Constangy has continued its fast-moving expansion in the San Diego market with its latest addition of three new attorneys to the office: Dorothy L. Black and Michelle K. Meek join as partners, and Amanda S. Gianninoto joins as senior counsel. Today’s announcement follows the addition of four San Diego-based attorneys in August, led by Guillermo Escobedo as new office managing partner, as well as four staff members.
“Our strategic approach to expanding in San Diego has been an effort both to meet the increasing demand in the market and to ensure our clients have high-caliber counsel who are deeply familiar with the city’s business landscape and community,” said Neil Wasser, chair of Constangy’s executive committee. “Dorothy, Michelle and Amanda elevate our growing roster of labor and employment attorneys and the diverse experience needed to provide exceptional legal service, including the growing risk areas of class action and PAGA claims.”
“We are so thrilled that Dorothy, Michelle and Amanda are with us at Constangy,” Escobedo said. “All three are highly dedicated advocates for their clients, and are just genuinely great people! We are grateful to continue working with these highly-respected attorneys as the firm remains focused on serving the San Diego business community.”
“Bringing our team over to Constangy has been such an exciting process. Our clients share this enthusiasm, as they recognize that we are providing top-tier counseling for employment matters, a sincere commitment to diversity and inclusion, and a culture centered on collegiality and innovative solutions,” Escobedo added.
About the Attorneys
Dorothy Black is a seasoned attorney and focuses her practice on labor and employment law, defending employers and individuals in complex litigation. Her practice encompasses a wide range of employment disputes, including harassment and wrongful termination claims, as well as discrimination based on age, disability, gender, marital status, religion, national origin, and race, along with whistleblower and retaliation cases. Black has a strong track record of successfully advocating for employers in enforcing arbitration agreements, effectively managing individual and class action claims. She is also experienced in counseling clients through matters brought under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Black employs a proactive approach to conducting anti-sexual harassment and general human resources training, which she delivers fluently in both English and Spanish.
Black earned her law and undergraduate degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Michelle Meek advocates for employers in complex legal matters concerning labor and employment. Her practice involves defending businesses across various industries against a spectrum of claims, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour disputes, unfair competition and misappropriation of trade secrets. Meek represents clients in arbitration proceedings at the state and federal level. In addition to her litigation work, she educates employers through comprehensive workplace trainings on crucial employment law topics such as disciplinary procedures, terminations, harassment prevention, discrimination avoidance, and wage and hour compliance.
While in law school, Meek served externships with the Honorable Ronald S.W. Lew and the Honorable Otis D. Wright II in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California.
Meek earned her law degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Amanda Gianninoto focuses her practice on providing proactive legal counsel to employers. Gianninoto's legal career began with a focus on wills, trusts and estates, where she gained extensive experience in estate planning, estate administration, special needs planning, charitable planning, Medicaid planning, asset protection, business succession, guardianship and nonprofit law.
During law school, Gianninoto clerked for the Honorable Joan M. Kenney of the Supreme Court of New York, New York County. She also served as a clinical law student in the William and Mary Foster Elder Law Clinic at Buffalo Law School. Gianninoto's commitment to her legal education is highlighted by her leadership roles as Vice President of the Labor and Employment Relations Society and as a Clerk for the Buffalo Human Rights Law Review.
Gianninoto earned her law degree from the University of Buffalo School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Binghamton University.