Raquel Fas-Bravo concentrates her practice on employment litigation and advice in all areas of employment law, including counseling and representation in federal and state trial and appellate courts, as well as before federal, state and local administrative agencies. Her experience includes successfully representing a broad range of domestic and international clients on issues involving the following areas: sexual harassment; sex, race, national origin, age, religion, and disability discrimination; Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); Equal Pay Act (EPA); Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA); Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX), along with employment tort and contract claims. Raquel provides management-level individuals with training on litigation avoidance in all areas of employment law, with emphasis on diversity and harassment and provides consultation and advice to employers regarding personnel issues and policies.
Industry Experience
Retail (Kmart, The Home Depot, Footlocker, Champs, Costco, Sony)
Services (American Airlines, Cingular Wireless, AT&T Wireless, Suncom Wireless, AAA Auto Club, First Insurance Group, Inc., Meridian Insurance Group, Inc.)
Professional Experience
Private practice/Legal consultant on labor and employment law and general legal practice 2006-Present
Adjunct Professor, Compensation and Benefits, Executive Continuing Education, Certificate in Human Resource Management, Florida Atlantic University, 2012-Present
Adjunct Professor, Employment Laws for Small Business, Center for Business & Entrepreneurship, Palm Beach State College, 2013
Goldman, Antonetti & Córdova, P.S.C.-Associate, Labor and Employment Department, 2002-2006
Mellado & Mellado Villareal-Law Clerk, 2002
Microjuris.com- Student Representative, 2001-2002
Bar Admissions
2007, Florida
2004, Puerto Rico
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
Published Work and Lectures
Co-Author: “Should Harassment Claims be Subject to Arbitration?," Coronado, CA, February 15-17, 2019
Author: “Top 10 Do's & Don'ts at the Negotiation Table from a Plaintiff's Perspective," Coronado, CA, February 15, 2019
Co-Author: “Bringing Mediation Back from the Brink: Effective Approaches to Break Impasse," San Francisco, CA, November 7-10, 2018
Co-Author: “A Practical Guide to Arbitration: The Dos and Do Nots," Washington, DC, November 7-11, 2017
Contributor: "Critical Thinking Application 10-D," Human Resource Management An Experimental Approach, 6th Ed., H. John Bernardin and Joyce E.A. Russell, 2013
Author: “Five Steps to Conquering Misperceptions,” ABA Flash, December 2016
Contributor: "Critical Thinking Application 10-D," Human Resource Management An Experimental Approach, 6th Ed., H. John Bernardin and Joyce E.A. Russell, 2013
Author: “Donning and doffing of work gear as compensable time,” Puerto Rico Business Law Developments, January 2006
Co-author: “Arbitration agreements after Circuit City Store, Inc. v. Adams,“ Puerto Rico’s Department of Labor and Human Resources Website, March 2003
Track Coordinator, ABA Labor & Employment Law 13th Annual CLE Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 6-9, 2019
Track Coordinator, ABA Labor & Employment Law 12th Annual CLE Conference, San Francisco, CA, November 7-10, 2017
Speaker, "Should Harassment Claims be Subject to Arbitration?;" ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, Coronado, CA, February 15-17, 2019
Speaker, "Top 10 Do's & Don'ts at the Negotiation Table from a Plaintiff's Perspective," ABA Negotiation Institute, Coronado, CA, February 15, 2019
Speaker, "Bringing Mediation Back from the Brink: Effective Approaches to Break Impasse," ABA Labor & Employment Law 12th Annual CLE Conference, San Francisco, CA, November 7-10, 2018
Speaker, "Current Developments in Labor & Employment Arbitration;"ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, Clearwater, FL, February 8-11, 2018
Speaker and Track Coordinator, "A Practical Guide to Arbitration: The Dos and Do Nots," ABA Labor & Employment Law 11th Annual CLE Conference, Washington, DC, November 8-11, 2017
Speaker, "Current Developments in Labor & Employment Arbitration;" "Employment Arbitration After the Revolution," ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, Puerto Vallarta, MX, January 26-29, 2017
Speaker, "Current Developments in Labor & Employment Arbitration," ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, St. Petersburg, FL, February 11-14, 2016
Speaker, "Spotlighting Changes In Pregnancy Discrimination Law," ABA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, July 30- August 4, 2015
Speaker, "Current Developments in Labor & Employment Arbitration," ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, Rancho Mirage, CA, February 12-15, 2015
Speaker, "What You Need to Know in Preparing for and Representing Your Client in Arbitration," ABA Labor & Employment Law 8th Annual CLE Conference, Los Angeles, CA, November 2014
Speaker, “Current Developments in Labor & Employment Arbitration,” ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, FL, February 20-23, 2014
Speaker, “1099 vs. W-2,” Entrepreneurial Summit, PBSC, 2014
Speaker, "Your Legal Responsibilities as a Small Business Employer", PBSC, November 22, 2013
Speaker, "Conquering Misperceptions", PBSC, July 31, 2012
Speaker of Dr. Linsey Willis, “Wage and Hour,” “Americans with Disabilities Act,” FAU, 2010-2011
Speaker, “ADA and Employment,” “Making Connections” Employer Conference by the Palm Beach County Business Leadership Network, 2010
Speaker, “Employment Discrimination Law,” The Law Office of Raquel Fas-Bravo, Esq., 2008
Speaker, “Labor Laws and Union Avoidance,” Amgen Manufacturing Limited, 2005
Speaker, “Independent Contractor vs. Employee,” Amgen Manufacturing Limited, 2005
Speaker, “Labor and Employment Recent Developments,” Amgen Manufacturing Limited, 2004
Speaker, “Labor and Employment Recent Developments,” Society for Human Resource Management of Puerto Rico (SHRM), 2004
Professional Memberships
Member, Labor & Employment Section of the American Bar Association
Member, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Member, South Palm Beach County Bar Association
Education
2003: J.D., Interamerican University of P.R. School of Law, summa cum laude (GPA 3.79)
2000: M.T., Sacred Heart University, summa cum laude (GPA 4.00)
1998: B.S., Louisiana State University, cum laude
Recognition
Co-Chair ADR Committee American Bar Association's Labor & Employment Law Section, 2016-2019
Conference Track Coordinator American Bar Association's Labor & Employment Law Section, 2016-2019
Leadership Development Program Graduate American Bar Association's Labor & Employment Law Section, 2016
Honored with the Presidential Grant, Interamerican University of P.R. School of Law
Graduated top 5%, Interamerican University of P.R. School of Law
Recipient of the Prize Alice Koury, Sacred Heart University
Recipient of the Certificate of Excellence by the Louisiana Board of Regents and Dean’s List
Recent Continuing Education
ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, Coronado, CA, February 15-17, 2019
ABA Negotiation Institute, Coronado, CA, February 15, 2019
ABA Labor & Employment Law 12th Annual CLE Conference, San Francisco, CA, November 7-10, 2018
ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, Clearwater, FL, February 8-11, 2018
ABA Labor & Employment Law 11th Annual CLE Conference, Washington, DC, November 8-12, 2017
ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, Puerto Vallarta, MX, January 26-29, 2017
ABA Labor & Employment Law 10th Annual CLE Conference, Chicago, IL, November 2016
ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, St. Petersburg, FL, February 11-14, 2016
ABA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, July 30- August 4, 2015
ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, Rancho Mirage, CA, February 12-15, 2015
ABA Labor & Employment Law 8th Annual CLE Conference, Los Angeles, CA, November 2014
ADR in Labor & Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, Ft Lauderdale, FL, February 20-23, 2014
ABA Labor & Employment Law 7th Annual CLE Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 2013
ABA Labor & Employment Law 6th Annual CLE Conference, Atlanta, GA, November 1-3, 2012.
ABA Labor & Employment Law 5th Annual CLE Conference, Seattle,WA, November 2-5, 2011.
ABA Labor & Employment Law 3rd Annual CLE Conference, Washington D.C., November 4-7, 2009.
Title VII and ADEA: An Overview and Recent Developments / Confrontation and Hearsay, U.S. District Court for the District of P.R., San Juan, P.R., December 2008.
“Legal Challenges in Changing Times”, Human Resource Association of Palm Beach County, Boca Raton, FL, November 2008.
“Certificate in Human Resources Management”, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, September –November 2008.
“Employment Discrimination Law” by the National Employment Law Institute (NELI), Chicago, IL, July 2008.
“Employment Law from A to Z” by Lorman Education Services, West Palm Beach, FL, March 2008.
