Recognized as Law Firm of the Year
“Most firms would shy away from challenging the most powerful interests in society. Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight has taken on the largest corporations in the world and has succeeded.” – Benchmark Litigation
Civil Rights Firm of the Year
Employment Rights Firm of the Year
Human Rights Firm of the Year
Labor and Employment Firm of the Year
Employment Practice Group of the Year
An Industry Leader
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is celebrated by the leading professional journals as the number one ranked employment rights firm and number one ranked human rights firm, drawing acclaim from judges across the country, top publications evaluating the legal industry, the nation’s leading mediators, and even adversaries against whom we litigate.
“Biggest verdict ever awarded in an employment discrimination class action.”
– The American Lawyer
Unrivaled Experience
Our Practice Areas
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight excels at holding major companies, firms, and institutions accountable when they cause harm. We advocate for victims of discrimination, harassment, and sexual assault, including employees at Fortune 500 companies, attorneys at law firms, and university faculty and students. We represent whistleblowers in exposing fraud against the government and promote corporate compliance in cutting-edge issues like consumer fraud, cybersecurity, foreign corrupt practices, highway safety, and digital ad fraud by supporting investigations conducted by the OCC, FTC, SEC, NHTSA, and the DOJ. We prosecute ERISA class actions for employees whose retirement savings are jeopardized by mismanaged 401(k) plans, and we bring class action lawsuits for workers whose employers fail to pay the commissions and overtime payments they are owed. We also have specialized expertise representing Asian and Asian-American clients in US-based litigation.
Class Action Case Results
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight's groundbreaking class action lawsuits and settlements have recovered nearly half a billion dollars for class members. Through our successful class actions, we have delivered results for tens of thousands of individuals, including employees who were discriminated against, victims of sexual harassment and exploitation, workers whose retirement accounts were mismanaged, and employees who were not paid the wages they were owed.
Whistleblower Case Results
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight's whistleblower and qui tam suits have recovered over $4 billion for our whistleblowers and the U.S. Government. Our clients are whistleblowers from a wide variety of fields, including technology, banking, and government contracting, from local companies and Fortune 500 companies alike. We protect their interests and privacy throughout all stages of federal investigations, from pre-filing inquiries with enforcement groups to meetings with multi-agency task forces, and ultimately through the award or settlement process.
Individual Case Results
Many of our clients prefer to resolve their cases out of court. For these clients, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight negotiates private settlements that are customized to meet our client’s needs, including providing financial security and restitution, protecting their reputations, and helping them transition with dignity out of a toxic situation. When a defendant does not settle a case, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight files the case in court and deploys all resources necessary to aggressively prosecute and try a case.
“Thank you to David Sanford and his excellent team of attorneys. They are top-drawer advocates who are passionate about helping students who find themselves in adverse situations with universities and their hard-lined policies…”
– Former Client
“I was fighting on my own before I began working with Christine and her team [Nicole Wiitala, and Shaun Rosenthal]. When she took on my case, I was able to graduate college and …”
– Former Client
“The firm… treated me with kindness as well as the best expert guidance. Forever indebted to them.”
– Suzy Reingold
“Collectively the SHSM team represented the highest level of professionalism, integrity, and passionate care for justice that I have ever witnessed in my career.”
– David Chen, a Former Client
“As an attorney on the defense side, I can say there is simply no one better than Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight. That view is shared by defense attorneys around the country. They outwork the other side, master the law and facts, and achieve great results.”
– Maria Hallas, Attorney and Journalist
“Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight have taken the pharmaceutical industry by storm. They are shattering the glass ceiling imposed on women by pharma’s old boys’ club.”
– Jacqueline Pena, Lead Plaintiff in The Class Action Wellens v. Daiichi
“I contacted SHSM because it has a stellar reputation as a champion for workplace gender equality. That reputation is well-deserved; SHSM is a deft negotiator, a voracious advocate, and – most importantly – knows how to get results.”
– Former Client and VP of a Major Technology Company
“The result was extraordinary.”
– Marc Thomas, Attorney and Former CEO of GE Aviation Materials
Client Testimonials
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, our clients are our highest priority. Clients seek us out for our depth of experience handling complex cases, our creativity and strategic thinking in challenging situations, our compassion and responsiveness, our fortitude and integrity, and our commitment to the public interest. It is a testament to our team that many of the clients who seek out Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight are themselves lawyers or C-suite executives accustomed to working with first-rate professionals.
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To give people power, a voice, recognition, and standing they otherwise would not have is truly a great gift to give.
Litigation can be an instrument to achieve justice for employees, consumers, and shareholders victimized by powerful corporate interests.
Every day I’m reminded of why I joined this firm. I continue to see the fire in each person’s eyes for the pursuit of justice. I see the commitment to our clients and the commitment to each other.
I help bring about institutional and societal change through class action impact litigation.
A hallmark of my practice group is that we aren’t afraid to take on powerful individuals and powerful institutions that didn’t do enough to protect our clients.
My journey to becoming a civil rights and public interest litigator has been different from that of most attorneys….my legal education in China and the States can be of great value to workers of color who are historically underrepresented in this country.
Taking on and prevailing against powerful interests has had a profound impact on my life. Every day, I am challenged and inspired to push beyond my creative limits.
Everyone in our firm – our named partners, our attorneys, and our staff – all have a passion for seeking justice, and that passion drives us every day.
For the past thirty years I have represented whistleblowers, courageous people who expose corporate malfeasance to support the government’s efforts to achieve corporate compliance and protect the public. It has been an honor and a privilege to represent whistleblowers.
We represent clients in both individual matters and class actions. In each case, we represent clients who, in some way, have been harmed by a systemic injustice. By zealously fighting for our client’s interests, we also simultaneously promote the public interest.
We strive for nothing less than perfection in everything we do. We are not afraid to take challenging cases and push—or even change—the law as much as we possibly can.
To reflect on being a partner at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is to reflect on the firm’s unique culture of collaboration, creativity, and collegiality. Each of my colleagues….are brilliant and formidable legal advocates, driven by an innate sense of justice, fair play, and a deep compassion for others.
SHSM has and will continue to successfully take on powerful companies and individuals who have violated the law and will hold them to account.
I’ve been entrusted with a lot of responsibility and encouraged to take on challenging cases just because it was the right thing to do, neither of which is a given in the legal profession.
I am driven as much by a sense of injustice as a sense of justice.
I, like many of my colleagues, became a lawyer because of the promise of lifelong learning. I became a public interest lawyer, because I wanted to use my talents for good. And I joined this firm because of the similar talent and drive I see in my colleagues.
I wanted my career to be focused on leaving a positive lasting impact on someone’s life…Every case or matter…has a lasting footprint because it comes from a space of earnest passion and devotion.
Although we frequently go up against law firms that are many times our size, our compelling legal writing and creative arguments allow us to consistently achieve great outcomes.
Every one of our attorneys is a trial lawyer. We do not back down against well-resourced opponents. And we are committed to pursuing justice—for our clients and for our communities—even when the odds are long.
