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, and retaliation for whistleblowing activities. 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 the Autumn 2006 issue of GC California Magazine.  Mr. Amador is AV Peer-Review rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and in 2007 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. He is a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the Defense Research Institute, the National Employment Law Council, and the Employment and Litigation Sections of the California and Los Angeles County Bar Associations.

Mr. Amador serves on the Coordinating Committee of the National Employment Law Council, the Executive Committee of the Board of the California Minority Counsel Program, and as a Director 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 Board of the 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