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Practices

Languages

  • English
  • Spanish

Biography

Raúl is a strategic business and management partner who works closely with clients to constructively evaluate and support their business strategies and initiatives.

Raúl is the Partner-in-Charge – Los Angeles at Frost Brown Todd, where he leads a team of attorneys dedicated to client service. Equally comfortable in the courtroom as he is in the boardroom, Raúl draws upon his extensive experience to help his clients create opportunities and overcome challenges in a wide range of areas including business, employment, healthcare, government and international affairs.

His litigation practice encompasses representation of Fortune 500 companies, large multi-national corporations, government agencies, and small businesses in state and federal courts involving a variety of disputes, including in particular the defense of employment claims, civil public-integrity prosecutions, and matters involving complex cross-border agreements and regulatory disputes. In addition, he has argued numerous appellate matters that have become published decisions, including matters before the California Supreme Court.

Outside the courtroom, Raúl serves in a general counsel capacity for private, non-profit, and public entity clients on diverse matters, such as those affecting personnel, government contracts, real estate, and conflicts of interest. His corporate advice also includes boardroom governance matters and certain regulatory compliance issues.

An effective and practical problem-solver, Raúl helps his clients navigate and respond to complex and high-profile matters, drawing upon his crisis management experience as general counsel for both a major public sector client and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to provide clear and consistent guidance across a wide range of issues. His collaborative approach, leadership and strategic insight, and legal judgment, combined with a keen business acumen, make him a sought-out trusted advisor for organizations of all sizes and types.

Raúl’s clients – including numerous well known Latin America-based companies with operations in the U.S – rely on his insight and experience to identify risks, set strategy, and develop plans to meet a wide range of objectives, including geographic expansion, market consolidation, and more. With a solid foothold in both the U.S. and Latin American business cultures (and fluency in Spanish and English), he helps clients achieve their strategic, business, and financial goals.

That’s how he helped the U.S. division of a Mexican company with the world’s largest presence in the global market for animal protein, import beef from Mexico for American restaurants and retailers. Under Raúl’s legal and business guidance, the company has grown from $500 to $750 million in annual revenue, and expanded exports to countries across the globe.

Raúl has served as a member of the State Bar of California Judicial Nominees and Evaluation Commission, and in 1993 he founded the California Hispanic Corporate Council Leadership Institute.  He sits on the boards of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, and the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he previously served as general counsel for a federally qualified health center with 16 clinics serving the Southern California region.

Other Info About Raúl

Experience

Legal Work Highlights

  • Successful representation of a former major league soccer team in various employment discrimination and general commercial litigation matters. 
  • Successful multimillion dollar settlement recoveries on behalf of separate Japanese and Italian pharmaceutical companies in claims alleging breaches of licensing agreements. 
  • Successful litigation strategy against major corporations, law firms and individuals which led to the recovery of more than $16 million in cash and more than $20 million in real property value on behalf of a major city in southeast Los Angeles County, based on alleged violations of conflict of interest state statutes under Government Code Section 1090.  Raúl later helped draft proposed legislative amendments extending the limitations period applicable throughout California to all government agencies in the pursuit of vendor and services provider claims under Section 1090. 
  • Successful defense of a public utility in a disability discrimination and retaliation case by a former employee seeking more than $1 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Raúl was brought in to the lawsuit only six weeks before jury trial was originally scheduled. After a three-week trial, the plaintiff rested her case and Raúl moved successfully for a non-suit to dismiss the case, based on the lack of evidence presented. 
  • Successful representation of a large U.S. metropolitan city and one of its prominent councilmembers against charges of wrongful termination and violation of First Amendment rights, arising from the discharge of a city employee who ran for public office.    
  • Strategically advised and implemented numerous agreements on behalf of a major Mexican-owned and U.S.-based television network regarding employment matters across the U.S. in connection with the sale of its broadcast licenses. 
  • Successful defense and dismissal of a federal court action involving a C-suite executive brought against a Mexican-based multi-national dietary supplement company alleging breach of contract over a proposed employment agreement. The cross-border employment litigation was dismissed by a federal court and upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. 
  • Serving as General Counsel to a U.S.-based foundation to one of Mexico’s largest graduate and post-graduate universities, including in particular advising on an $8 million bequest to the University. 
  • Serving as a driving force in the creation of the Center for Hispanic Health at Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center (CHH). CHH’s integrated research program seeks federal funding for studying specialty research areas, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity, and health care delivery models affecting the U.S. Hispanic populations and underserved communities. 
  • A board member of the White Memorial Medical Center since 2004, Raúl is the founding chair and a key architect in developing a governance infrastructure for the hospital’s Clinical Quality and Patient Satisfaction Committee, leading this committee through an evolving regulatory environment and highly competitive business conditions. As a member and former chair of the hospital Charitable Board, he played a leading role in a $30 million capital campaign for seismic retrofitting. 

Education

Law School

Georgetown University Law Center, 1985

Undergraduate School

Loyola Marymount University, 1982

Bar Memberships

Raúl is licensed to practice in the following state(s):

Washington D.C., 2023

California, 1986

Recognition

Local & National Recognition

Selected for inclusion in Southern California Super Lawyers® , 2012-2024

Humanitarian Award, Hollenbeck Police Activities League, Los Angeles Police Department, 2019 

10th Anniversary Award Recipient, University of Guadalajara, 2019 

“Adelante Award,” Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce, 2017 

Executive Volunteer of the Year, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, 2016 

“Hall of Fame,” California Minority Counsel Program, 2015 

“Founders Award,” Alliance for a Better Community, 2013 

“Top 100 Hispanic Influentials,” Hispanic Business Magazine, 2010 

“Local Hero Award,” KCET Public Television, 2009 

“Los Angeles Leader Award,” Loyola Marymount University (LMU), 2008 

“Man of the Year,” White Memorial Medical Center, 2001 

“Alumni Role Model,” LMU Latino Alumni Association, 1998 

Civic Activities

Civic & Charitable Organizations

Governing Board, White Memorial Medical Center 

Board of Directors, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles 

Board of Directors, The Women’s Foundation of California 

Board of Directors, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes 

Board of Directors, Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce 

Chairman, The Center for Hispanic Health (WMMC) 

Founder, California Hispanic Corporate Council Leadership Institute 

Former Commissioner, State Bar Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) Commission 

Past Member, Board of Directors, California Minority Counsel Program 

Past President, Loyola Marymount University, Mexican American Alumni Association 

Past Member, Board of Directors, Los Angeles Universal Preschool 

Past Member, Board of Directors, San Gabriel Valley Council, Boy Scouts of America 

Past Member, Rose Bowl Operating Company, Audit Committee 

Past Member, Board of Directors, Alliance for a Better Community 

Past Member, Advisory Board, Johns’ Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth 

Pasadena Task Force on Financial Administration and Internal Controls, 2015 

Pasadena Task Force on Good Government, 2006 

California State Bar Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, 1993-1996 

Firm Committees

Raúl serves or has served in the following leadership role(s) at Frost Brown Todd:

Los Angeles office, Partner-in-Charge

Partner Personnel Committee, Member

Presentations

Raúl was invited to speak at the following events:

Panelist, “Doing Business with India & Mexico—Laws, Pitfalls and Best Practices” CLE webinar, International Section of the Orange County Bar Association, May 17, 2021

RETURNING TO WORK: What Employers Need to Know Now webinar, Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce, June 30, 2020

 

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