Practice Areas
- Intellectual Property
- Labor & Employment
- Litigation
Admissions
- California
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
Email: ashah@messner.com
Amish Shah is a partner in the firm’s Litigation, Intellectual Property and Labor & Employment Practice Groups. Amish has extensive litigation experience in federal and state forums. He is a litigator experienced in helping companies solve problems concerning intellectual property protection, employee departures, wage and hour disputes, and other labor and employment matters. Amish focuses on simplifying complex matters for presentation to a judge or jury. He has substantial experience in court, examining witnesses, writing and arguing motions, and helping lead trial teams. Amish’s practice also includes client counseling, licensing, and contract negotiations.
Amish’s current practice focuses on two key areas – first, on litigating commercial disputes, particularly intellectual property matters in federal court; and second, on litigating labor and employment matters in state, federal and appellate courts. Amish prides himself on guiding his clients effectively through prelitigation and throughout the litigation lifecycle, including taking matters through trial.
Outside of the office, Amish enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking, traveling, and playing basketball, soccer and tennis. He also plays chess and intently follows and enjoys discussing Los Angeles sports teams, and is an avid fan of UCLA athletics.
- Southwestern University School of Law (J.D. 2008)
- University of California, Los Angeles (B.A. 2004)
- Major: Economics with a Specialization in Computing (Computer Science and Mathematics)
- South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, Board of Directors
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Beverly Hills Bar Association
- California State Bar Association
- California Restaurant Association
- Extern to the Honorable Amy Pellman
Representative Matters
- Enforcement of intellectual property rights of numerous clientele, including declaratory and infringement actions
- Represented an apparel company in trademark enforcement and defense, including issues pertaining to infringement, unfair competition, false designation of origin, and cancellation
- Drafted cease and desist letters concerning adoption and usage of trademarks and other intellectual property issues; developed litigation strategies for trademark actions; authored numerous briefs and office action responses filed with the USPTO; assisted in numerous proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
- Served as first- and second-chair arbitration counsel brought against a Fortune 500 restaurant chain in five FLSA wage-and-hour arbitrations, successfully defending corporate client against allegations of “off-the-clock”, “time-shaving” and “overtime” claims.
- Obtained complete defense verdict on behalf of a Fortune 500 restaurant chain after a state court jury trial in an action filed by a former employee, alleging harassment and discrimination on the basis of gender, race and disability, as well as whistleblower retaliation
- Authored successful motion for summary judgment resulting in seminal decision for client, holding, in part, that despite the presence of a parent-subsidiary relationship, Defendant (parent corporation) was not a joint-employer for purposes of FEHA or wrongful termination (and, simultaneously defeated Plaintiff’s motion for leave to amend complaint to add subsidiary corporation).
- Authored successful appellant’s brief in the California Court of Appeals resulting in reversal of trial court judgment relating to a breach of trust dispute.
- Conducted two national-scale investigations on behalf of a Fortune 500 corporation, pertaining to media-covered foodborne illness outbreaks in Los Angeles, CA (in December 2017) and Powell, OH (in July 2018); identified policy and procedure violations in both employment and non-employment contexts; collaborated with corporation directors and officers to determine corporate exposure and employee discipline; and, identified recommendations, corrective actions and systemic improvements to prevent future violations.