Michael L. Amaro is a founding partner of Amaro Baldwin LLP, and is renowned as an exceptional defense attorney throughout the legal community.

Mr. Amaro is also one of the founding members, and currently on the board of directors of the National Restaurant and Retail Defense Association (NRRDA), serving the interests of the restaurant and retail industries. He represents a number of restaurants and retailers throughout California, involving premises liability/general liability, negligent security, and safe food handling.

He also represents clients in the amusement, sports, recreation, and leisure industries. Such clients include amusement parks, carnivals, water parks, family fun centers, race and go-kart tracks, bowling centers, miniature golf facilities, circuses, white water rafting companies, ice and roller skating facilities, health and fitness clubs, equestrian facilities, trampoline parks, outfitters and guides, and concert venues.

He has also defended a number of products liability cases involving jet skis, boats, sports and exercise equipment and pyrotechnic devices. Through Mr. Amaro, the firm is a member of the Roller Skating Association, the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions, and the World Waterpark Association. Mr. Amaro is a founding member of the International Amusement and Leisure Defense Association (IALDA), a group of nationwide attorneys that are extensively involved in the representation of recreation and amusement industries.

Mr. Amaro also has a significant products liability and general casualty defense practice. He has represented an impressive list of companies including PetSmart, McDonald's, Six Flags Corporation, Raging Waters, Palace Entertainment, Stein Mart, Wash Depot Holdings, Fallas Paredes Discount Stores, Electrolux Home Products, Frigidaire, Dometic, Harbor Distributing, LLC, Reyes Holdings, Martin Brower, Danaher, Wellcraft Marine Corporation, City of Long Beach, California State University system, and County of Los Angeles, Farrell's Ice Cream Parlors, just to name a few.

Prior to opening Amaro Baldwin LLP in 2015, Mr. Amaro founded Prindle, Decker & Amaro LLP in 1990 (the firm was subsequently renamed Prindle, Amaro, Goetz, Hillyard, Barnes and Reinholtz LLP).

Mr. Amaro graduated seventh in his class from Southwestern University School of Law in 1983. During law school, he spent two years on the Law Review Staff, authoring and editing articles for the school's Law Review Journal. After graduating from law school, he spent six years at a mid-sized insurance defense firm in Los Angeles. In his career, Mr. Amaro has obtained over 50 favorable verdicts for his clients in jury trials, and is a member of the American Board of Trial Attorneys (ABOTA).

He represents a number of restaurants and retailers throughout California, involving premises liability/general liability, negligent security, employment and safe food handling.

In addition to building and refining his practice of law, Mr. Amaro is an award winning wine maker. Amaro Vineyard, located in the Moon Mountain District of the Sonoma Valley Appellation, has produced wines that have received rave reviews, including a gold medal from the San Francisco Chronicle for his 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, and a 90 point rating from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. After 43 challenging and rewarding years practicing law, Michael Amaro retired in October 2026, entrusting the firm to talented associates and a dedicated support team who share his vision.

Rudie D. Baldwin is a founding partner of Amaro Baldwin LLP. He has earned the reputation of being a hard-working litigator and a winning trial attorney. Mr. Baldwin is a sincere and effective advocate who primarily represents clients in the amusement, entertainment, action-sport, retail and restaurant industries. During his career, Mr. Baldwin has represented a wide range of clients in products defect, personal injury, breach of contract, transportation, workers' compensation, employment, and construction defect matters. Mr. Baldwin has represented clients ranging from Six Flags, Raging Waters, Boomers, SpeedZone, The Observatory, LSI Road Striping, Harbor Distributing, Flow Snowboards, PetSmart, Sprouts, Olive Garden, and Yard House. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Baldwin received his undergraduate degree from California State University, Fullerton in 2004, where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Political Science. He graduated first in his class from the Department of Philosophy. Mr. Baldwin received his Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 2006, completing his degree in two years by participating in the rigorous SCALE program. Thereafter, he became a member of the California State Bar and has also been admitted to practice in all of the Districts of the U.S. District Courts of California. The first 9 years of his practice was spent as a Senior Associate of Prindle, Amaro, Goetz, Hillyard, Barnes & Reinholtz LLP. In his spare time Mr. Baldwin enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters, and is an avid surfer and musician. He has surfed premier waves around the world and played notable venues such as the House of Blues, the Viper Room, and local showcases at SXSW.

Mr. Baldwin is a sincere and effective advocate who primarily represents clients in the amusement, entertainment, action-sport, retail and restaurant industries. During his career, Mr. Baldwin has represented a wide range of clients in products defect, personal injury, breach of contract, transportation, workers' compensation, employment, and construction defect matters. Mr. Baldwin has represented clients ranging from Six Flags, Raging Waters, Boomers, SpeedZone, The Observatory, LSI Road Striping, Harbor Distributing, Flow Snowboards, PetSmart, Sprouts, Olive Garden, and Yard House.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Baldwin received his undergraduate degree from California State University, Fullerton in 2004, where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Political Science. He graduated first in his class from the Department of Philosophy.

Mr. Baldwin received his Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 2006, completing his degree in two years by participating in the rigorous SCALE program. Thereafter, he became a member of the California State Bar and has also been admitted to practice in all of the Districts of the U.S. District Courts of California. The first 9 years of his practice was spent as a Senior Associate of Prindle, Amaro, Goetz, Hillyard, Barnes & Reinholtz LLP.

In his spare time Mr. Baldwin enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters, and is an avid surfer and musician. He has surfed premier waves around the world and played notable venues such as the House of Blues, the Viper Room, and local showcases at SXSW.

Sanaz Cherazaie is a partner of Amaro Baldwin LLP. She is licensed to practice law in both California and Hawaii. Her practice is focused on defending civil litigation actions, including personal injury matters involving claims of catastrophic injury and wrongful death, insurance defense, public entity law, products liability, premises liability, class action matters, and employment cases. Ms. Cherazaie is an experienced trial attorney and has successfully defended many complex and catastrophic injury trials to verdict. Ms. Cherazaie is also highly experienced in all aspects of civil appellate law and leads the firm's appellate practice team. Ms. Cherazaie earned her Bachelor of Arts, with Honors, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She received her Juris Doctorate from Western State University, College of Law. During law school, Ms. Cherazaie was involved in the Law Review editorial board and Honors Moot Court Team. She also received several academic awards, including the Dean's Academic Fellowship, the Scott McCune Memorial Fellowship for Outstanding Research and Writing, Western State University's Distinguished Public Service Certificate, Orange County Women Lawyers Association's Diversity Award, and Witkin awards in Torts and Professional Skills (Research and Writing). Ms. Cherazaie previously served as a research clerk extern for Presiding Justice David G. Sills at the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District. She also held an externship in the chambers of Past-Presiding Judge Nancy Wieben Stock, at the Superior Court of Orange County, Civil Complex Center, where she worked on a wide range of complex civil litigation matters. Ms. Cherazaie has been admitted to practice law in all California and Hawaii State Courts, as well as the U.S. District Courts of California, Northern, Central and Southern Districts, and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Brett Erickson is a partner at Amaro Baldwin LLP, having joined the firm in February 2026. Mr. Erickson began his law career in 2011 and has since worked at several well-regarded defense firms exclusively practicing workers' compensation defense. He has represented a variety of insurance carriers, third party administrators, and employers in front of the WCAB throughout his career. Mr. Erickson also specializes in AME/QME doctor depositions, as the face-to-face interaction allows his communicative strengths to elicit beneficial testimony. In his spare time, Mr. Erickson's interests include spending time with his family, is a passionate Los Angeles sports fan, and has traveled all over the world. Mr. Erickson combined his love of sports and travel when he played professional baseball for the Montpellier Barracudas in Montpellier, France.

He has represented a variety of insurance carriers, third party administrators, and employers in front of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) throughout his career. Mr. Erickson also specializes in AME/QME doctor depositions, as the face-to-face interaction allows his communicative strengths to elicit beneficial testimony.

In his spare time, Mr. Erickson's interests include spending time with his family, and he is a passionate Los Angeles sports fan who has traveled all over the world. Mr. Erickson combined his love of sports and travel when he played professional baseball for the Montpellier Barracudas in Montpellier, France.

Susette Yi-Ries is a Partner at Amaro Baldwin LLP, bringing nearly 30 years of legal experience, with a primary focus on workers' compensation defense litigation and subrogation. Since joining the firm in January 2023, she has brought extensive knowledge and experience in representing employers, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators.

Ms. Yi-Ries earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with an emphasis in Business, from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1995. During law school, she clerked for the District Attorney's Office and a Municipal Court Judge.

Admitted to the California State Bar in 1996, Ms. Yi-Ries began her career practicing civil litigation, handling estate and trust, real estate, personal injury, and family law matters. Since 2000, her practice has focused primarily on workers' compensation defense and subrogation. Before joining Amaro Baldwin LLP, she was a partner at Prindle, Goetz, Barnes & Reinholtz LLP, where she practiced for many years and served as a partner beginning in 2005.

With extensive experience in all aspects of workers' compensation litigation and civil subrogation, Ms. Yi-Ries represents clients throughout Northern and Southern California. She is known for her strategic approach to litigation, thorough understanding of the law, and commitment to achieving favorable outcomes for her clients.

Robert R. Willis is a Partner at Amaro | Baldwin LLP, where he focuses his practice on the defense of businesses, property owners, landlords, and recreational and fitness facilities in complex civil litigation. His practice includes catastrophic and personal injury, wrongful death, premises liability, residential habitability, toxic tort, and other general liability matters.

Mr. Willis regularly represents commercial and residential property owners and managers in claims involving premises liability, habitability, mold and environmental exposure, breach of contract, warranty, and significant personal injuries. He also represents recreational and fitness facilities in injury litigation involving liability waivers and releases, assumption of risk, premises and operational liability, and allegations of gross negligence.

Mr. Willis is a seasoned civil litigator who has handled complex matters in state and federal courts throughout his career. His appellate work includes several favorable published decisions that helped shape California law concerning liability waivers, releases, assumption of risk, and gross negligence in the fitness and recreational industry.

Prior to joining Amaro | Baldwin, Mr. Willis served as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of California, where he represented state agencies in complex business, contract, intellectual property, and other high-stakes litigation. His work included matters involving hundreds of millions of dollars in financial exposure, including litigation resulting in a $50 million recovery for the State, for which he and the litigation team received an Award for Excellence from the Attorney General. Additionally, he led a litigation team that successfully defended the State in a complex commercial dispute involving nearly half a billion dollars, which was resolved with no payment by the State. He also advised state agencies on complex legal and business issues and developed risk-transfer and indemnification strategies designed to mitigate liability and protect public resources.

Mr. Willis represents clients through all phases of civil litigation, from early case evaluation and strategic planning through discovery, dispositive motions, mediation, arbitration, trial, and appeal. His approach emphasizes early assessment of liability and exposure, development of practical litigation and resolution strategies, and close collaboration with clients to manage risk and achieve favorable outcomes. His practice serves a diverse range of clients, including Equity Residential, AvalonBay, Sky Zone, Invitation Homes, and Sysco. These clients represent a cross section of his broader caseload, which he approaches with personal attention and a commitment to understanding each client's business and legal needs.

Mr. Willis earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University in 2004, where he was a four-year member of the varsity crew team. He received his J.D. from Western State University College of Law in 2008, where he received Witkin Awards for Academic Excellence for achieving the highest grade in Intellectual Property and International Business Transactions. He served on the Editorial Board of the Western State University Law Review and was recognized as its Writer of the Year and Editor of the Year.

While in law school, Mr. Willis authored two published articles. His article on international patent law was published in the North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology, selected as one of the leading patent-law articles of 2009, and subsequently reprinted in Thomson West's Patent Law Review. His article addressing strict products liability and hospitals was published in the Western State University Law Review and has subsequently been cited by appellate courts and legal scholarship.

Outside of his practice, Mr. Willis enjoys spending time with his wife and four children.