Federico Castelan Sayre

Federico Castelan Sayre is a nationally recognized trial lawyer. He has been trying cases for the past 40 years and has tried over 200 cases to verdict. He practices in the areas of Civil Rights litigation, mass toxic tort, wrongful death, complex commercial litigation, employment law and serious personal injury . He handles criminal matters of significance, including Capitol Cases and white-collar criminal cases. While Mr. Sayre’s primary practice is in California State and Federal Courts, he has handled cases in Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Nevada, just to name a few. Mr. Sayre is a frequent lecturer and panel member in various areas of civil practice. He is the past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County. He is the only person to have been designated as Outstanding Hispanic Attorney in Orange County (by the Hispanic Bar Association) and the Benito Juarez Outstanding Attorney in Los Angeles County (by the Mexican American Bar Association).

Mr. Sayre received his Bachelor of Arts and Government Degree in 1969 from the University of Arizona. While at Arizona, Mr. Sayre was listed in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and was the founding member of the Mexican-American Liberation Committee.

Mr. Sayre received his Juris Doctorate from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He was Chief Note and Comment Editor of the California Law Review while at Boalt. Mr. Sayre also attended Princeton University where he was a Woodrow Wilson fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He received a Master’s in Public Affairs from Berkeley University in 1971. While at Berkeley, he was the Founder and Director of the “Migrant Legal Services Program.” He has a long history of involvement in groups that work to improve conditions within the Hispanic community. Mr. Sayre is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Mr. Sayre also received a research grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, where he conducted research on the subject of “Future Alternatives for Farm Workers in Response to Technological Change in Agriculture.”

Mr. Sayre is admitted to practice in all United States District Courts of California. He is a member of the Los Angeles County and American Bar Associations; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; California Trial Lawyers Association; Los Angeles Trial Association; Mexican-American Bar Association. Founding Life Member; Trial Lawyers for Public Justice; Member and Board of Director, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation; Board of Directors California Rural Legal Assistance; National Secretary, Railroad Section, ATLA; Board of Trustees for Los Angeles County Bar Association; Treasurer of the Mexican-American Bar Association and National Chairman of the Railroad Section for ATLA.

Verdicts and Settlements

•Recent Burn Case v Korean Noodle Manufacturer - $15 million
•Funches v Refrigerated Transport, Inc. - $12 million
•Roberta Sanchez v Hospital - $11.8 million
•Meza-Jimenez v High-Rise Building - $10.5 million
•San Juan Cecilio v DTI - $10 million
•Samperio v Ocean View School District - $9 million
•Barcenas v A Well-known Tire Company and Automobile Manufacturer - $8.4 million
•Garcia v. Tyco Shipping - $7.8 million
•Reyes-Valentin v Bay Area Contract Transportation Services - $7.6 million
•Meza v Coastal Communities Hospital - $7 million
•Hoang v King’s County - $6.1 million
•Cruz v Pensacola Auto Transport. - $5 million
•Herrera v City of Buena Park - $5 million
•Jose Salvador Garza v Wawona Packing - $4.5 million
•Tanguay v City of Bakersfield - $4.2 million
•Navarette v Oropeza Trucking - $4million
•Blair v National Ready Mixed Concrete Company - $3.8 million
•Myra Hernandez v Defendant - $2.15 million
•Huerterro Saldivar v Huntington Beach Police Department - $2.1 million
•Rubio v Pepe’s Towing - $2 million
•Bacadano v RTD - $1.825 million
•Alvarez v A&P Growers - $1.8 million
•Martinez v PTO Company - $1.5 million
•Zermeno v Schmutz - $1.5 million
•Barrera v Santa Fe Railroad -$1.25 million
•Mayfield v Union Pacific Railroad - $1 million
•Estate of Ford v. City of Los Angeles - $1.5 million
•Antonio Cruz v. Joel Ramirez - $1.8 million
•Robert Jeffrey Watts v City of LA - $9.1 million
•Izaguirre v Tumoba BV - $1.4 million
•Three Hundred and Thirty Nine Investors v. One of the Top 5 National Accounting Firms - $60 million
•Chaj v DGSP Security Services & Patrol - $57.749 million
•Rodney King v. City of Los Angeles- $3.8 million

Education

•University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law Juris Doctor, June 1975
•Chief Note and Comment Editor, California Law Review
•Treasurer, Boalt Hall Student Association
•Chairman, Admissions Committee
•La Raza Law Student Association
•Founder and director, Migrant Legal Services Program
•Board of Directors, Newman Center, Berkeley
•Princeton University, The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Masters in Public Affairs (MPA), 1971
•Woodrow Wilson fellow
•President, La Union Latino Americana, (Organization of Chicano and Puerto Rican Students)
•University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, Bachelor of Arts Government, 1969
•Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities
•Senator, Liberal Arts College 1967-1968
•Executive Assistant to Student Body President 1968-1969
•Chairman, Student Lobby, Arizona State Legislature
•Founding Member, Mexican-American Liberation Committee (later MECHA)
•University Debate Team

Specialized Education

•National Endowment for the Humanities, Research Grant 1971 - 1972
•One year of research under the auspices of the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley.
•Research Subject: “Future Alternatives for Farm Workers in Response to Technological Change in Agriculture.”
•Centro de Inercultura Documental (CIDOC), Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, Summer 1969
•Three months of accelerated Spanish language training. This included courses in contemporary poetry and Latin American politics.

Volunteering Experience

•Lecturer for Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB)
•Pro Bono Trial Attorney for United Farm Workers

Honors & Awards

•Hispanic Lawyer of the Year from the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County (March 2010)
•President of the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County (March 2009)
•100 Best Lawyers by American Trial Lawyers Association (January 2008)
•Super Lawyers (January 2008)
•AV Rated by Martindale Hubbel (January 2000)
•Benito Juarez Award by the Mexican American Bar Association (March 1986)

Online Articles/Publications

•Widow Wins $300,000 for Bungled Cremation
•Unarmed Man Shot in the Back Sues Santa Ana Police
•Jury awards $58 million to man missing part of skull after beating
•People making a difference: Sayre fights for little guy
•$57 Million Judgment Won by Attorney
•Punitive phase of Rodney King damage trial starts
•California painter awarded $58 million in bar beating

Case Results Won

$625k Settlement for Injuries Caused by McDonald’s Employee
$9M Settled for Pedestrian Accident Causing TBI
$790K Settled for Freightliner Incident
$5M Workplace Dismemberment Recovery from a Lathe Accident