For decades, our Latin America team has helped clients address and overcome the legal and business issues they face when operating in or doing deals involving Puerto Rico. Our lawyers advise clients on all facets of labor and employment law, handle litigation in federal and local forums, and provide insurance claim assistance, among other areas. Clients benefit from our close relationships with Puerto Rican law firms, with which we partner to maximize outcomes for litigation in state court. Our work in Puerto Rico is reflected by Chambers Latin America guide consistently naming Morgan Lewis among the leading international law firms in the region.
Our Scope
We represent clients in a broad spectrum of areas including the following:
- Matters before the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources (DLHR), including the Anti-Discrimination Unit and the Bureau of Work Norms
- Matters before the San Juan office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Employment litigation in local courts
- Wage-and-hour audits by the US Department of Labor’s San Juan office and Puerto Rico DLHR’s Bureau of Work Norms
- Workforce reductions and terminations, including “masada” arrangements, severance and separation plans, employee communications, relocations, and reductions-in-force
- Leave-of-absence and wage-and-hour issues, including employee classification and required overtime and premium payments
- Union organizing campaigns and related litigation
- Multilingual (Spanish/English) drafting of equal opportunity, antiharassment/antidiscrimination, compensation, benefits, and leave policies
- Training on harassment, discrimination and retaliation, union issues, compliance, and management skills
- Insurance recovery and tax minimization or deferral from insurance proceeds; legacy liability structures (e.g., ring-fencing, insurance captives, and qualified settlement funds)
- Political-risk insurance policy structure and negotiation for large infrastructure projects
- Spinoffs, receiverships, and restructurings