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.
Qiaojing Ella Zheng Honored with 2018 YWCA Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Award
Our commitment to securing justice and providing the best representation possible is reflected in a commitment to diversity within our own firm. At Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, we know better than to think the best attorneys look alike, sound alike, think alike, or live alike. What matters is talent, and we hire the best talent available.
As a result, our team more accurately mirrors America. Women, minority, and/or openly gay lawyers make up the majority of our staff. A passion for social justice unites our team - we all work to use the power of law to help create and enforce a more just society.
Qiaojing Ella Zheng (郑巧晶 律师) is the Asian American Litigation and Finance Practice Chair and a Partner in the San Francisco office of Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, a national law firm with offices in the District of Columbia, New York, California, Tennessee, and Maryland. Ms. Zheng received her law degrees from Zhejiang University in China (LL.B.) and Thomas Jefferson School of Law (LL.M.).
Ms. Zheng is licensed to practice law in California and New York. Her practice encompasses a wide range of legal matters. She represents employees across the economic spectrum in individual and class actions involving wage and hour violations, discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race/national origin, and disability, retaliation and wrongful termination claims. She also represents executive and managerial personnel in both public litigation and privately negotiated settlements.
Ms. Zheng has extensive experience in financial services practice. She regularly advises entrepreneurs, companies, and financial institutions in Silicon Valley and China on regulatory and compliance matters. In particular, Ms. Zheng specializes in representing China-based clients in legal matters arising under U.S. laws, including licensing and compliance for securities broker-dealers and investment advisers under the U.S. SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and state-level regulatory authorities. Having obtained legal education and work experience in both China and the U.S., she brings a unique perspective to facilitate her clients’ cross-border business activities, and devotes herself to bridging the cultural gap between domestic and foreign parties.
In addition, Ms. Zheng also represents whistleblowers in qui tam lawsuits under the U.S. False Claims Act and works on cases involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the SEC Whistleblower program, the IRS Whistleblower program, and other statutes involving fraud against the federal and state governments.
Ms. Zheng is a native Mandarin Chinese speaker. She is active in the tech communities and Asian American communities. She is the President of the Chinese American Lawyers of the Bay Area, and the Board Secretary of the YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley. She’s also a Co-Chair of the Women’s Committee with the Asian American Bar Association, and a Co-Chair of the Women in Law Committee with the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley. She has been a co-leader of the South Bay Female Attorneys Lean In Circle.
Ms. Zheng has been honored by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Northern California since 2016. She is an Honoree of the Tribute to Women Awards by YWCA Silicon Valley, and received the 2020 Minority Bar Coalition Unity Award. Ms. Zheng is a frequent speaker to professional and business groups on various employment litigation and compliance matters.
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Prior to joining Sanford Heisler Sharp, Ms. Zheng was an associate attorney at a boutique general practice firm in San Diego, California, where her practice encompassed a wide range of areas including international business, corporate, civil litigation, immigration, and family law.
Ms. Zheng is an advocate for diversity, leadership, and the public interest. During her tenure as Vice President and Secretary of the San Diego Chinese Attorneys Association, she organized a series of events focused on U.S./China social, business, and legal issues. While obtaining her LL.B. in China, Ms. Zheng organized the first moot court in the region advocating women’s rights and was awarded Outstanding Student Leader upon graduation.
Education
- LL.M. (Master of Laws), Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 2010
- LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws), Zhejiang University, 2009
Bar Admissions
- New York, 2012
- California, 2013
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
Aurora Behavioral Healthcare – Santa Rosa, LLC and Signature Healthcare Services, LLC Whistleblower Retaliation Lawsuit
The suit characterizes Aurora and Signature as routinely prioritizing profits over the care and rights of patients and hospital staff at their Santa Rosa location, which provides inpatient, partial hospitalization and outpatient mental health services to adults and adolescents.
InnoGrit Corp. Breach of Contract Suit
The Complaint on behalf of InnoGrit’s co-founder Yuhui (David) Chen alleges breach of contract, promissory fraud, retaliation, wrongful termination, and shareholder direct and derivative claims.
National Law Firm Sanford Heisler Sharp Investigates Suicide at Facebook
Sanford Heisler Sharp represents the family of the Facebook employee who was involved in the tragic suicide on Facebook’s campus in Menlo Park, California.
- How I Made Partner: ‘Leverage Your Strengths, Lead With Your Actions, Follow Through and Deliver,’ Says Ella Zheng of Sanford Heisler Sharp
- Four Sanford Heisler Sharp Women Partners Selected To The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers Membership
- Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q1
- U.S. doubles down on protecting university research from China
- Sanford Heisler Sharp Announces Ten Promotions For 2021
- 精神损害难获赔，雇主责任难界定——职场性骚扰：法院立案后，还有几道关
- 精神损害难获赔，雇主责任难界定 职场性骚扰：法院立案后，还有几道关
- “民法典时代的性骚扰雇主责任：比较与展望”网络研讨会圆满召开
- 華裔律師談疫情期間常⾒勞⼯權益受損問題
- Chinese-American lawyers talk about common damage to labor rights during the epidemic
- Sanford Heisler Sharp Promotes Felicia Gilbert to San Francisco Managing Partner
- Facebook employee, fired after attending protest, has no regrets
- Tsai Center Holds Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Litigation Workshops in China
- Law Firm To Probe Death Of Facebook Employee Who Jumped Off Headquarters
- Sanford Heisler Repping Family of Facebook Employee Who Died by Suicide
- The family of the Facebook employee who committed suicide has hired a law firm to investigate
- National Law Firm Sanford Heisler Sharp Investigates Tragic Incident At Facebook
- Sanford Heisler Sharp Attorney Qiaojing Ella Zheng Honored with 2018 YWCA Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Award
- Sanford Heisler Sharp Files Whistleblower Retaliation Suit Against Aurora Behavioral Healthcare – Santa Rosa & Signature Healthcare Services
- Sanford Heisler Sharp Announces Promotions & New Leadership Roles
- Sanford Heisler Sharp Attorney Qiaojing Ella Zheng Discusses Sexual Harassment on KTSF Channel 26
- The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers, 2021
- Super Lawyers Rising Star Northern California, 2016 - 2021
- YWCA Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Award, 2018
- President’s Award by Chinese American Lawyers of the Bay Area, 2017
- Minority Bar Coalition Unity Award, 2020
- October 10, 2017, Keynote Speaker
Columbus Women In Tech Conference 2017
