Amanda M. Jones

Practice Areas

Agriculture & Food Distribution, Banks & Financial Institutions, Construction, Coronavirus Response, Educational Institutions, Employment Law & Labor Relations, First Amendment, Advertising, Media & Entertainment, Health Care, Hospitality & Retail, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Non-profit & Tax-Exempt Organizations, Real Estate, Trusts & Estates

Career

As a litigation partner, Amanda strives to blend practical advice with vigorous advocacy. She regularly advises and represents employers in labor and employment matters as part of her broader commercial litigation practice.

Amanda represents employers in state and federal trial and appellate courts, in arbitrations, and in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission, and the Department of Labor. She has successfully defended employers against claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and whistleblowing. She has also achieved favorable decisions in union grievance arbitrations. Amanda frequently advises clients on difficult employment matters and compliance issues, provides training to supervisors and employees, and conducts workplace investigations. She has been ranked in Chambers & Partners USA in the area of Labor and Employment since 2015. She has also been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2018 and Benchmark Litigation: Labor and Employment since 2021.

Amanda also has significant commercial litigation and arbitration experience. She has handled several cases involving lender liability and foreclosure-related matters, unfair and deceptive trade practices and unfair competition claims, intellectual property matters, partnership and real estate disputes, and breach of contract claims.

Amanda grew up in Kaneohe and graduated summa cum laude from the William S. Richardson School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Hawai‘i Law Review. Prior to her legal career, Amanda was a news reporter and anchor for the ABC affiliate in Biloxi, Mississippi. She is a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association, member of the Litigation and Labor and Employment Law sections; Hawaii State Bar Association, member of the Litigation and Labor and Employment Law sections

Publications

Employment at Will: A State-by-State Survey (2019-2021) (Regional Editor); Hawaii Employment Law Letter (2008-Present) (Co-Editor); “Workplace Safety Defense Thwarted by Company’s Own Policy,” EHS Daily Advisor (March 1, 2021) (Author); “Special Report: Law Firms Prepare to Help Businesses After a Turbulent Year,” Pacific Business News (January 15, 2021) (Interviewee); “Debunking 8 Common Employer Myths About Dealing with COVID-19,” HR Daily Advisor (June 22, 2020) (Author); “What’s Gender Identity Got to Do with Work?” ke kumu (Winter 2016) (Author); “Background Check Laws: Hawai‘i,” Practical Law Institute (2013) (Author); University of Hawai‘i Law Review (2006-2007) (Editor-in-Chief)

Personal

J.D. (2007), William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, summa cum laude; Bachelor of Journalism (1997), University of Missouri-Columbia, magna cum laude