Cynthia L. Sands

Biography

Cynthia L. Sands is an experienced litigator in areas that include employment law, business disputes, insurance defense, ERISA, and class actions. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Sands was a Senior Associate at Atkins & Evans, where she was responsible for litigating and managing all employment law litigation for the firm. She also has experience as Corporate Counsel for TBG, Inc., where her duties included drafting business agreements and non-qualified deferred compensation plans.

Her employment law practice includes representing Fortune 500 and medium sized companies before Federal and State courts in defense of complaints for wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, defamation, fraud, and other statutory, contract, and tort related claims. Ms. Sands has direct contact with company presidents and executives and provides day-to-day advice to management regarding a variety of employment-related issues.

Ms. Sands has extensive trial experience including, but not limited to, Lee v. Farmers Insurance Group, Alangaden v. Farmers Insurance Group, Good v. Eastman Kodak, Mejia v. City of Inglewood No. 1, Mejia v. City of Inglewood No. 2 and Robert Bethea v. City of Inglewood. Her trial experience also includes the defense of a technology company on business dispute cases and representation of an international beverage company in a breach of sponsorship agreement. Ms. Sands has handled class action suits involving Lanham Act violations and litigation over lease-hold interests and eminent domain.

Ms. Sands earned her B.A. in French Literature, with a minor in Linguistics, from The Ohio State University. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Capital University Law and Graduate School in Columbus, Ohio. While in law school, she served as a legal extern to U.S. Federal District Court Judge, the Honorable Judge James Graham, and to Ohio Supreme Court Justice, Justice Herbert Brown. She was a published staff member and editor of the Capital University Law Review and acted as a Student Legal Writing Advisor.

Ms. Sands is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and its Employment Litigation Section. She is admitted to practice in California and in the U.S. District Court for the Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of California and the Southern District of Ohio.

Education & Bar Admissions

Education

• Capital University Law and Graduate School, Columbus, Ohio, J.D., cum laude
• The Ohio State University, B.A., French Literature, Minor in Linguistics

Bar Admissions

• California
• U.S. District Court, Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of California
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

In the News

• 1/1/2009 - Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan expands West Coast presence

Publications