Biography: Management Labour and Employment

Juan Carlos is a labour and employment lawyer and is head of the labour and employment department. He received his law degree magna cum laude from Universidad Central de Venezuela in 1990 and received his Master of Laws from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, in 1994. He completed with the highest honours his Doctorate of Laws at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in 2008.

Juan Carlos joined Macleod Dixon as a partner in October 1999. He became the first foreign member of the firm's executive committee of Macleod Dixon in 2007. Prior to joining the firm, he practised at two other international law firms for about 10 years. He specialises in labour and employment law, specifically as applied to oil and gas companies, service companies, pharmaceutical companies, mass consumption industries, bank and insurance companies, technology companies, engineering companies and airlines.

He has a strong background negotiating and drafting individual employment contracts and labour settlements, as well as distribution contracts, labour and employment planning, consultancy agreement and expatriate transfers. Juan Carlos has also been involved in litigation before labour and tax tribunals and proceedings before administrative authorities regarding labour and employment matters. In addition, he has advised on matters regulated by the Organic Labour Law, Organic Prevention Law, and Social Security Legislation. Juan Carlos has extensive experience negotiating collective bargaining agreements on behalf of employers.

In addition to his legal work, Juan Carlos is an author of numerous law articles and other publications in Venezuela and abroad. Juan Carlos participates frequently as a speaker at conferences regarding labour and employment law in Venezuela and abroad. His comments are often quoted in national newspapers and broadcasted on the media.

Chambers Global says that Juan Carlos Pró-Rísquez "always works hard and achieves a solution. He's trustworthy, ethical and strong", reported one high-profile client, echoing a flood of similar praise for this "brilliant lawyer". Clients benefit from "his rapid responses, superb client focus and great business solutions to legal problems".

PLC Which Lawyer? refers to Juan Carlos Pró-Rísquez as "highly recommended individual" in labour and employment. "The cross-border expert, Juan Carlos Pró-Rísquez stands out for the breadth of his expertise".

He focuses on providing employment advice on a broad variety of issues to local and foreign companies, employment planning to assist investors in hiring expatriate employees, lead counsel on the employment litigation on Venezuela and coordination of expatriate litigation in Latin America, labour and employment tax planning for effective use of employee stock options and also representing multinationals in occupational health and safety claims and planning.

Juan Carlos has been a professor of labour and employment law at Universidad Central de Venezuela since 1995.