R. PASTRANA

I practice in all areas of labor and employment law, including matters involving discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, FMLA, wrongful termination, wage and hour, labor relations, unfair labor practices, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, workplace safety, and federal contractor issues. Other areas of expertise include general civil litigation, premises liability, personal injury, insurance litigation, and contract litigation.

I have litigated before local and 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. I have also tried cases before the State of Wisconsin Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the National Labor Relations Board.

Fully bilingual, I advise and train local, national, and international private and public sector employers with both English and Spanish-speaking unionized and non-unionized workforces on how to handle day-to-day issues that arise from managing employees. I also provided legal advice in labor and employment matters to clients who are in the process of setting up, or who already have, operations in Wisconsin, California, Puerto Rico, and Latin America.

• American Bar Association
• Hispanic National Bar Association
• Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee
• National Employment Law Council
• State Bar of Wisconsin

• Milwaukee County Civil Service Commission, Board Member, 2018 – Present
• Milwaukee County Personnel Review Board, Board Member, 2014 – 2015
• Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps, Inc., Board Member, 2013 – 2019
• La Casa de Esperanza, Board Member & Member of Executive Committee, 2014 – 2018
• Milwaukee Achiever Literary Services, Board Member, 2012 – 2015

• “Diversity: Is Your Law Firm Truly Committed?” September 2020 – Wisconsin Lawyer
• “United States Supreme Court Extends Title VII’s Protection to Prohibit Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity,”
  June 2020 – MWH Blog
• “Department of Labor Publishes Extensive Update on Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” May 2020 – MWH Blog
• “Navigating Social Media Landmines in the Workplace,” August 2017 – Wisconsin Municipal Mutual Insurance Company, Eau Claire, WI
• “Carlos Pastrana: From Puerto Rico to the Midwest,” June 2016 –Wisconsin Lawyer
• Edited the Wisconsin Chapter of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section’s Employment at Will: A State by State Survey in 2013 and 2014.

• Presented three courses at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. School of Continuing Education Labor Relations program:
  • “The National Labor Relations Act: Practical Considerations”
  • “Potential Landmines in the Interviewing and Hiring Process”; and
  • “How Employers can Defend Against Worker’s Compensation Claims”