Pedro Tores-Diaz Voted President-Elect of Hispanic National Bar Association

WHITE PLAINS, NY (August 10, 2015)  Jackson Lewis P.C., one of the country’s preeminent workplace law firms, is pleased to announce Pedro J. Torres-Díaz, Office Managing Shareholder in San Juan and a practicing Shareholder in Miami, has been elected President-Elect in the Hispanic National Bar Association’s (HNBA’s) Board of Governors Elections for the 2015-2016 term.  Mr. Torres-Díaz will be sworn into office at the Annual Convention held in Boston in early September.

“We congratulate Pedro on this significant and well-deserved appointment,” said Jackson Lewis Chairman Vincent A. Cino.  “His legal experience and proven track record of leadership both at Jackson Lewis and within the HNBA make him uniquely qualified for the position, and we look forward to seeing how the Association will continue to grow and strengthen under his leadership.”

“Pedro possesses the perfect skill set to build on the HNBA’s strong foundation, increase its membership numbers and continue to help the Association give back to the community it serves,” added Weldon H. Latham, Chair of the Jackson Lewis Diversity Committee and Chair of the firm’s Corporate Diversity Counseling Group.  “We are proud to have a Jackson Lewis Shareholder serve as President-Elect and eventually President in an organization that shares many of our firm’s goals, including enriching and diversifying the legal profession.”

The HNBA is an incorporated, not-for-profit, national membership association that represents the interests of Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, law students and legal professionals in the United States and its territories.  Established in 1972, the HNBA acts as a force for positive change within the legal profession by creating opportunities for Hispanic lawyers and by helping generations of lawyers to succeed.  The HNBA also effectively advocates on issues of importance to the national Hispanic community.  The Association is led by its Board of Governors, comprised of members of the HNBA Executive Committee, 19 regional presidents and the representatives of 47 HNBA affiliate organizations across the country. As President-Elect, Mr. Torres-Díaz will be responsible for revisiting and enhancing the Association’s long-term plan. 

“I am honored and humbled by the enormous amount of support I have received from Jackson Lewis as well as from HNBA members and current and past leaders,” said Torres-Díaz.  “During my term as President-Elect and subsequently President, I vow to continue the HNBA’s mission and initiatives as they relate to recruitment, communication, education and advocacy.  I am proud to serve in this role and look forward to working with the Board to advance the HNBA’s mission.”

Mr. Torres-Díaz has extensive trial experience before both federal and local courts and administrative forums in Puerto Rico and Florida.  He has also successfully defended employers in all types of administrative hearings before local and federal agencies.  Prior to his election as President-Elect, Pedro served on the Board of Governors of the HNBA for several years, both as an Affiliate Representative and also as General Counsel to the Association between 2011 and 2013.  Mr. Torres-Díaz also co-chaired the Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section.

Throughout his practice in Puerto Rico, Mr. Torres-Díaz was a frequent and featured speaker on many subjects in the Labor and Employment Law field, in seminars for clients and for organizations such as the Society for Human Resources Management and the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce.  Since arriving in Miami, Mr. Torres-Díaz has continued to participate as speaker on many topics related to workplace law, both for clients and other organizations in Florida and elsewhere. Mr. Torres-Díaz has also written articles on legal developments in Puerto Rico, one of which was published in the American Bar Association’s The International Employment Lawyer.  Mr. Torres-Díaz serves as pro-bono counsel on labor and employment matters for Aspira of Florida, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational services in underprivileged areas.

During his undergraduate studies, he completed an Internship in European Business in the Ecòle Europèenne des Affaires in Paris, France. After completion of his undergraduate studies, Mr. Torres-Díaz worked as a fiscal analyst in the corporate headquarters of McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, Missouri. After his graduation from law school, he clerked for Honorable Aida M. Delgado-Colón, United States Magistrate-Judge (now Chief United States District Judge), at the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Mr. Torres-Díaz is fluent in Spanish and English, and conversant in French.

For more information about the Hispanic National Bar Association and its mission, programs and initiatives, visit their website at www.hnba.com. 

About Jackson Lewis

Founded in 1958, Jackson Lewis is dedicated to representing management exclusively in workplace law. With 800 attorneys practicing in major locations throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Jackson Lewis is included in the AmLaw 100 and Global 100 rankings of law firms. The firm’s wide range of specialized areas of practice provides the resources to address every aspect of the employer/employee relationship. Jackson Lewis has one of the most active employment litigation practices in the world, with a current caseload of over 6,500 litigations and approximately 650 class actions. Jackson Lewis is a founding member of L&E Global Employers’ Counsel Worldwide, an alliance of premier employment law boutique firms and practices in Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific Region.