Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is a US plaintiff-side law firm specializing in employment, civil rights, whistleblower, and ERISA litigation. Headquartered in Washington DC with offices in New York City and Nashville, the firm has recovered over $5 billion for clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight does
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is a US-based plaintiff-side litigation law firm organized as a limited liability partnership, founded in 2010 by David Sanford and David Heisler and now operating under the name reflecting additional partners Sharp and McKnight. The firm maintains offices in Washington DC (headquarters), New York City, and Nashville, with 101–250 employees, and has earned Tier 1 placement in Best Law Firms 2026 across all three offices and Benchmark Litigation's Labor & Employment Firm of the Year for two consecutive years. It has recovered more than $5 billion for clients over its operating history.
The firm's core offering is legal representation in high-impact plaintiff matters spanning employment discrimination and harassment, civil rights violations, whistleblower retaliation, and ERISA disputes, with a growing docket of Federal Tort Claims Act complaints against federal entities (notably the U.S. Army) and institutional abuse claims against educational organizations. Active recent matters include a series of sexual abuse claims tied to Army OBGYN Dr. Blaine McGraw at Fort Hood and Tripler, a Title IX / negligence suit against Colgate University for athlete protection failures, and a successful compassionate release motion vacating a 1997 life sentence in the 1988 Kansas City firefighter explosion case.
Revenue is generated through professional services fees: contingency arrangements for plaintiff employment and civil rights cases, hourly billing, and flat-fee structures depending on matter type. The go-to-market model is direct, sales-led engagement with plaintiffs and class members, sourced primarily through reputation, attorney referrals, and earned media coverage of precedent-setting outcomes rather than paid advertising. The firm has no disclosed parent company, external capital backing, subsidiaries, or public listing, and operates as an independent going-concern private partnership.
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight
- Legal name
- Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP
- Website
- https://sanfordheisler.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is a US plaintiff-side law firm specializing in employment, civil rights, whistleblower, and ERISA litigation. Headquartered in Washington DC with offices in New York City and Nashville, the firm has recovered over $5 billion for clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plaintiff-side Employment and Civil Rights Litigation
- NAICS
- Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Claims Advocacy & Loss Recovery Services (FSAEADAH), Class Actions, Claims & Entitlements Recovery (FSACAKAK)
Keywords
Where Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Legal Services: The firm generates revenue through legal representation in employment, civil rights, whistleblower, and ERISA litigation cases. Revenue is derived from contingency fees, hourly fees, or flat fees depending on case type and client arrangement.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is a plaintiff-side litigation firm that represents individuals and classes in employment, civil rights, whistleblower, and ERISA matters. The firm files high-impact cases — including Federal Tort Claims Act complaints against federal agencies — and recovers damages through contingency, hourly, or flat fee arrangements. It has recovered over $5 billion for clients across its offices in Washington DC, New York City, and Nashville.
Product overview
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is a law firm offering legal services across multiple practice areas including employment litigation, civil rights, whistleblower representation, and ERISA litigation. The firm operates as a unified legal practice with attorneys specializing in representing individuals in high-impact cases. The firm has recovered over $5 billion for clients and maintains offices in Washington DC, New York City, and Nashville, with top-tier rankings in Best Law Firms® 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Employment Litigation Services
- Civil Rights Litigation Services
- Whistleblower Representation
- ERISA Litigation Services
- Federal Tort Claims Act Administrative Complaints
Quantifiable outcome
- $5 billion+ recovered for clients
Companies that use Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Berger Montague: Complex plaintiffs' litigation firm with employment, civil rights, and consumer class action practices. Comparable as a Philadelphia-headquartered plaintiff firm with overlapping employment and civil rights work.
- Labaton Sucharow: Plaintiff-side firm with securities class action, whistleblower, and corporate governance practices. Comparable for SEC/Dodd-Frank whistleblower work that overlaps with Sanford Heisler's whistleblower practice.
- Katz Marshall & Banks: Plaintiff-side firm specializing in whistleblower, employment discrimination, and False Claims Act litigation. Direct peer for whistleblower representation practice and DC-based plaintiff employment work.
- Motley Rice: National plaintiffs' law firm with mass tort, whistleblower, and civil rights practices. Comparable in operating model as a plaintiffs'-only firm with significant contingent-fee revenue and impact litigation portfolio.
- Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll: Plaintiff-side litigation firm with leading employment discrimination, civil rights, and ERISA class action practices. Closely comparable in case type mix (Title VII, civil rights, ERISA) and plaintiff-side orientation.
- Constantine Cannon: Plaintiff-side firm focused on whistleblower (False Claims Act, Dodd-Frank, IRS), antitrust, and complex litigation. Comparable in whistleblower representation and high-impact plaintiff practice.
- Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: National plaintiffs' law firm representing individuals and classes in employment, civil rights, and impact litigation. Highly comparable as a similarly positioned plaintiffs' firm with multi-office footprint and precedent-setting case track record.
- Outten & Golden: Plaintiff-side employment law firm specializing in workplace discrimination, whistleblower, and executive representation. Directly comparable to Sanford Heisler's employment and whistleblower litigation focus.
Emerging players
- Hagens Berman: Plaintiff-side class action firm with employment, civil rights, and consumer practices. Comparable in class action orientation and impact litigation, though somewhat smaller in pure employment scope.
Broad incumbents
- Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan: Large global litigation-only firm with significant employment and civil rights litigation practices. Comparable as a major litigation competitor but broader in scope and not plaintiff-only.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight social profiles
Digital presenceSanford Heisler Sharp McKnight financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight
What does Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight do?
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is a plaintiff-side litigation firm that represents individuals and classes in employment, civil rights, whistleblower, and ERISA matters. The firm files high-impact cases — including Federal Tort Claims Act complaints against federal agencies — and recovers damages through contingency, hourly, or flat fee arrangements. It has recovered over $5 billion for clients across its offices in Washington DC, New York City, and Nashville.
Is Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight a public or private company?
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight founded?
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight was founded in 2010. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight based?
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight make money?
One revenue line is on record: legal Services.
Who are Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Berger Montague, Labaton Sucharow, Katz Marshall & Banks, Motley Rice, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, Constantine Cannon, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein and Outten & Golden. Hagens Berman is listed as an emerging player. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight.
What industry is Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight in?
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight's product category is Plaintiff-side Employment and Civil Rights Litigation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAAAM, Personal Injury & Insurance Defense, with a secondary code of FSAEADAH, Claims Advocacy & Loss Recovery Services. Its NAICS code is 54111 and its SIC code is 8111.