Reginald Roberts, Jr.

Reginald Roberts, Jr.

LOS ANGELES - Reginald Roberts, Jr. of Sanders Roberts LLP has made a career of defending clients against prestigious counsels and snatching impressive wins from hard-to-navigate cases. He has represented both the state and private entities.

“The thing that makes me the most proud is developing the talented attorney team that we have at Sanders Roberts and seeing the collective unit go out and have success in employment matters,” he said. “This includes winning summary motions, arbitrations and trials.”

Roberts started the firm with partner Justin H. Sanders, who he met in college. Sanders handles cases from pre-litigation to trial and has a history of being involved in cases that garner public attention, where he simultaneously works to minimize risk and address concerns beyond just monetary impact.

“My strategies do not change and the objective is to give good advice,” Roberts said, describing his litigation style. “We sometimes work with public agencies and municipalities because it’s a way for us to give back. We spend a lot of years working on growing our talents, and the government rates are lower than the private rates, but we do it anyway because we care about the issues.”

Roberts has represented universities, municipalities, cities and utilities. On behalf of Southern California Edison, the firm led the successful defense of a federal whistleblower and a Sarbanes-Oxley employment case, narrowing the scope of the complaint through an anti- SLAPP motion, and then winning with a motion for summary adjudication. Wagner v. Southern California Edison Co., 2:16-cv-06259 (C.D. Cal., filed Aug. 19, 2016).

He says the key to a successful defense that not many lawyers have is to be able to go to trial the right way. This involves selecting the jury, presenting the evidence, organizing the case to give the jury a proper perspective, and “ultimately, getting the right result from the jury.”

Roberts remarks on the importance of writing well when presenting arguments, which he called a lost art in young lawyers. “Most of the work we do occurs before we step in the courtroom and writing is key in each step of the way.”

Roberts said he values the opportunity to teach younger lawyers by spending time with them and working side by side. On that end, he became a lecturer at USC Gould School of Law and donates his earnings to the Clarence Thompson Memorial Scholarship Fund in order to help African American students attend law school.

He is also on the board of the USC Black Alumni Association board, sits on the diversity committee for Ford Motor Company, is a member of the National Association of Minority and Women- Owned Law Firms, and is a member of the National Employment Law Council.

--Federico Lo Giudice