Atty. David Sanford
David Sanford is the Chairman and co-founder of Sanford Heisler Sharp LLP. He has recovered more than one billion dollars for individual clients and the United States government since 2004.
Profile Summary
About David Sanford at a glance
David Sanford is a employment attorney based in New York, New York, practicing at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP. They have 29+ years of legal experience, licensed to practice since 1997. Admitted to practice in New York, New York, Maryland (1997), and District of Columbia (1998). Educated at Stanford University (J.D., 1995) and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (—, 1985). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Employment Law - Individuals (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Additional Areas of Practice: (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Civil Rights Law (2026). Serands clients in New York, NY and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- David Sanford is the Chairman and co-founder of Sanford Heisler Sharp LLP. He has recovered more than one billion dollars for individual clients and the United States government since 2004
- David represents C-suite executives and non-managerial hourly employees throughout the US
- He has served as lead counsel in more than 50 class actions and numerous qui tam cases around the country and represented more than 100 general counsel and attorneys (in-house and outside counsel) in contract disputes, employment matters, and severance packages
- Within the past year, David was lead counsel in a $14.25 million class action settlement against Rabbi Freundel and other defendants on behalf of women surreptitiously videotaped while performing a religious cleansing ritual
- and David settled a $4 million gender discrimination case on behalf of female members of Forest Laboratories’ national sales force
- David was lead trial counsel for a professor at Columbia University Business School in a sexual harassment/retaliation matter, which culminated in a $1.25 million jury verdict after a three week trial in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- David is lead counsel currently representing more than 15 female partners at BigLaw firms throughout America
- On behalf of three female partners, he recently settled a case alleging gender discrimination and pay inequity against Chadbourne & Parke (now Norton Rose Fulbright)
- He also recently settled a gender discrimination matter on behalf of female partner at Proskauer Rose and Sedgwick
- For his work in bringing cases and discussing the issues surrounding gender equality in law firms, the American Lawyer had chosen David as a finalist for its 2018 Attorney of the Year award
- He is also class counsel in ERISA matters pending against Morgan Stanley, Home Depot and General Electric
- David has also settled gender discrimination class actions with extensive class-wide relief against Novartis, Daiichi Pharmaceuticals, Qualcomm, Publicis, and Alcon Pharmaceuticals
- David was inducted into the National Law Journal’s “Elite Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame” and named among the top 100 trial lawyers in America by the National Trial Lawyers
- He is recognized as a “Top Employment Lawyer” by American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel and the National Law Journal
- and rated “Band One” by Chambers
- Recognized by Law360 as an “Employment Lawyer MVP” and as a “Titan of the Plaintiffs’ Bar,” David has also been selected as a “Super Lawyer” in both Washington, DC and New York
- Since 2006, he has been AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating given to an attorney by judges and attorneys nationwide
- He sits on the Board of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and on the Board of Corps Africa
- David is a member of the advisory board of the Foundation for Advocacy, Inclusion, and Resources, a non-profit focused on increasing diversity in the plaintiffs’ employment bar and raising public consciousness about workers’ rights
- is on the advisory board of Aernos
- and is an advisory forum member of the Stanford University Center on the Legal Profession
Practice Areas Explained
David Sanford's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases David Sanford handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Employment lawyers represent workers in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, wage & hour disputes, and severance negotiations.
David Sanford is one of 169,120 employment attorneys indexed nationally. Browse employment attorneys in New York →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in New York
Practicing law in New York. Legal matters in New York are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in New York are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate New York state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in New York brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in New York courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional New York attorneys? Browse all attorneys in New York or all attorneys in New York.
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