Partners

Mr. Sanford is the Chairman and co-founder of Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP. Since 2004, Mr. Sanford has recovered more than $1 billion for individual clients and the United States government.

Throughout his legal career, Mr. Heisler has had notable success in employment and civil rights class actions and complex multi-party and multi-state litigation, producing more than $500 million in benefits to class members.

Judge Sharp is the Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp’s Nashville office, which opened in the spring of 2017. He joined Sanford Heisler Sharp after serving as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee from May 2011 through April 2017, serving from 2014 to 2017 as the Court’s Chief Judge.

As Co-Chair of the Firm’s whistleblower practice, Mr. McKnight represents whistleblowers in sealed and unsealed False Claims Act/Qui Tam suits under investigation by the government.

Mr. Chapin is a veteran trial lawyer whose individual and class action practice includes unfair business practices, professional negligence, insurance coverage, toxic torts, serious personal injury and wrongful death matters.

Russell Kornblith is the New York Managing Partner who works on both qui tam / whistleblower cases and on discrimination cases. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 2012.

Deborah K. Marcuse is the Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp’s Baltimore, Maryland office. She received her law degree from Yale Law School in 2008.

Felicia Gilbert is the Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp’s San Francisco office. She represents employees in individual and class actions involving race, gender, and pregnancy discrimination.

Mr. Melzer is Co-Chair of the Firm’s wage and hour practice and has helped return millions of dollars of lost wages to employees in presuit negotiations, active litigation, and trials.

Mr. Palmer serves as Co-Chair of the Firm’s wage and hour practice and also has the expertise to represent individuals in False Claims Act and employment discrimination actions.

Ms. Mueting is responsible for managing much of the KPMG gender discrimination litigation and also represents employees in other individual and class discrimination and overtime cases.

As Co-Chair of the Firm’s Financial Services practice, Mr. Field leverages his decades of practice focused on commercial transactions and regulation to recover investments that have been mishandled or lost.

Ali Harwin is a partner in the New York Office of Sanford Heisler Sharp and Co-Chair of Sanford Heisler Sharp’s Title VII practice.

Steve Kelly is a Partner at Sanford Heisler Sharp and Co-Chair of the firm’s Criminal/Sexual Violence Practice Group. He represents plaintiffs, especially those from traditionally marginalized groups, who seek justice as victims of violence.

Ms. Bireda joined Sanford Heisler Sharp after three years as a member of the senior political staff at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC.

Mr. Blankenstein handled significant cases involving financial institutions and employee benefits. He brings a wealth of experience in many areas of the law to the Firm’s practice.