Sanchez & Amador, LLP

Richard S. Amador

Richard S. Amador represents businesses in employment and unfair competition disputes. His employment practice is limited exclusively to representing employers - most often in cases involving sex, age, national origin or disability discrimination or harassment. Mr. Amador also handles complex unfair competition disputes for entities victimized by misappropriation of trade secrets, trademark infringement, or fraud. His trial victory against one of the nation's most prominent law firms for improper billing practices received widespread attention in the legal press.

In 2006, the Daily Recorder selected Mr. Amador as one of four "Hidden Gems" among the Top Attorneys in Employment Law based on a statewide survey of in-house counsel, cross-checked with mediators and plaintiff's counsel. This distinction was featured in GC California Magazine.  Mr. Amador is AV peer-review rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating for professional ethics and legal ability, and from 2007 to 2012 was designated a Super Lawyer, placing him among the top 5% of Southern California employment attorneys.

A 1988 graduate of Boalt Hall at UC Berkeley, Mr. Amador received his undergraduate degree from UCLA in 1985. He served as a Settlement Officer for the Los Angeles Municipal Court and an extern clerk to U.S. District Judge A. Wallace Tashima, who now sits on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Employment and Litigation Sections of the California and Los Angeles County Bar Associations. He is frequently asked to speak on trial advocacy, employment law and diversity topics.

Mr. Amador serves on the Executive Committee of the National Employment Law Council and as a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms. He previously served as President of the Board of Commissioners for the Los Angeles City Employee Retirement System, and on the Boards of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, California Minority Counsel Program and East L.A. YMCA. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund honored Mr. Amador with the "Legal Service Award" for exceptional service as pro bono counsel to MALDEF in 1990, and KCET Public Television honored him as a "Hero of the Community" in 1998. Mr. Amador is a recipient of the Wiley W. Manuel Award For Pro Bono Legal Services To The Poor from the California State Bar Association.

Richard S. Amador
amador@sanchez-amador.com