National Hispanic Heritage Month Attorney Spotlight: Eddie Medina

Eddie Medina has been with the firm since 2017. Eddie focuses his practice in the following fields of law: Product Liability, Toxic Tort/Mass Tort, Personal Injury Defense, and Cannabis.

As a Partner in the Litigation group of our Miami office, share with us your journey into law and your inspiration for pursuing this career path.

My family is what drives me. My parents and grandparents fled Castro’s Cuba in the pursuit of a better life. Their journey was one of struggle, hard work, adaptability, pride, and perseverance. I rest on the shoulders of those who came before me and showed me the path to an even better life than they had. In turn, I am motivated to exemplify the principles I absorbed growing up and to pass them on to my daughter.

My love for law and the rule of law stems in large part from hearing the stories and reading the histories of the breakdown of law and freedom in Cuba. I am honored and privileged to be part of a profession that seeks out truth and justice. I am blessed to be able to do this in the United States, the country that welcomed my parents and grandparents in and allowed them to pursue a better life for their children, grandchildren, and descendants they would never meet.

How has your practice changed throughout the pandemic and how have you personally pivoted to remain successful despite the global setbacks?

It has been an adjustment, to be sure. I try to find the silver lining in any situation. Although I miss the camaraderie of the office and the live interactions with other attorneys and legal professionals, working from home more has spurred better time management and greater efficiencies. It has allowed me to spend more time with my family while being able to do what I love professionally. More practically speaking, I have found that maintaining a routine – waking up at the same time each day, exercising, finding time for stillness, and planning my days ahead of time – has been indispensable.

As a Hispanic American in the legal profession, what advice would you give to other Hispanic American attorneys pursuing a similar path? Any memorable life lessons you have learned along the way?

While rising in my profession I have struggled with imposter syndrome, feelings of inadequacy, never being certain that I measure up or deserve to be here. In these moments, and they still occur, I remind myself that I am not alone. Others experience this too. You have family and friends around. You have put in the work. You show up every day. You learn. You realize that everything, including and perhaps especially failure, presents an opportunity for greater learning and personal growth. You do belong. You do deserve to be here. You rhetorically ask yourself, “Why Not Me?” and realize there is no good reason why it cannot or should not be you.

How do you celebrate or keep your Hispanic roots alive in your daily life?

My Hispanic roots, while not always manifest in the best Spanish, show themselves in what inspires me everyday (see above), the music I listen to (I’m a sucker for old Cuban music like Beny More and Perez Prado), the food I eat (if I had to subsist on rice and black beans every day for the rest of my life I would do so happily), the causes I champion, and the people I love.