Practice Group Chairs

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 & Qui Tam Practice Group, Mr. McKnight represents whistleblowers in sealed and unsealed False Claims Act/Qui Tam suits under investigation by the government.

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.

Mr. Melzer is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Wage and Hour Practice Group 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 Group and also has the expertise to represent individuals in False Claims Act and employment discrimination actions.

Kate Mueting, a Co-Chair of the firm’s Discrimination and Harassment Practice Group, a practice that is leading the nation in the fight for equality, particularly gender equality in the legal profession.

As Co-Chair of the Firm’s Financial Services Litigation Practice Group, 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 the Firm’s Discrimination and Harassment Practice Group.

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.

As Co-Chair of the Firm’s Whistleblower & Qui Tam Practice Group, John McKnight works primarily on qui tam/whistleblower cases. He received his law degree from University of Maryland Law School in 2011.

Christine Dunn is Co-Chair of Sanford Heisler Sharp’s Criminal/Sexual Violence Practice Group and a Partner in the firm’s Washington, DC office. Ms. Dunn’s practice involves a range of matters, including criminal/sexual violence cases, whistleblower/qui tam matters, and employment discrimination actions.

David Tracey is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Public Interest Litigation Practice Group and a Partner in the New York office who works primarily on discrimination and wage and hour cases. He received his law degree from NYU Law School in 2013.

Andrew Miller co-manages Sanford Heisler Sharp’s opioid litigation and also represents whistleblowers under the False Claims Act and the SEC whistleblower program, employees who have suffered discrimination or other mistreatment on the job, and survivors and family members of those who have been harmed by crime.

Qiaojing Ella Zheng (郑巧晶 律师) is Chair of the Firm’s Asian American Litigation and Finance Practice Group. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and has extensive experience representing China-based clients in legal matters arising under U.S.laws.

As Co-Chair of the Firm’s Financial Services Litigation Practice Group, Mr. Morris’ extensive experience covers the full range of client claims, including discrimination, wage and hour/unpaid wages, whistleblower/qui tam, and financial malfeasance claims.