Al De La Cruz

Al De La Cruz is the head of the employment litigation department at the San Diego office of Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP. De La Cruz is responsible for managing a 14-attorney regional office while defending civil litigation actions in the employment practices and professional E&O matters. His typical caseload includes class actions, employment practices litigation, wage and hour class actions, tech E&O matters, MPL, and director and officer liability matters. 

He advises a range of clients in the private and public sectors with more than 30 years of experience counseling clients in prelitigation and litigation matters. Fortune magazine identified him as a Top Rated Lawyer in Labor & Employment Law. Los Angeles magazine identified him as one of the Top Lawyers in Southern California. From 2014 to 2021 he was named one of the Top 10 Employment Lawyers in San Diego. 

De La Cruz defends employers in state and federal courts, regularly appearing before juries, judges, and administrative agencies. A true trial attorney, he has taken more than 100 cases to jury verdict. He received the AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating for legal quality and ethics. 

Clients call on De La Cruz to defend their most sensitive matters from Boston to San Diego. His practice regularly takes him across the United States as lead counsel for the most demanding cases. He currently divides his time defending businesses in litigation involving state and federal employment claims, miscellaneous professional liability claims, and product liability matters. 

Prior to law school, De La Cruz worked as a mechanical engineer for TRW Inc. where he specialized in computer simulations. He participated in both the MX missile program and the Strategic Defense Initiative under top secret clearance from the Department of Defense. He later served as a deputy district attorney. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of California Irvine, and his J.D. at the University of California Berkeley.