After his college graduation from Fordham University, Charles Lazo was employed as a union representative for a luxury hotel chain in New York City where he enforced collective bargaining agreements. And throughout the course of his work, he was often exposed to the interactions between the attorneys representing both labor and management.

Fascinated by their give and take, and deeply interested in what was at stake, he started thinking to himself: “I can do this … I want to do this.”

Though inspired by the attorneys he watched, it was his upbringing that fueled his desire. The product of a working-class Hispanic family, he often thought to himself: “What if that was my father, my mother, my grandfather” whose fate hinged on what was decided at the negotiating table.

Scoring well on his LSAT and securing a scholarship, Charles — now an attorney in Goldberg Segalla’s Employment and Labor practice group based in Manhattan — didn’t have to think twice about the field on which he wanted to focus after graduating from St. John’s University School of Law.

Employment and Labor, said Charles, is “an interesting practice because it’s a practice that you can go out and see, firsthand, how issues actually affect people.”

Initially starting his career on the plaintiff side, Charles transitioned to representing management “because I knew that’s where I would be able to address, or prevent, issues,” he said. “The workplace is somewhere there should be no problems.”

Today, his practice is quite sweeping, ranging from litigation to discrimination matters, sexual harassment, hostile work-environment cases and wage battles. But what he particularly enjoys about Goldberg Segalla’s approach is how it encourages its attorneys to get out of the office to better understand their clients’ industries and operations.

“It’s important to figure out how a client really works. So, we ask questions about their operation, their policies or how they interact with employees. We get a sense of whether there is anything wrong with their process, if there is anything in their operations that could be a reason for the underlying allegations,” Charles said. “You go to a restaurant, for example, and you see the employees working there, and you see the management side, and, for me, it’s something I can actually go out and touch.”

Charles said the spirit of teamwork that permeates not only Goldberg Segalla’s Employment and Labor practice group, but the firm as a whole, has helped him better serve those he represents.

“Everyone here is very open and collaborative. There’s definitely a camaraderie between people. Whenever I need help or have questions, everyone has an open door,” said Charles, noting that Scott Green in particular, a partner in the firm’s Employment and Labor Group, has been especially helpful in his development as an attorney.

“Scott has had a huge impact on my career,” said Charles, adding the two met through their interactions while Charles was working as a claims representative for a national insurance carrier. “Scott treats everyone with respect. He actually reached out to me one day and the discussions advanced, and Scott was able to bring me and help transition me into the firm.”

Practicing in New York City, Charles said his Hispanic heritage — and his ability to, quite literally, speak the language of the people he represents — has been instrumental in his success.

“I’ll speak with Spanish speaking clients and their employees, and I am able to really understand what concerns they may have,” he said. “This is also especially useful when I speak with employee witnesses. I remember once there was a mediation and we had a Spanish speaking manager — a superintendent with his wife, and, you know, they felt comfortable speaking with me in Spanish. English wasn’t their first language, and I was able to have an easy-flowing conversation with them. And I was able to gather as much information as I could, and they were very appreciative. They said that it’s good to see a fellow Hispanic person on the other side because they felt comfortable speaking with me right in their native language.”

In fact, it’s that sort of ability, Charles said, that underscores the importance of Goldberg Segalla’s commitment to expanding opportunities to attorneys from diverse backgrounds. The firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work is about far more than filling quotas. It is critical in enabling Goldberg Segalla to deliver high quality legal service to all people in need.

“There are so many diverse backgrounds here” in New York City, said Charles. “I have friends here from Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. We have Spanish-speaking clients. I need to be able to speak with employees, managers, and I am able to speak with them. And you know, they’ll say, ‘He is one of us. He’s helping us. He’s assisting us. He’s providing us guidance.’ It’s important.”

After all, it’s communication that lies at the heart of building trust with clients.

“I want to make sure clients’ needs are met and that their story and point is made to the other side. I want to make sure that if there was an issue, I resolved it and by resolving that issue, through our advice, that it won’t happen again. Communication is key,” Charles said.

“At the end of the day, when a case is over, I want clients to say, ‘Wow, you know, this attorney did a good job. He resolved these issues and everything’s running smoothly. I’m happy to have him on our team.’”