Samuel J. Cordes is the principal of Samuel J. Cordes & Associates, a Pittsburgh Pa., based employment law firm.

Some of his noteworthy appellate cases include: Kengerski v. Allegheny County, 6 F.4th 531 (3d Cir. 2021)(amicus);  Karlo v. Pittsburgh Glass Works, 849 F.3d 61 (3d Cir. 2017);  Ryder v. Westinghouse Elec. Corp., 128 F.3d 128 (3rd Cir.1997); Brewer v. Quaker State Oil Refining Corp., 72 F.3d 326 (3d Cir. 1995); Fiscus v. Wal-Mart, 385 F.3d 378 (3d Cir. 2004); Boyle v. Allegheny County, 139 F.3d 386 (3d Cir. 1998); Robinson v. Pittsburgh, 120 F.3d 1286 (3d Cir. 1997);

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review calls him “the Archangel of employment rights”  in Pennsylvania. an "excellent and extremely creative lawyer, which makes him dangerous for the opposition. “  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes he is “extremely smart in the scholarly sense and has that practical street smart sense.  You  don’t see that combination in too many lawyers.”   He has tried to successful verdict more than 40 employment rights jury trials, and has successfully litigated 30 federal and Pennsylvania appeals.  Chambers USA-America's Leading Business Lawyers describes Sam as “smart, and highly rated for employment litigation. Juries love him.”

He is rated AV by Martindale-Hubble, that publication’s highest ranking, and also is listed in the 2004-2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in America. He has been listed in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers for the 21st consecutive year.

He is listed in the Top 50 Super Lawyers in Pittsburgh since 2011.  He was listed in the Top 100 Super Lawyers in the state of Pennsylvania--the only plaintiff employment lawyer in Pittsburgh to EVER be listed in the top 100 Super Lawyers in Pennsylvania.
He is one of a very few Employment and Labor attorney in Allegheny County who is rated a perfect 10-Superb by AVVO, the national Washington-based attorney rating service.

He is a fellow in the National College of Labor and Employment Attorneys and a member of the Allegheny County Academy of Trial Lawyers. 

He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  He often lectures on employment law topics for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, as well as other local and national organizations. He has authored or co-authored more than 20 articles on employment law topics for local and national publications.