Overview
Richard Salgado is the Dallas lead of McDermott Will & Schulte’s Litigation Practice Group and co-leads the firm’s class action practice. He is an experienced trial lawyer who has first-chaired dozens of complex cases in state and federal courts, arbitrations, and other proceedings. His extensive jury and courtroom experience includes cases in all areas of health care, as well as trade secrets, product and environmental liability, and commercial litigation. He has successfully represented plaintiffs and defendants in complex, bet-the-company disputes including many cases in which the amount in controversy has exceeded hundreds of millions of dollars.
Richard also has extensive appellate experience. He began his career as an appellate specialist and previously served as the firmwide chair of the appellate practice at another large international firm. He has presented oral argument in more than two dozen cases before federal and state appellate courts across the United States.
Richard devotes substantial time to pro bono service, maintaining an active practice in two areas of focus: protecting religious freedom for all, and protecting the rights of children and adults with intellectual and other disabilities. He has also served as an adjunct professor at several law schools, including BYU Law School, SMU, and the UNT-Dallas College of Law, teaching courses on trial advocacy, trade secrets, and the First Amendment.
Following law school, Richard served as a law clerk to the Honorable Fortunato P. Benavides on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Results
- Secured highly favorable settlement for plaintiff healthcare company against foreign-based conglomerate for misappropriation of trade secrets in the Middle East and North Africa
- Obtained complete victory for a healthcare company in a US$600 million putative class action alleging antitrust and RICO claims in connection with alleged violations of network access and pharmacy pricing laws*
- Obtained successful outcome for auto part manufacturer in putative class action stemming from recall of approximately 5 million airbag units*
- Won complete no liability verdict in multi-week jury trial on behalf of technology company against trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract claims that sought more than US$75 million*
- Successfully defended putative class action alleging manufacturer provided misleading information regarding price at which customers would be able to replace car batteries under warranty*
- Won complete no liability verdict in multi-week trial on behalf of private equity company against allegations of breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract, seeking more than US$150 million, asserted by former C-suite executive*
- Obtained complete victory and concession by Internal Revenue Service in US$8.4 billion tax dispute involving debt vs. equity and cancellation of indebtedness issues*
- Represented coalition of various large academic medical centers and patients in multi-jurisdictional litigation against US Deptartment of Health and Human Services to enjoin potentially life-and-death changes to the allocation of donated organs*
- Successfully defended software developer in putative class action brought on behalf of more than one million insurance claimants alleging that 500 major insurers used software to depress value of insurance claims*
- Obtained complete win on summary judgment in toxic tort case alleging illnesses caused by chemical exposure and seeking more than US$100 million*
- Won complete victory for investors and business partners in multi-week jury trial seeking more than US$25 million for alleged breach of contract and interference with prospective business relations in technology startup*
- Obtained complete victory for third-party health care claims administrator in whistleblower action brought under the False Claims Act accusing the defendant of facilitating widespread Medicaid fraud in Texas public schools*
- Won complete victory in international arbitration on behalf of healthcare technology company, prevailing on claims for business torts and trade secret misappropriation, defeating all counterclaims, and obtaining multimillion-dollar damages award, attorney fees, and permanent injunction*
- Successfully represented industrial client in multi-week jury trial seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages based on illnesses allegedly caused by toxic exposure*
- Obtained favorable jury verdict against US$600 million bad faith insurance claims in state court case concerning extensive environmental contamination by mining operations*
- Successfully defended major energy and construction company in a putative class action alleging that its work on behalf of the US Army Corps of Engineers contributed to floodwall breaches in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina*
- Obtained summary judgment of noninfringement on behalf of the world’s largest computer gaming company in major patent litigation*
*Matter handled prior to joining the firm.
Recognitions
- Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Practice (2025-2026), Litigation – Intellectual Property, 2025-2026
- Thomson Reuters, Stand-out Lawyer – independently rated lawyers, 2023-2026
- Texas Lawyer, Diversity and Inclusion Champion, 2019
- Texas Monthly, Texas Rising Star, 2011-2018
- Texas Lawyer, Lawyer on the Rise, 2016
Community
- BYU Law School Alumni Association, former president
- Dallas Hispanic Bar Association, member
- J. Reuben Clark Law Society, North American Southwest area chair
- DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity, vice president
Credentials
Education
Brigham Young University, JD, summa cum laude, Order of the Coif, 2006
Brigham Young University, BA, 2003
Admissions
Texas
Utah
Courts/Agencies
US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit
US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
US District Court for the Northern District of Texas
US District Court for the Southern District of Texas
US District Court for the Western District of Texas
US District Court for the District of Utah
US Supreme Court
Languages
English
Spanish
