Overview

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP is a nationwide litigation law firm with offices in New York, Washington, DC, Palo Alto, San Francisco, San Diego, and Nashville. We represent individuals against powerful interests. We act as a private attorney general in support of the private and public good.

Our attorneys have obtained excellent outcomes across the United States representing C-Suite executives, attorneys (including general counsel, partners, and associates), and directors and managers seeking to resolve contract and employment disputes with their employers. Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP has also achieved great results across the country representing employees with claims involving discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and wage and hour violations and representing individuals in whistleblowing, False Claims Act (qui tam), consumer fraud, 401(k) (ERISA), Dodd-Frank, SEC whistleblower, and public interest litigation and matters.

Our Firm has an impressive history of success. Our team of skilled attorneys secured the largest jury award in an employment discrimination case, winning more than $250 million for 7,000 female sales representatives. The firm also achieved a $99 million wage and hour recovery on behalf of pharmaceutical representatives and represented a whistleblower in a $120 million qui tam case against Omnicare.

We know that injustice often harms the people who can least afford it. By handling most of our cases on a contingency fee basis, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight provides our clients with equal access to legal representation. We level the playing field so that your voice is heard.

Founded:
2004
Size:
53
Magnifying glass with star icon
Practice Areas:
11
Person outline with Best Lawyers logo
Best Lawyers Recognized:
6

Rankings

Regional

Nashville

Tier
2
Nashville
Employment Law - Individuals

New York City

Tier
1
New York City
Employment Law - Individuals

San Diego

Tier
3
San Diego
Securities / Capital Markets Law

San Francisco

Tier
2
San Francisco
Employment Law - Individuals
Tier
2
San Francisco
Litigation - Labor and Employment

Washington, D.C.

Tier
2
Washington, D.C.
Employment Law - Individuals

Firm Leadership

About Our Clients

At Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, we represent individuals and help them succeed against large organizations. Our attorneys handle a range of practice areas for our clients, including employment discrimination, wage and hour violations, whistleblower and qui, predatory lending, consumer fraud, financial services litigation, public interest litigation, and more. Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight provides high-quality legal representation to those harmed by the actions of powerful organizations and companies to ensure that they have an opportunity to get help for the injustices they've faced.

Rankings

Regional

Nashville

Tier
2
Nashville
Employment Law - Individuals

New York City

Tier
1
New York City
Employment Law - Individuals

San Diego

Tier
3
San Diego
Securities / Capital Markets Law

San Francisco

Tier
2
San Francisco
Employment Law - Individuals
Tier
2
San Francisco
Litigation - Labor and Employment

Washington, D.C.

Tier
2
Washington, D.C.
Employment Law - Individuals
Tier
2
Washington, D.C.
Litigation - Labor and Employment

Practice Areas

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP has been ranked by Best Law Firms for excellence in 3 specialties, reflecting the firm's commitment to delivering outstanding legal services.
Additionally, the firm provides services in these practice areas:
  • Civil Rights
  • Civil Rights Law
  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Employment Law - Individuals
  • Employment Law - Management
  • Labor and Employment Law - Employee
  • Litigation - ERISA
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
  • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
  • Qui Tam Law
  • Qui Tam/False Claims Act

Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP proudly has 6 lawyers recognized for their outstanding professional performance in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. This peer-reviewed honor highlights individual excellence and directly qualifies the firm for consideration in the prestigious Best Law Firms rankings. For over four decades, Best Lawyers has been the gold standard for recognizing top legal talent, serving as the cornerstone for Best Law Firms awards. Learn more about our rigorous Best Lawyers research and selection process.
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Firm News

Spinning circle
August 13, 2021
Xilinx Hit with $365 Million Lawsuit filed by Sanford Heisler Sharp & Fitzgerald Knaier
Read Article Xilinx Hit with $365 Million Lawsuit filed by Sanford Heisler Sharp & Fitzgerald Knaier
August 4, 2021
Vaccine Mandates Are Trending Across Biglaw Firms
Read Article Vaccine Mandates Are Trending Across Biglaw Firms
July 13, 2021
Sanford Heisler Sharp Files Motion For Summary Judgment Against Home Depot For Mismanagement Of Its 401k Plan
Read Article Sanford Heisler Sharp Files Motion For Summary Judgment Against Home Depot For Mismanagement Of Its 401k Plan
June 23, 2021
Sanford Heisler Sharp Announces $5.4 Million Settlement with Transamerica in ERISA Class Action
Read Article Sanford Heisler Sharp Announces $5.4 Million Settlement with Transamerica in ERISA Class Action
May 27, 2021
Sanford Heisler Sharp Announces $50 Million Settlement In False Claims Act Case Against Navistar Defense and Navistar International
Read Article Sanford Heisler Sharp Announces $50 Million Settlement In False Claims Act Case Against Navistar Defense and Navistar International
May 21, 2021
Sanford Heisler Sharp Partner Saba Bireda Reappointed To DC Bar Rules Of Professional Conduct Review Committee
Read Article Sanford Heisler Sharp Partner Saba Bireda Reappointed To DC Bar Rules Of Professional Conduct Review Committee
... ...

Awards

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP is honored to be recognized for excellence by Best Law Firms and other leading legal industry organizations. Our rankings and awards reflect the dedication, skill, and results our attorneys deliver across a wide range of practice areas. In addition to our Best Law Firms awards, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP has earned accolades from respected national and regional publications for outstanding legal service and professional achievement. Explore our awards below to learn more about how Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP continues to set the standard for quality legal representation.
Benchmark Litigation - 2021 and 2020 Labor & Employment Employee-Side Firm of the Year
National Law Journal - 2022 Elite Trial Lawyers’ Civil Rights Firm of the Year
National Law Journal - 2021 Elite Trial Lawyers’ Human Rights Firm of the Year
Best Law Firms 2021 - U.S. News & World Report ranked Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP nationally for its ERISA Litigation practice. It also ranked the firm in 8 metro ranking categories.
National Law Journal - 2021 Elite Trial Lawyers’ Employment Rights Firm of the Year
Chambers & Partners - Ranked in USA in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Benchmark Litigation - Ranked nationwide and in five locations for Labor and Employment by Benchmark Litigation in 2020.
Sanford Heisler Sharp was named one of the 50 best companies to watch in 2020 by Silicon Review.
Benchmark Litigation - Ranked in six locations for Labor and Employment by Benchmark Litigation in 2019.
Best Law Firms 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016 - Ranked for its Employment Law practice in San Francisco; for its Commercial Litigation practice in San Diego; and for its Commercial Litigation practice in Washington, DC.
Sanford Heisler Sharp was named one of the Top 50 Most Trustworthy Companies in 2018 by Silicon Review.
Law360 - 2021, 2019, 2018, and 2016 Employment Practice Group of the Year

Benchmark Litigation - Ranked in four locations for Labor and Employment by Benchmark Litigation in 2018 for 10 attorneys.

TopVerdict.com, Named the 8th top class action settlement in California in 2017 by TopVerdict.com for the Google wage and hour class action settlement
Named the 12th top settlement in California in 2016 by TopVerdict.com for the Qualcomm gender discrimination class action
2015 US News Best Lawyers National Tier 1 Employment Firm, San Francisco
National Law Journal - 2015 Litigation Boutique Hot List
National Law Journal - 2015 Elite Trial Lawyers
National Law Journal - 2014 Elite Trial Lawyers
National Law Journal - 2013 Litigation Boutique Hot List
Top Rated Lawyers - Labor and Employment Law, American Lawyers
Litigation Department of the Year - Employment, The National Law Journal

Offices & Contacts

La Jolla, CA
Palo Alto, CA
San Francisco, CA
Washington, DC
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20003
United States
New York, NY
Nashville, TN
Washington DC Co-Managing Partner
Firm Administrative Partner
Partner and General Counsel
Co-Managing Partner of the Palo Alto and San Francisco Offices
San Diego Managing Partner

Significant Matters

  • A $762 million global qui tam settlement against human therapeutics company, Amgen, Inc.
  • A jury verdict of $253 million; $175 million settlement in gender discrimination class action against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
  • A $120 million settlement in qui tam case against pharmacy services provider, Omnicare, Inc.
  • A $99 million settlement in nationwide wage and hour class action against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
  • A $68 million settlement in qui tam case against Office Depot.
  • A $28 million settlement in wage and hour class action with AT&T.
  • A $24 million settlement in gender discrimination class action with pharmaceutical corporation, Sanofi-Aventis.
  • A $23.5 million settlement in qui tam case against medical device manufacturer, Medtronic, Inc.
  • A $19.5 million gender discrimination class action against tech company, Qualcomm.
  • A $14 million settlement in overtime wage & hour class action against C&S Wholesale Grocers.
  • An $11 million settlement in consumer fraud class action against Energy Plus Holdings LLC and Energy Plus Natural Gas LP.
  • An $11.3 million settlement in whistleblower and qui tam case against medical device manufacturer, Smith & Nephew.
  • An $8.7 million settlement in race discrimination class action against Cracker Barrel.
  • An $8.2 million settlement in gender pay, promotion, and pregnancy discrimination class action against pharmaceutical company, Daiichi Sankyo.
  • A $5.5 million settlement in wage & hour class action against Google.
  • A $5.1 million settlement in whistleblower and qui tam lawsuit against Meridian Surgical Partners LLC.
  • A $5 million settlement in gender discrimination and sexual harassment class action against Fairfield Resorts Incorporated.
  • A $4.15 million settlement in whistleblower and qui tam case against medical device manufacturer, AtriCure, Inc.
  • A $4.1 million settlement in whistleblower and qui tam case against genetic testing company, Pathway Genomics Corporation.
  • A $4 million settlement in gender discrimination class action against Forest Laboratories and Forest Pharmaceuticals.
  • A $4 million settlement in race discrimination class action against medical device manufacturer, Smith & Nephew.
  • A $3.45 million settlement in ERISA breach of fiduciary duty class action against investment management firm, Eaton Vance.
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