Ismael A. Molina-Villarino

Ismael Molina-Villarino focuses his practice in employment litigation, labor relations and business immigration.

Ismael advises companies on a variety of labor and employment matters with a creative and effective approach to problem-solving. He is not only a skilled litigator with a successful dispositive motion practice, but his work also encompasses numerous due diligence matters, including labor and employment audits, strategic advice on merger and acquisition projects, labor unions, and all aspects of business immigration.

On the labor relations side, he has participated in collective bargaining agreement negotiations, contended unfair labor practice complaints, provided advice on preventive practices, and served as the employer representative during Union representation elections.

On the immigration side, he assists companies in sponsoring individuals for temporary work visas in the H-1B, L-1, TN, E and O classifications, as well as petitions for immigrant workers to obtain permanent U.S. residence, understanding the interaction between U.S. Immigration laws and the operational needs of his clients. He is also a member of the Immigration Commission of the Puerto Rico Bar Association, where he provides pro bono services.

Additionally, he drafts and negotiates employment agreements, separation agreements and restrictive covenants. He also guides employers with complex human resources investigations, prepares employee handbooks and employment policies, and provides comprehensive trainings to supervisory and non-supervisory employees on key employment issues, including sexual harassment and workplace bullying.  

Ismael has been engaged with the McConnell Valdés Summer Program since 2015, first as a Summer Associate, later as a mentor, and now as a supervisor. 

Prior to joining the firm, Ismael worked as Law Clerk for the Associate Judge Hon. Rafael Martínez Torres at the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 2017 to 2019.

While in law school, he was the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Puerto Rico Law Review and served as Research Assistant to the esteemed Constitutional Law Professor José Julián Álvarez González. He also co-authored two law review articles: Las nuevas reglas del juego electoral: Un análisis constitucional del acceso a la papeleta, 85 Rev. Jur. UPR 1143 (2016), and Responsabilidad Civil Extracontractual, 85 Rev. Jur. UPR  553 (2016). Additionally, he participated in a semester abroad program at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law.

Ismael combines his passion for law with music and has been a member of the Tuna Bardos of the University of Puerto Rico for more than a decade, where he plays popular and folk music.